Local organization offers support during HIV, AIDS Awareness Day

DELAWARE. 4,000 people in Delaware have HIV, with 900 living in Sussex County.

On HIV, AIDS and aging Awareness Day, Tiffany Morman with AIDS Delaware is driving home a message that in this day and age, HIV is not the end all be all.

“Our mission is to eliminate the spreading stigma of HIV and AIDS, because we don’t stigmatize people that are diabetic, we don’t stigmatize people that have high blood pressure or hypertension, but for some reason, there’s still that stigma of being diagnosed with HIV or AIDS,” Morman said.

During the AIDS epidemic in the 80s, a magnifying glass was placed on people who were diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, creating a widespread stigma.

Morman said because of it, people would not get tested or seek support. But within her work at AIDS Delaware, she’s trying to change the narrative of living with HIV.

“People began to learn how to care for themselves, as we all began to learn. Doctors and our society began to learn how to take care of themselves when they live with this medical condition, so now you have people in their 60s that are living with HIV or AIDS and they’re thriving,” Morman said.

And there’s support in every corner. Morman encourages anyone diagnosed with HIV who may be struggling with prescription prices, to take advantage of federal assistance.

“Ryan White is federal funding and it goes to different states all over the country, to help people that are diagnosed with HIV,” Morman said.