AIDS Day highlights ways to help

By Roseann Moring

Published Dec. 1, 2006

Weather permitting, MU, along with the City of Columbia, will recognize World AIDS Day today. The day is dedicated to promoting education and fighting the spread of AIDS.

"Dec. 1 is sort of a rough time for us here," said Kale Mitchell, executive assistant of the Missouri chapter of Regional AIDS Interfaith Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing support to people living with HIV.

RAIN is funded through grants, contracts and fundraising. According to its Web site, RAIN is the only AIDS service organization in the north central region of Missouri.

There are 426 people with HIV in Boone County, 185 of which have AIDS, according to statistics from RAIN.

Several events are scheduled for the day, but some will likely be canceled due to the weather.

The Student Health Center and Sexual Health Advocacy Peer Educators are sponsoring a table at Brady Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., "illuminating the lives and experiences of those affected by HIV and AIDS," said Heather Eastman-Mueller, director of the Student Health Center.

"They're going to have a wreath," she said.

Those affected by AIDS will also provide readings and testimonials.

The Newman Center, a Catholic organization, will sponsor a prayer circle. Afterward, Mary Ann McGivern will speak about corporate responsibility and HIV/AIDS cures and education.

RAIN planned for a poetry reading at 4:30 p.m. at Ragtag Cinemacafé and a candlelight vigil at 5 p.m. in downtown Columbia, but the events will probably be canceled due to weather, Mitchell said.

The Women's Center and Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center had planned to offer free oral HIV testing, but it was also canceled due to the weather, said Sam D'Agostino of the Women's Resource Center.

The Student Health Center regularly offers HIV testing for "a small fee," Eastman-Mueller said. When people test positive for HIV, they must register with the state. They are then entitled to a counseling session where they begin to learn how to deal with HIV. They also are encouraged to contact previous sexual partners.

The health center also offers one-on-one sessions with mental health professionals for anyone who tests positive for an STI.

RAIN offers a variety of services for people with HIV and AIDS, Mitchell said. The program facilitates the lives of people with HIV and AIDS.

"(We fill) pretty much every gap that can occur in a person's life that affects their health," Mitchell said.

He said the Student Health Center starts by connecting the patients with a physician for testing.

RAIN pays for various services for the people that request help, including providing safe housing, utility assistance and paying for doctor's visits and lab tests.

The agency pays for a support group and provides counseling sessions. It also provides social support and sponsors group activities.