• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Lifestyle / Living with HIV / I am a Work of ART. The Art Behind the Campaign.

I am a Work of ART. The Art Behind the Campaign.

living with HIV

The Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy’s (OIDP) new campaign seeks to encourage people with HIV who are not in care to seek care, stay in care, and achieve viral suppression.

In 2019, Blacks/African Americans represented 13% of the U.S. population, but 40% of people with HIV. 1 Adding to that, the rate of new HIV infections among Black women is 11 times that of White women and four times that of Latina women. The Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is working to change these disparities by improving rates of viral suppression within communities disproportionately affected by HIV, an essential goal of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. Launched in June of this year, OIDP’s “I am a Work of ART” campaign features the story of 10 people with HIV—the campaign’s “creative partners”—as the artistic inspiration behind the campaign.

By sharing their stories, the campaign encourages people with an HIV diagnosis to seek care, stay in care, and achieve and maintain viral suppression through antiretroviral therapy, also known as ART.

HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks and destroys the infection-fighting cells of the immune system, decreasing the body’s ability to fight infections and certain HIV-related cancers. ART, if taken as prescribed, reduces the amount of HIV in the body (viral load) to a very low-level by2 preventing HIV from making copies of itself, which reduces the amount of HIV in the body.

You May Also Like
7 Proven Ways to Cure an Upset Stomach

The less HIV in the body, the better the chance the immune system has to recover from infection.3 This result is called viral suppression. Viral suppression prevents illness and helps people with HIV stay healthy. It also helps reduce the spread of HIV because people with an undetectable viral load cannot sexually transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partner.

Ashley, a wife, mom, community advocate, and one of the campaign’s creative partners, felt a special connection to the campaign because of how ART has changed her life. 

“I chose to support this campaign because there was a time in my life where I allowed my (HIV) diagnosis to take over my happiness,” Ashley says. “I was depressed for years, with suicidal thoughts. I thought God was punishing me and I did not understand why.” 

Ashley was born with HIV and as she became older, she realized that there was a purpose to her life, and she was going to discover that purpose. For her, HIV no longer felt like a death sentence. 

You May Also Like
How One Woman Eliminated 50 Fibroids without Surgery!

“Because of ART, I am healthy, and my family is healthy. My son and my husband are not living with HIV. They are negative. This is possible because I have an undetectable viral load through ART.”

Continue Reading

The Latest In Living with HIV

hiv test

Which HIV Test is the Most Accurate?

The most accurate and reliable diagnostic tool used regularly is lab tests that look for HIV antibodies and the p24 antigen.  They are "fourth-generation" tests, meaning that the technology used in them is more advanced than earlier tests. RELATED: How read more about Which HIV Test is the Most Accurate?
HIV AIDS epidemic

On World AIDS Day, White House Announces Plan to End Epidemic by 2030

The United States will renew its focus on ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030, with new funding and a five-year strategy, the White House said Thursday. The Biden administration announced its ambitious plans on World AIDS Day. Among the plan's components are read more about On World AIDS Day, White House Announces Plan to End Epidemic by 2030
monkeypox

People With Untreated HIV Being Hit Hardest by Monkeypox

While monkeypox cases are declining in the United States, a new government report shows that patients with weakened immune systems, especially those living with HIV, have been hit particularly hard by the virus. Even after taking antiviral medication for monkeypox, those with read more about People With Untreated HIV Being Hit Hardest by Monkeypox
prep vs pep

Living with HIV: PrEP Vs. PEP

Technology has changed the lives of everyone in today’s current age. From being able to communicate with relatives and loved ones at far distances faster, to being able to throw anything in the air fryer and have a meal cooked read more about Living with HIV: PrEP Vs. PEP
hiv stigma

Living with HIV: How to Beat the Stigma

You can live a long healthy life with HIV as long as you take medication and get educated about the stigma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system read more about Living with HIV: How to Beat the Stigma
safe sex

3 Reasons Black Women Are At Higher Risk For Developing STIs

Listen, we all know STIs are no laughing matter and are taken very seriously by many. In 2021 alone, there were 1.5 million people diagnosed with HIV, according to the UN. safe sex Living with HIV is not an easy read more about 3 Reasons Black Women Are At Higher Risk For Developing STIs

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Mo’Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: “I Love Us For Real”Mo'Nique at 55: Slimmer, Happier & Wiser: "I Love Us For Real"
  • Monica Calhoun at 51: “Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside”Monica Calhoun at 51: "Exude Beauty Inside, Manifest It Outside"
  • Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!Taimak: The Last Dragon Lives 35+ Years Later!
  • Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!Chef Babette Davis: Making 70+ Look Simply Delicious!
  • Shemar Moore Expecting First Child at 52!Shemar Moore Expecting First Child at 52!

Podcast

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.