www.ambiente.us FEBRUARY / FEBRERO 2008
OPEd: THEY ARE EVERYWHERE
By José F. Colón
"The intention of this article is to alert others who may be going through a similar or exact situation. Records
have to be transparent, un-stigmatized, as well as inclusive."
Community Based Organizations, PLWHIV/AIDS activists and health advocates have been working together,
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as with the Hispanic Caucus, and other influential groups.
This has occurred since the beginning of Puerto Rico's health crisis regarding the existence of a waiting list.
After pressure from all sides, including very knowledgeable articles written, not only by the island's news
media, but in the United States as well, the claim was acknowledged.
Even then he Puerto Rican DOH denied what was happening in the island, not only to try to mend grave
administrative mistakes, but also with the sole purpose of saving the image of the Health Executive Branch.
Today they continue giving out false information...
The waiting list was made public due to HRSA's unbiased Project Officer, activist involvement, because the
Department of Health, headed by Rosa Pérez Perdomo, PhD, denied the existence of this very threatening
life saving situation, just to save face and literally try to make us get tired, so we would stop denouncing the
injustice made to thousands of HIV/AIDS patients, not only on the island but in every state or territory that had
or has a waiting list.
Our struggle has been uphill until various national CBO's, helped Puerto Rican CBO's and HIV/AIDS
activists have exposed the crisis in which the Commonwealth's health system is immersed.
We have knocked on doors everywhere, including high ranking members of Congress. We told them, and
still tell them, that the health system in Puerto Rico collapsed. Who knows where else the situation is the
same.
After almost a year and a half of dealing with the denial from health officials, (which I personally believe to be
administrative terrorism, pure incompetence or stupidity), the members of this initiative have been
constantly in touch.
Our goal has been to defy all the system's faults, including HRSA's.
We are a strong collective group whose purpose or mission is to eliminate all the gaps of service and
treatments, not only in Puerto Rico, but also in every state or territory in which waiting lists have been
implemented and PLWHIV/AIDS do not receive proper care.
Our work is focused on eliminating the gaps and barriers that exist in the provision of services, which in
Puerto Rico impact over nineteen thousand HIV/AIDS patients. This problem is a general one in states and
territories where poverty exists.
As usual, when a good initiative is starting to work, others, who never played a role in the delineation of
strategies, picket lines and demonstrations, (including of course a paper trail of every action taken), have
tried to jump into the bandwagon. These individuals appear from nowhere and try to manipulate the long
worked track and its successful impact in higher political spheres, as their initiative, using hidden agendas
to do so.
It is sad to say but: politicians and other aligned employees or unscrupulous service providers, (who do not
even live in Puerto Rico), expect to have the biggest piece of the multi-million dollar cake.
We believe this intention to be a grave attack on the civil anf human rights of PLWHIV/AIDS.
Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance to call the attention, so it is widely known, that some new members
have joined our aggressive defense on human dignity and the most important right of every human being:
health.
We still need to create bigger collaborative networks.
The intention of this article is to alert others who may be going through a similar or exact situation. Records
have to be transparent, un-stigmatized, as well as inclusive.
For me, as a 55 year old male PLWA patient/activist, this intrusion with hidden agendas must be stopped.
Those who babble so much about hope, but fill their wallets with dollars as their goal, (even though their
monetary gains come from widespread pain, tears, misery and deaths), do not deserve, neither our
recognition nor trust.
We find these situations as an unneeded waste of energy, when there is so much to do so that once and for
all we can make this pandemic stop through education, prevention, diagnosis an guaranteed access to
treatment.
PLWHIV/AIDS, good hearted CBO's and governmental employees must always remember that our goal is
as clear as water: a vaccine and finally the cure of this monster that has eliminated complete generations in
parts of the World.
The time has come for change so we can use all appropriations to really fight for justice of the poor, the
elderly, injection drug users, and sex workers, keeping in mind that we, people living with HIV/AIDS, have
had the guts to fight those who seat comfortably in their black leathered chairs, using their very expensive
Mont Blanc pens to write about nothing, solely waiting for their next pay check, free rides, free food, (known
as the Gravy Train), and nothing else in their heads but hot air, seeing the elimination of the illness as
something that will not benefit their pockets and/or wallets, at all. They are everywhere...
Let us fight together, well organized and free of all the poisons that others have tried to use in order to make
us invisible: stigma, prejudice and bigotry.
Together, we can do it!
Thank you.
Mister José F. Colón jfcl211@aol.com
Pacientes de SIDA pro PolÃtica Sana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Copyright © JFColon & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing these sources.
OPEd: THEY ARE EVERYWHERE
By José F. Colón
"The intention of this article is to alert others who may be going through a similar or exact situation. Records
have to be transparent, un-stigmatized, as well as inclusive."
Community Based Organizations, PLWHIV/AIDS activists and health advocates have been working together,
in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as with the Hispanic Caucus, and other influential groups.
