Ross County, among 20 Counties in South-Central and Southeast Ohio — “The Rural AIDS Advisory Group” happened to be gathering in Chillicothe on World AIDS Day, on their quarterly planning meeting date.
Led by the Portsmouth City Health Department, the mission of The Rural AIDS Advisory Group (T.R.A.A.G.) is “to promote HIV and STD prevention in an attempt to reduce the spread of HIV infection in the rural counties.”
Kellie Cline and Rachel Childers of the Portsmouth City Health Department were setting up for the meeting at the Pump House Center for the Arts when I happened to be there looking for a preview of this month’s Holiday Showcase. They explained TRAAG and their duties within it.
They said TRAAG rotates their meeting locations within their 20-county region, which roughly spans Washington C.H. to Marietta to Portsmouth. They offer free rapid HIV/Syphilis screening, safe sex supplies, and Narcan.
In Ross County, they said testing is offered at “Dirty South” counseling on first Mondays from 10am to 6pm, and at the Ross County Health Department on first Wednesdays from 1pm to 3pm. Testing involves a free finger stick.
Dr. Ellis Frazier was also at the Pump House, a family physician in Ross County since 1990, and now with Adena Family Physicians in Piketon. He said that with improving treatments he has taken care of some of his HIV/AIDS patients for more than 30 years.
Frazier said that at one time, there were 120 such patients in Ross County. He said it is not an area of high incidence, but the small population is significant.
He said there is an isolation phenomenon in rural areas totally different from urban areas in funding, transportation, and housing – big issues that impact health more than access to medicines.
Frazier said TRAAG works on communicating HIV prevention, knowledge, and available treatments – which prevents spread. He said they want HIV/AIDS survivors to enter the system and get comfortable with it.
T.R.A.A.G. (The Rural AIDS Advisory Group) has a website (with many links up front) and a Facebook page. You can also find “Southeast Ohio Care and Prevention” from the Portsmouth City Health Department.
