It might be home to Elvis Presley and the Grand Ole’ Opry, but there are an estimated 14,000 AIDS cases in the state of Tennessee. This being our 16th state and 23rd testing site we had a chance to work with Street Works, “It’s not the biggest agency, but it sure ain’t the smallest. We get the job done, period!” said Ron Crowder the executive director. Ron state that the greatest challenge is the very limited HIV prevention dollars for a 39 county region and being limited in ability to effectively address the specific needs of all populations.
“Prevention is not a priority!” exclaimed Ron, as he told us because the CARE planning process is local and the community has clearly defined planning responsibilities, far more time is given to assessing and planning to meet the needs of individuals living with HIV and AIDS and this impacts unfortunately, the funding and process for prevention planning does not allow for the same level or quality of local planning. “This also doesn’t allow for the collection of good epidemiological data at the local level.” Going off instinct and experience Ron and his crew go into areas that most won’t dare. Our first day in Nashville was in a parking lot adjacent to four barber shops, two beauty salons, two liquor stores and a storefront that had been busted the week prior for selling crack. Ron put us exactly where we needed to be and the numbers of tests we did in Nashville reflected this.
Ron was diagnosed with HIV in April of 1991 and explained to me that there was not a lot of information being taken to the streets during the times nor in the places where the most risky activities were occurring (late night and weekends as well as in high drug areas e.g. crack houses and shooting galleries where and when I was infected) Street Works was started to address these gaps in services, the gaps that most don’t dare to go. The majority of their outreach takes place in the darkness of the night, in the slums and ghettos, and in the face of those most at risk.
Without fear but with passion and dedication Ron is an inspiration about taking services to the community where they are most needed. Street Works is one of the few agencies in Nashville that is able to reach populations that still remain undeserved by more traditional social agencies. Their success is based upon our unique rapport with the members of the communities in which they serve; they are members of the communities and based their counseling methodologies within them. http://www.street-works.org/
Ron from Nashville, TN
Tags: Black In America, Journey, Nashville, People, Portraits, Stories, Tennessee
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[...] Street Works and the National HIV Testing Tour teamed up last week to provide free testing services here in Nashville. Street Works is one of the few agencies in Nashville that is able to reach populations that still remain undeserved by more traditional social agencies. Their success is based upon our unique rapport with the members of the communities in which they serve; they are members of the communities and based their counseling methodologies within them… Read the full post at freehivtest.net. [...]