Love G, Boyer AM, Floyd I; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2000 Jul 9-14; 13: abstract no. TuOrE390.
G. Love, 17-80 Istave Apartment 5A, New York, United States, Tel.: +212 348 08 37, Fax: +212 360 69 65
Issues: The status of women living in transient, commercial housing such as Single-Room-Occupancy Hotels (SRO's) is dismal. Most have been abused, are uneducated, are substance users and/or sex workers and all are HIV infected or affected. Women suffer more discrimination for being any of these than men do, in addition to that for simply being women. If they become pregnant the issues are compounded. The needs of these women are multiple and complex. To have them met requires a) being aware of the needs; b) being motivated to act; c) believing that those actions can achieve results; and d) becoming a determined self-advocate. Unsupported, these women are unlikely to make positive changes in their lives, unlikely to leave the safety of their locked rooms. Description: The only people likely to reach, connect with, and help these women are their peers, such as ourselves, who created the Women's Information Network. W.I.N.'s mission is to assist and empower these women to make positive choices in their behaviors, health, and lifestyles through strengthening solidarity with peers who are in recovery. Associated goals are: 1) to see that any pregnant ones are enabled to access medical care or other services, while Network peers provide support, teaching, advocacy, role models, and hugs; 2) through peer solidarity to form a powerful agent for community and attitudinal change concerning women and their needs; and 3) to create, in W.I.N., an opportunity for employment and advancement of recovering peers. These goals are approached by: 1) Inreach - going door to door in SRO's, engaging women and giving out hygiene and other supplies and chat; 2) Women-to-Women - group meetings held within SRO's; 3) peer-buddying women with special needs, such as pregnancy; 4) maintaining a warm line; 5) networking with health care providers and other services. Conclusions: Thus far we have reached over 100 women (several of whom are now W.I.N. volunteers) and enrolled 6 who were/are pregnant but not in care. Of these, 1 elected to terminate, and has since become a Network peer; 2 have delivered healthy, uninfected babies; and 2 are in care and taking at least AZT. A number of the women are beginning recovery and seeking medical care - at least in part because of the support and role modeling of us, their peers.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Demography
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Health Services Needs and Demand
- Humans
- Infant
- Interpersonal Relations
- Male
- Peer Group
- Pregnancy
- Social Support
- Teaching
- Zidovudine
- education
- methods
- therapy
Other ID:
UI: 102239908
From Meeting Abstracts