Nonprofit Spotlight: Georgia AIDS Coalition

Cathalene Teahan, president of the Georgia AIDS Coalition, is moving and shaking things in the field of AIDS advocacy.  

More than two decades ago, Cathalene Teahan looked around and decided she needed to do more. She was touched by the stories she heard, appaled by the statistics she saw and disenchanted with the government's lack of attention on such a critical issue: STD and AIDS awareness.

The Snellville resident is now leading her team at Georgia AIDS Coalition to create change through advocacy, education, and prevention measures.

She moved to Snellville in 1988, but has been working in the HIV/AIDS field since 1981. While in graduate school in the late 80’s, she and a few colleagues formed an AIDS organization.  They did everything from education to legal services, including helping AIDS victims put their affairs in order. 

"I have been working in the field ever since," she said.

“Back then, we didn’t have any type of drugs for the patients to go on,” Teahan added.  “Now, people can live very long lives.  AIDS has become a chronic disease.”

In 2005, Senator Balfour commended Teahan for her years of service to Georgia as chair of the Georgia AIDS Coalition, the Georgia Task Force on AIDS, and other state-wide organizations, as well as her leadership positions with the Georgia Nurses Association.  

Facts on the Disease
"The fact is that, right here in the United States, every 9 ½ minutes someone’s mother, someone’s daughter, someone’s son, someone’s father, or friend, becomes infected with HIV,” said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS in a report HIV Prevention in the United States: At a Critical Crossroads. He also stated that "a false sense of security, a false sense of calm" overshadows what is an epidemic. 

Despite the progress that has been made in medicating the disease, more than 1.1 million Americans are currently infected, according to estimates from the CDC. One out of five infected do not know it.

In Georgia alone, there were 2,250 newly diagnosed HIV patients in 2009, according to data from the Georgia Division of Public Health.  The East Metro Health District, which includes Gwinnett, Rockdale and Newton counties, had 94 newly infected people in 2009.

That pales in comparison to the neighboring DeKalb County district, which had 473 newly infected people in 2009, a number that is significantly higher than any other cluster.  

As of May 11, 2011, there are 1,515 people on a waiting list for AIDS medication in Georgia. The waiting list is for low-income Georgia residents who have no other way of paying for the live-saving medication.

The discrepancy is due in large part to recent budget cuts.  

“There is a huge list of people waiting for drugs for AIDS because the budget is too small,” said Myra Carmon, secretary for the Georgia AIDS Coalition.  “We have to be present at budget hearings to make sure that they are not decreased.”

Lobbying for Change
Advocacy is a large part of the coalition’s work. Carmon,  who coordinates the pediatric nurse practitioner’s program at Georgia State University, has been with the organization for eight years. During that time she has been active in appealing to senators and representatives to take up their cause.  

“We go to the capitol and see the different bills that come out,” she said. “Sometimes we initiate bills that need to be initiated like insurance companies covering STD screenings.”  

Once key government figures take up a cause, they present it to a committee.  That committee passes it to a sub-committee.  If the House approves it, it passes to the Senate and vice versa.  

“We are lucky that the chairs of the health and human services departments in the Senate and in the House of Representatives are both nurses,” Carmon said.  “For change to happen, you have to have either a senator or representative that has an interest in the area.”

The coalition recommends and advocates for routine testing, something the CDC advocates as well.  If you visit the emergency room or your doctor’s office, patients will now most likely be tested for HIV.  

To help with testing, the coalition recently received a grant for mobile testing units, which will travel to high-risk areas to perform HIV testing.

"HIV is so treatable now," said Demetrius Mazacoufa, public relations specialist for the Georgia AIDS Coalition.  "These new therapies are strong indicators to stop the spread of AIDS."

Another area that the coalition has been successful in changing through advocacy is training for public health nurses.

“Public health nurses are an issue to people with HIV because they get their training in the health department.  They need education,” Teahan said.  “The general population also needs to be educated about infection reduction. We advocated that different types of policies be implemented that would help retain and recruit public health nurses.”

Taking Steps Towards Change
Although formally centered around advocacy and education, the Georgia AIDS Coalition also focuses heavily on prevention. Each October, the organization holds a conference in the Atlanta area educating people about HIV/AIDS facts and prevention. Last year’s conference was held at the Decatur Health Department.

“People don’t want to talk about it because of the stigma attached to it,” Teahan said.  

Because of that, people do not disclose that they are HIV positive, or simply refuse to get tested. In 2007, for example, it was one of the top 15 causes of death for all age groups older than 15 in the U.S., and in the top seven for the 20-49 year bracket, all ages and all races. 

However, recent studies have shown that when patients infected with HIV begin immediate treatment of oral antiretroviral treatment, they are 96.3 percent less likely to pass on the infection to partners.

“I would love to see the Georgia AIDS Coalition close its doors,” said Teahan.

With the progress being made in seeking treatment as prevention, that may be a goal that Teahan will live to see.  

How to help: The Georgia AIDS Coalition, like most nonprofits, has seen a decline in donations due to the collapse of the economy, but accepts financial contributions on their website.  They also receive money from grants, which are competitive and challenging to obtain.  

Tomorrow, Patch will feature a story about a young man, who lived in Snellville and was diagnosed HIV positive.  If you know someone affected by AIDS and would like to share your story, send us an email.