All Entries in the "Health" Category
February is American Heart Month
Staff Report Across the nation, February is recognized as American Heart Month. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States, it is also a major cause of disability in our country. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease (or coronary heart disease), which often [...]
Twenty years of hope in Oklahoma
By Chuck Longacre Red Rock BHS Columnist In 1991, a small group of Oklahomans saw the limitations of state and federal funding for men and women infected by HIV. The discrimination caused by the epidemic in our state was, and still is, astounding. Imagine a time when telling your family that you had tested HIV-positive [...]
LGBT Health Awareness: tobacco companies push a deadly habit – High smoking rates contribute to premature deaths
Staff Report Oklahoma has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation, and the smoking rate in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community is even higher. The result is an excess of heart disease, strokes and cancer, leading to many years of life lost to premature death. This did not happen by [...]
New study shows smokers underutilize proven treatment and services for quitting
Staff Report According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 70 percent of smokers want to quit. Most American adults who smoke wish they could quit, and more than half have tried within the past year. The report says 68.8 percent of current American adult smokers say they want to quit and 52.4 percent of [...]
New Beginnings
By Chuck Longacre Redrock BHS columnist New Year’s Resolutions – Lose 10 pounds by summer, so you can fit into that special bikini you bought last fall. Kiss your partner every night before you go to sleep – never letting any arguments end unresolved. Get tested for HIV, so you will know your status this [...]
NO NEW INFECTIONS BY 2021
By Chuck Longacre Gayly Columnist WOW! Wait, is that possible? That sounds like a dream, too good to be true. But is it really? Where do we begin? President Barack Obama and his administration came up with the following National HIV/AIDS strategy in July of 2010: [box style="rounded"]“The United States will become a place where [...]
Number of AIDS-related deaths continues to fall, report finds
Staff Report In this month of celebrating World AIDS Day, it is important to know that although more people than ever are living with HIV, the number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have fallen to the lowest levels since the peak of the epidemic in 1997. This is according to a new report [...]
Oklahoma Agencies Offer HIV/AIDS Testing and Promote Activities for World AIDS Day, Dec. 1
As many as 1,777 people in Oklahoma are estimated to be infected with HIV and are unaware of their status. The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is joining with communities worldwide to promote HIV testing and to put a face to HIV/AIDS through various activities across Oklahoma that recognize Dec. 1 as World AIDS Day. According to [...]
Why should I get an STD test?
Dear Chuck, Why should I get an STD test? Thanks, Terry Terry, Being tested for all Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) is very important for anyone who is sexually active. I test a lot of people here at the Expressions Community Center (located in Oklahoma City, OK) who test for HIV every three months, but don’t [...]
Wear a red ribbon on December 1st
Wearing a red ribbon has become an internationally recognized symbol for HIV and AIDS aware- ness. The red ribbon was created in 1988 by a group called Visual AIDS to show support and in remembrance of those who have died. December 1st each year, people around the world pin on their red ribbons to commemorate [...]