Persuasive Letter Week 6
Course NUR 405
July 9, 2012
Professor Sandra Winters
To The Funding Agency for HIV/AIDS: There are many low socio-economic communities in Miami-Dade County that have a certain thing in common; these communities are plagued with co-morbid health issues. Prevalent in one particular community is the instance of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses among 18-24 year olds, according to Sigma Theta Tau initiatives and the United Nations, one goal is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. A few of these goals are By 2015, halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and by 2010, achieve universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all of those who need it (http://www.nursingsociety.org). In order for this goal to be realized, it is up to us as nurses within these communities to provide proper education and preventative care, but resources are needed. According to Hope for Miami, Miami-Dade has the 4th highest HIV/AIDS rate of all major US cities and the highest teen pregnancy rate in Florida. Many small non-profit agencies are eager to help those in need but often don’t have the capacity or resources to effectively do so (http://www.fcfcfl.org).

In order to provide this community with care, we have to make attempts to get rid of the health inequity. During a windshield survey around this community many signs of decay were noticed and among these dilapidated structures stood many young mothers with children and many unemployed persons. Many of these community members do not have the means to get around and depended heavily on public transportation. Community members use this as a mode to get to church, school, grocery store, and the hospitals or clinics. However, for a teen that may be infected with HIV/AIDS, this may be an inconvenience for a one particular reason. These teens wish to lead a life that is similar to their counterparts, but they have an obstacle in their way because of there is a stigma that is placed on persons with HIV. According to UNAIDS, fear of stigma and discrimination make people less likely to adopt HIV preventive behavior, less likely to get tested, and less likely to disclose their HIV status to partners and caregivers (http://data.unaids.org) . Stigma and discrimination are connected with postponing or rejecting care, and non-adherence to HIV treatment and medicines. In order to for this initiative to take root, a few things must occur. An HIV/AIDS program must conduct stigma and discrimination reduction activities and include stigma and discrimination comprehensively throughout national AIDS strategic plans and annual action plans.

In order to initiate wider scale programs assistance is needed from members of the community, parents, and educators who may interact with these teens on a daily basis. Working with the funding agency would be a community based nurse who is familiar with the resources that may be needed in order to first educate then treat those persons with HIV/AIDS. Also working with this nurses are a group of teens/young adults that may be living with HIV/AIDS and are willing to share their stories of experience from transmission, to prevention, and medication regimen. Funding is also needed in order to advertise these programs and while still complying with HIPPA protocol.

A grant is sum of money given by an organization, especially a government for a particular purpose. This program seeks a non for profit federal grant. They are not involved in this for financial gains but are tired of seeing their youth parish due to lack of knowledge. Grant writing is not an easy process, so the organization has decided to hire someone who has prior experience in writing grants. Every grant requires different paperwork to be completed and a missed step can throw the application out of the contention. Preparing financial documents, background documents and your grant application carefully, making sure it is submitted by the deadline. Grant proposals follow specific formats. We have taken our time and wrote a proposal carefully, succinctly, and thoroughly. If the steps are not followed thoroughly when submitting the application the grant could be in great of being deny. Because this a community base organization, the people who are selected to work with the funding agency should be those who actual are HIV/AIDS and are living in the community because those are the individuals who will lead the program.

Community is the primary focus for this initiative. The people have realized that when you want change you have to take the necessary steps to achieve them. The people who would be involved in the initial steps would be the residents of this particular community, Miami-Dade health department, federal government, and educators. Individuals are going to be involved in this initial steps have a vested interest in it. An initiative for the people, ran by the people is the slogan. Either they are HIV/ AIDS positive or they know someone has this disease. The personal aspect is what this organization seeks to demonstrate to others. It a level of compassion and understanding, if an issue is near and dear to your heart. People tend to listen to those who have actually been in their shoes and found their way out. HIV / AIDS is on the rise in the Miami-Dade county, and it going to take the entire community to help spread awareness and educations on this disease. This initiative provides a unique service those others organizations do not provide.

First, they would provide peer to peer mentorship. Where teens who are newly diagnosis with HIV /AIDS would be paired with someone from their community that has the disease and have known their status a minimum of two years. Majority of teenagers feel as if the adults do not understand them. So if someone who is in his or her age category can relate to what they are going thorough it can help tremendously. With all the technology that out there many teens have no knowledge on how to protect themselves. Parents are not taking the time to educate the children on the necessary precautions to take.

Second, the grant would help establish programs within the community to help community members. Those programs would not be run by individuals who have no pulse on what the community desires. It is important that we establish are headquarters within the community. Programs would be proactive in the community. The program would hire nurse and doctors to go into the community knock on every door and offer their medical services to anyone who desired. Instead of waiting for the community to seek help we would go into the community and offer our services. Also the programs would hire individuals who live in the community to help with maintain the community. Whether it was painting, trimming trees, or cleaning out dump sites this specific group would handle it.

In conclusion, the sole purpose is to help the community and nothing else. In order for this to work, the people who live within the community should work hand and hand with the funding agency. We have an opportunity to shape the future of America. It is our duty to educate the people. We cannot stand by and continue to let the people perish due to a lack of knowledge. Let us unite and fight this disease and provided hope to a community in despair. Even with all of the brochures, television ads, prints ads, and billboards HIV/ AIDS continues to be on the rise. More of our residents continue to become infected. Recent studies have shown that Miami Dade County leads in new HIV/ AIDS cases, so obviously the system that in place is not working. With your assistant and our determination to help improve we can help change things around. We have realized that we cannot accomplish this great task on our own. It takes an entire village to help create change and that what this initiative strives to accomplish.

Reference

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fcfcfl.org

nursingsociety.org. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.nursingsociety.org/GLOBALACTION/UNITEDNATIONS/Pages/STTIandtheUN.aspx

Racial and ethnic health disparities in miami dade:. (2009, February 29). Retrieved from http://www.dadehealth.org/downloads/Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in Miami-Dade.pdf

UNAIDS. (2007, December). Reducing hiv stigma and discrimination: a critical part of national aids programmes a resource for national stakeholders in the hiv response. Retrieved from http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/JC1521_stigmatisation_en.pdf