This has occurred since the beginning of Puerto Rico's health crisis regarding the existence of a waiting list.
After pressure from all sides, including very knowledgeable articles written, not only by the island's news
media, but in the United States as well, the claim was acknowledged.
Even then he Puerto Rican DOH denied what was happening in the island, not only to try to mend grave
administrative mistakes, but also with the sole purpose of saving the image of the Health Executive Branch.
Today they continue giving out false information...
The waiting list was made public due to HRSA's unbiased Project Officer, activist involvement, because the
Department of Health, headed by Rosa Pérez Perdomo, PhD, denied the existence of this very threatening
life saving situation, just to save face and literally try to make us get tired, so we would stop denouncing the
injustice made to thousands of HIV/AIDS patients, not only on the island but in every state or territory that had
or has a waiting list.
Our struggle has been uphill until various national CBO's, helped Puerto Rican CBO's and HIV/AIDS
activists have exposed the crisis in which the Commonwealth's health system is immersed.
We have knocked on doors everywhere, including high ranking members of Congress. We told them, and
still tell them, that the health system in Puerto Rico collapsed. Who knows where else the situation is the
same.
After almost a year and a half of dealing with the denial from health officials, (which I personally believe to be
administrative terrorism, pure incompetence or stupidity), the members of this initiative have been
constantly in touch.
Our goal has been to defy all the system's faults, including HRSA's.
We are a strong collective group whose purpose or mission is to eliminate all the gaps of service and
treatments, not only in Puerto Rico, but also in every state or territory in which waiting lists have been
implemented and PLWHIV/AIDS do not receive proper care.
Our work is focused on eliminating the gaps and barriers that exist in the provision of services, which in
Puerto Rico impact over nineteen thousand HIV/AIDS patients. This problem is a general one in states and
territories where poverty exists.
As usual, when a good initiative is starting to work, others, who never played a role in the delineation of
strategies, picket lines and demonstrations, (including of course a paper trail of every action taken), have
tried to jump into the bandwagon. These individuals appear from nowhere and try to manipulate the long
worked track and its successful impact in higher political spheres, as their initiative, using hidden agendas
to do so.
It is sad to say but: politicians and other aligned employees or unscrupulous service providers, (who do not
even live in Puerto Rico), expect to have the biggest piece of the multi-million dollar cake.
We believe this intention to be a grave attack on the civil anf human rights of PLWHIV/AIDS.
Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance to call the attention, so it is widely known, that some new members
have joined our aggressive defense on human dignity and the most important right of every human being:
health.
We still need to create bigger collaborative networks.
The intention of this article is to alert others who may be going through a similar or exact situation. Records
have to be transparent, un-stigmatized, as well as inclusive.
For me, as a 55 year old male PLWA patient/activist, this intrusion with hidden agendas must be stopped.
Those who babble so much about hope, but fill their wallets with dollars as their goal, (even though their
monetary gains come from widespread pain, tears, misery and deaths), do not deserve, neither our
recognition nor trust.
We find these situations as an unneeded waste of energy, when there is so much to do so that once and for
all we can make this pandemic stop through education, prevention, diagnosis an guaranteed access to
treatment.
PLWHIV/AIDS, good hearted CBO's and governmental employees must always remember that our goal is
as clear as water: a vaccine and finally the cure of this monster that has eliminated complete generations in
parts of the World.
The time has come for change so we can use all appropriations to really fight for justice of the poor, the
elderly, injection drug users, and sex workers, keeping in mind that we, people living with HIV/AIDS, have
had the guts to fight those who seat comfortably in their black leathered chairs, using their very expensive
Mont Blanc pens to write about nothing, solely waiting for their next pay check, free rides, free food, (known
as the Gravy Train), and nothing else in their heads but hot air, seeing the elimination of the illness as
something that will not benefit their pockets and/or wallets, at all. They are everywhere...
Let us fight together, well organized and free of all the poisons that others have tried to use in order to make
us invisible: stigma, prejudice and bigotry.
Together, we can do it!
Thank you.
Mister José F. Colón jfcl211@aol.com
Pacientes de SIDA pro PolÃtica Sana, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Copyright © JFColon & AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing these sources.
| RESIDENTIAL COMMERICAL Licensed Across Florida CGC060449 dructorbuilds.com 305-401-8914 |
| GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION WWW.GLAAD.ORG |
| Gay American Heroes Foundation Honoring LGBT persons who died because of their sexual orientation and gender identity www.gayamericanheroes.com |
| Endulge Yourself... Chocolate Themed Baskets & Gifts www.dulcestore.com |
| Web resource for LGBTQ youth www.matthewsplace.com |
| An online forum on sexual health education for gay and bisexual men www.lifelube.org |
| www.familiasporladiversidad.org |
| LIGA Contra el SIDA - SoFla. League Against AIDS www.leagueagainstaids.org |
