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Non-Profit Spotlight: Community AIDS Network

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SARASOTA – According to the Centers for Disease Control, Florida leads the nation in new HIV diagnoses, with young people and seniors among those most at risk. The Community AIDS Network (CAN), a locally-based non-profit, has been on a mission for over 25 years to reduce outbreaks in our community, while providing essential services to those living with the disease.

First clinically observed in the United States in 1981, Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are caused by HIV infection. Following the initial infection, a person may not notice symptoms or they may be limited to a brief period of influenza-like illness, often followed by a prolonged period with no symptoms at all.

As the infection progresses, it begins to interfere with the immune system, increasing the risk of common infections such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Other opportunistic infections and tumors that rarely affect people who have properly functioning immune systems can also be highly problematic for those with the disease, all of which make early diagnosis a key element in fighting not only the spread of AIDS but its advance in individual cases.

HIV is most often spread through sexual activity or shared needles among drug users. After years of national progress in controlling outbreaks, the dramatic uptick in heroin addiction has riddled many communities with new cases, including Sarasota-Manatee. In 2015 alone, the number of reported HIV cases in Florida jumped 23 percent. Fortunately, CAN has grown as well. The organization currently serves over 1,000 patients in its Sarasota clinics alone and more than 10,000 at sites statewide.

"CAN started in a small building on East street in downtown Sarasota," said the organization's CEO and President Rick Carlisle. "Now we have 24-CAN clinics throughout the state, and we are still growing."
 
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CAN's mission is to provide a continuum of medical, social and education services essential to the health and well-being of those living with HIV/AIDS and other STDs, along with Hepatitis C and other diseases, while enhancing public awareness in order to aid prevention and reduce negative stigmas. It is a private not-for-profit that receives funding from a myriad of public and private sources.

A group of specially-trained HIV Prevention Specialists called Peer Navigators are an integral part of CAN's outreach program. These members of the community, many of whom are living with HIV themselves, hit the streets, clubs, parks and community centers in our area in order to educate people about prevention. Such methods include being responsible when having sex, including protections such as condoms. CAN also offers free HIV testing.

The Peer Navigators also offer hope and insight to accessing available services when someone receives an HIV positive diagnosis. While treatments for HIV and AIDS have drastically improved in recent years, CAN's Peer Program Coordinator Valerie Wojciechowicz stresses that the experience of being diagnosed is no less scary.

"We support clients through the intimidating world of HIV and draw on life experience to assist clients with things like adherence, disclosure navigating the health system, and much more," said Wojciechowicz. Wojciehowicz added that CAN's Peer Navigators are often referred to as "the missing link" in patient care.
 
According to CAN, one teenager in America receives a transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus every 9 1/2 minutes, and one quarter of new HIV diagnoses are among people under the age of 25. While increased intravenous drug use has led to many new HIV/AIDS cases among young people, new HIV cases in seniors have also risen 15 percent each year over the past five, further taxing our community and the state at large.
 
CAN has also been on the front lines in the battle against Hepatitis C, a deadly condition that can affect anyone, including many unsuspecting baby boomers. In response to the recent rise in Hep-C cases, CAN has added a new non-invasive diagnostic test for Hep-C and other conditions of the liver, including sclerosis.

In the past, the only way to diagnose these conditions was through a needle biopsy, a painful procedure that brought with it the risk of potential infection, and took several days to a week to receive results. Today, the portable FibroScan model not only helps CAN's clients but travels to their medical partners within the community to better help them quickly and painlessly diagnose the condition.
 
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The FibroScan results are received in just 5 to 10 minutes, and allow physicians to monitor liver health over time. Hep-C treatments have also evolved in recent years. Medications now carry far fewer side effects, allowing CAN to see and treat far more patients who are living with the disease.

Fundraising is obviously an important part of CAN's ability to be effective in our community. The most direct way for you to help their mission is to make a secure donation here. The organization's primary fundraiser, CANDance, will be held on October 21 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at Michael's on East. The exciting evening will fill the dance floor with a number of still-to-be-announced local celebrities. Click here for more information.
 
 

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