Macon Magazine

COMPASS Cares HIV/AIDS Services COMPASS Cares, the former HOPE Center, now in its 31st year, is the Ryan White-funded HIV/AIDS clinic and serves North Central Health District's 13 counties. COMPASS Cares is located at 180 Emery Highway in Macon and can be contacted at 833-789-5302. • On-site pharmacy open to patients and the public, and specialty pharmacy focusing on HIV and Hepatitis C • Health innovation and planning center • Office space and facility rental • Research conducted by Fort Valley State University, Mercer University and the University of Connecticut • Conference center and gym for clients and community • Food and clothing pantry • Computer education lab • Housing program funded through HOPA (Housing Opportunity for People with AIDS) • Transport services for clients in all 13 North Central Health District counties for medical, dental and mental health • Licensed clinical social worker • Licensed counselor offering telehealth • On-site labs • Full case management team where all clients/patients are assigned case managers • STD and PREP Clinic providing free exposure prophylactic treatment and care through C-Care Clinic pharmacy month or every two months. It's been approved in Canada and we're waiting on U.S. approval. Theoretically, every two months we can give injections to people not properly taking their medication, which is very effective, especially for people with adherence issues. I have a colleague working on an injection that's once every six months as an experimental protocol. If these protocols are effective, in the future, patients will take a single shot every six months and another shot once a year. All of this simplifies treatment. In the next 10 years, patients could get a single shot every six months and another shot once a year and no pills. That blows my mind. DEMARCUS BECKHAM: I've seen a lot of young people requesting resources and joining the conversation. Churches are supporting work, and colleges and universities are reaching out to me and to my organization. In the last year alone, at COMPASS we saw 1,000 people regionwide seeking help. WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT HIV/AIDS? DALE WRIGLEY: The basics of the virus that we don't even teach in school very well. We need to start with how you get it, how you don't and what it means to live with HIV. HIV doesn't define the person who gets it. It's one part of what someone is going through or it's a chronic condition to deal with. We need community champions to step up and talk about HIV — people living with it and people living with a family member who was or is HIV positive. We want people to advocate that Middle Georgia is a great place to seek services, that Dr. Katner is fantastic and one of the top doctors in the state and around the nation. DR. HAROLD KATNER: One of our greatest needs is dentists. Dental care is critical to the management of patients. The No. 1 disease in the state of Georgia in the general population is bad teeth. If I ran the schools, starting in kindergarten I'd have instruction on brushing and flossing teeth. It's an enormous, expensive problem and most of our HIV/AIDS patients have bad teeth. DEMARCUS BECKHAM: The need for testing and telling males to wear condoms. I understand why schools can't do that, but I can and I give them away for free. I do game nights in local bars, asking questions and awarding prizes. I offer a glimpse into the world of syphilis, herpes and chlamydia. I show how to put on a condom and also a female condom. I don't sugarcoat it because this is real life and it's happening to people in their age group and demographic. If people understand how condoms and medications work, we could end the epidemic. But individuals must educate and protect themselves and others. I have great fear about youth culture and the accessibility of dating site apps like Tinder, Grinder, Bumble, etc. Within an hour they can hook up, and there's a big hook-up culture in Macon. One of the first questions people should ask each other is, "When was the last time you were tested and what's your status?" Everyone should be willing to ask and answer. ARE YOU SPEAKING ABOUT PEOPLE ACROSS THE BOARD, NOT JUST THE GAY COMMUNITY? DEMARCUS BECKHAM: Yes, across the board. Most of our clientele is LGBT and people of color, but I can't tell you how many white, gender- straight males I've tested. Maybe they LEFT: DR. HAROLD KATNER, AN INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED RESEARCHER AND PRACTITIONER, HAS WORKED AS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AT MERCER MEDICINE SINCE 1985. FEBRUARY/MARCH 2021 | maconmagazine.com 87

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