HIV panel to "bust myths" with stories

This Thursday, April 30, Wilkes University will host a panel discussion to promote HIV awareness at 6 p.m. in the Miller Conference room. The panel titled, “Awareness. Action. Education: Living with HIV,” will feature six panelists. Three are members of the HIV community and the remaining three panelists work within the HIV community.

In addition to the panel, there will be a free HIV screening in the Hiscox room which will be conducted by the Wyoming Valley AIDS Council.

“Last semester, I worked on my capstone, which was on HIV disclosure because I have friends within the HIV population,” said Valerie Martinez, a senior communication studies major, who coordinated the event.

HIV medical professionals on the panel include Megan Margavage, coordinator for case management of Wyoming Valley AIDS Council; Michelle Crackett, nurse for the Department of Health of Pennsylvania; and Sheree Nelson, representative from a pharmaceutical company, Abbott Laboratories.

In addition, the panel will include three HIV positive community members. Andy, founder of Luzerne County We Care, and Bryan and Maria, also HIV positive community members. The last names of the HIV positive panelists are not given to maintain some level of privacy. All panelists will have about 10 to 15 minutes to speak and then there will be an open question and answer session.

Margavage, said she plans to talk about what the Wyoming Valley AIDS Council can provide, how people can get the free testing offered by the center, and answer any questions that students have.

Crackett will educate about STDs, HIV and pregnancy. These are topics that should concern students because, according to the Department of Health, many people opt to be tested only for HIV and not other STDs, which is problematic particularly for any youth-populated community.

Nelson will offer insights into the different medications for HIV positive people. She will also offer an “HIV 101” quiz, said Margavage.

The HIV positive community members, Andy, Bryan and Maria, will offer their stories as to how they contracted the disease. Andy is the founder of We Care which is a support organization for the HIV community. Bryan and Maria are open HIV community members and have done panels prior to this one.

The Wyoming Valley AIDS Council assists clients by using a method called case management. After someone tests positive for HIV, the center helps them get on the right track with medicine and visits to the doctor. The council also helps clients with their finances because the medicine can be very expensive. If clients are eligible for prescription drug plans, like the Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program, the council can help clients work with plans like SPBP and also get funding from the government.

“One of the drugs that I did some research on… it cost somebody almost $30,000 a year, just for the drug alone. It cost about $1,500 a month for each prescription for a 30-day supply of the medicine,” said Margavage.

Margavage wants to point out to college students that HIV and AIDS doesn’t target people. It is random and it can happen to anyone. People need to get educated on the subject of HIV, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

“The most important thing is that you just have to get tested. Or just be aware that you could be at risk,” said Margavage.

One student, Carolyn Holecek, a sophomore nursing major is going to the HIV panel because she thinks students should know more about HIV and AIDS. Holecek was educated about HIV and AIDS in a sexual education class in high school, but would like to see more sexual education throughout high school and college. She also likes the idea of a panel discussion.

“I thought it was an interesting way to present the information. Obviously, anyone can do their own research but having a panel discussion, you are able to have question and answer sessions. Also, you are able to relate a face to a story… It makes the story more tangible than just reading statistics and viewing the person as a number,” said Holecek.

The Wyoming Valley AIDS Council works with about 100 clients at any given time. Margavage also supervises another case manager at the AIDS Council, Matt Semanision.

Martinez wants more students to have knowledge about HIV and AIDS.

“I’ll be really please if people become more informed,” said Martinez.

Throughout her work, Margavage has seen a big stigma on AIDS in this area.  “I still hear people saying, ‘It’s a gay man’s disease.’ This is going back twenty years ago already. Now it’s coming back out that I’m hearing these phrases,” said Margavage.

Martinez hopes that the panel discussion will be a “mythbuster” and she hopes it will decrease the stigma that comes with the issue.