CDC picks D.C. for new campaign to step up HIV treatment

Using Southeast D.C.’s United Medical Center as a backdrop, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention launched a social marketing campaign targeted at increasing HIV treatment compliance on Wednesday.

With the slogan “Get in care, Stay in care, Live well,” the campaign seeks to persuade patients to adhere to their treatments to decrease the viral loads of their HIV. That’s important because it improves health outcomes and reduces the transmission of the virus, officials said.

D.C. is one of three cities where the CDC is launching its efforts, due in part to the high rates of HIV among residents. UMC has been central in a debate in the District about providing equitable health care to populations east of the Anacostia River in D.C. That community has also been disproportionately impacted by the transmission of new HIV cases in the city.

“As the only full-service hospital east of the river, we are in a unique position and [have] a unique responsibility to the residents of Wards 7 and 8. We fit earlier in the continuum of care,” said Dr. Nnemdi Kamanu Elias, United Medical Center’s medical director of community health initiatives.

The hospital several years ago began automatically performing HIV testing on emergency department patients who have their blood drawn.

In the District, the number of patients who are linked to treatment within three months of diagnosis has risen to 86 percent in 2012 (the latest year available), up from 57 percent in 2008, said Dr. Michael Kharfen, director of the D.C. Department of Health’s HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and Tuberculosis Administration.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up