The Doctor's Office

Have you ever really noticed what reading material and information is at a doctor’s office? Yesterday I was at the gynecological office and took notice of what reading material I could grab to occupy my mind and help pass time while waiting to hear my name called. My observation concluded there were magazines for women and possibly a few directed towards men. You could get an up to date report on the hottest Hollywood celebrities from People Magazine or ensure Wall Street is handling your financial affairs correctly by browsing through Business Week. You could snag a good recipe for dinner from Ladies Home Journal or get the tip of the week on how to handle your overall health from Prevention Magazine. Needless to say, a countless number of other magazines illustrated towards one disease or another scattered the tables. Of course the little folks we call our children had plenty to entertain themselves with books, building blocks and other little folk. We can’t leave out the endless pharmaceutical pamphlets available that were telling you how dire it is to reduce your blood pressure, cholesterol and stress levels. We were bombarded with fitness flyers emphasizing the importance of exercise and how vital it is for the heart, muscles and mental state, especially as we age. The counter was covered with brochure racks holding page after page of contraceptive information and birthing options. The wall unit display located in the hallway leading to the restroom held endless postcard advertisements from cancer chemotherapy medications to how to clear up zits. There were ample advertisements for wrinkle injections and the concern of keeping our youthful appearance. There was an abundance of information on any disease, ailment or dysfunction your body could possibly ever experience in one’s lifetime much less many lifetimes. There seemed to be something for everyone, well, almost everyone.

Knowledge surrounded me yet I noticed there was an important and extremely vital bit of information missing in the sea of paper arranged around the room. Not a brochure, postcard advertisement nor a magazine was to be seen anywhere in the waiting area, restroom, display racks nor even in the examining rooms that pertained to HIV/AIDS. I scanned every square foot area of that office searching for HIV prevention information, behavior risk factor explanations, local AIDS Service Organization (ASO’s) contact numbers; and or transmission route information to no avail. I was shocked NOT to find ANYTHING regarding HIV or AIDS and especially in a GYN’S. Of all the places one should be able to gather crucial information on any disease should be at your doctors office.

Doctors should be on the front line defense and eager to educate his/her patients on the subject of HIV/AIDS and be the ones to initiate it. If nothing else, they should have the information available for a patient to take with them if they are too embarrassed or ashamed to address the subject. As it has been proven, HIV knows no barriers and does not discriminate against anyone regardless of age, race, religion, gender or political affiliate.

Being a woman living with AIDS, it is ever more important to me to help prevent another human being from becoming infected with this horrific virus; especially my fellow sisters, girlfriends, colleagues and associates. America as a whole should be ashamed that in the year of 2008, 25+ years after the virus was discovered, that we are still NOT openly talking about this disease. We are still NOT educating our youth and communities, we are still NOT concerned of the spread of the disease in our own front yards and we are still NOT able to tear down the prejudices of our own judgments towards people living with this disease or the disease itself.

Next time you are at your family doctors office, or any doctor’s office, please take note on what information you see laying around. I would be curious to hear from you as to what you find. I would also love to know of a doctor’s office or clinic that was not specialized in HIV/AIDS that did offer written material to their patients on the disease of HIV/AIDS.

I look forward to hearing from you.