PEPFAR and St. Joseph's Hospital

“As President, George W. Bush did something momentous that few of you may know about, something so momentous that it is saving millions of lives and generating goodwill for America around the world. Millions of Africans who`d been dying of AIDS are now living with AIDS, thanks to the Bush program. The U.S. is providing pills to more than two million people with HIV/AIDS, people who could never afford them and who were condemned to die. The medicine not only saves their lives, it permits them to live full lives.” -Bob Simon, 60 Minutes

The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was a commitment of $15 billion over five years (2003–2008) from United States President George W. Bush to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. The program initially aimed to provide antiretroviral treatment (ART) to 2 million HIV-infected people in resource-limited settings, to prevent 7 million new infections, and to support care for 10 million people (the "2–7–10 goals") by 2010. PEPFAR increased the number of Africans receiving ART from 50,000 at the start of the initiative in 2004 to at least 1.2 million in early 2008. PEPFAR has been called the largest health initiative ever initiated by one country to address a disease. According to a 2009 study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, the program had averted about 1.1 million deaths in Africa and reduced the death rate due to AIDS in the countries involved by 10%.

 "You know, PEPFAR is an incredible thing just in terms of how many lives it saved. These ARVs [Antiretroviral medicines] have a Lazarus effect on people. You see a picture of them before and then you see them vibrant, alive, working. Their whole family has been dragged down by the illness and now this. I went on a trip in 2006 (to Africa) and I just had a sense of national pride going around, talking to these people, and they were so happy, they would say, "America," and I was saying, "Yeah, our president did that, and it's terrific." It's such an obvious connected thing. People aren't going to hate you when you're saving their lives... I would kiss George W. Bush on the mouth for what he did on PEPFAR." - Matt Damon, actor

St. Joseph's Role in Caring for those with HIV

In September 2004 St. Joseph's Mission Hospital was chosen as one of the sites that would be funded through PEPFAR. Besides making ARV medications available, HIV/AID screening and prevention education is offered to the local community. The hospital's circumcision programs targets uncircumcised men, as research has shown a higher HIV infection rate in uncircumcised communities.

 

St. Joseph's Community Education Program

Volunteering at St. Joseph's is an opportunity to holistically serve these needy people. Whether it is assisting with community education and vaccination programs, helping busy nurses with patient intake, walking with a laboring mother, or comforting a sick child, there are countless opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Won't you join the effort?

Update:

Today's "All Things Considered" on NPR featured circumcision programs in Kenya. The timing is uncanny. Thanks, Roger, for pointing this out.