GEORGE STRAIT: Dr. Donna Christian-Christensen is Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Health Brain Trust. She represents the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.

DONNA CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN: Well, the issue around needle exchange has, you know, has been really interesting. We--many of us in the Caucus support needle exchange programs and listening to it being a part of the recommendations around prevention and knowing the battle we face. And yet, also knowing that maybe 41 or so percent of African-American women trace their HIV infection to IV drug use and maybe 37 or so percent of African-American men, you can see how important that is to stopping the spread of this infection. And so, that creates a real dilemma for us and how we would--and I’m not even sure that the entire Caucus supports that issue, but we’re going to go back and talk about it again.

GEORGE STRAIT: It’s yet another of these issues around HIV that is sometimes difficult to even talk about.

DONNA CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN: It is difficult to talk about because it’s very--it’s a politically--it’s a very hot political issue. It can make or break a politician sometimes. And I think the approach that those who are against it take is a purely political position. It’s not a--it’s not based on scientific research. Scientific research, I think, is very clear on that issue. It doesn’t increase drug use. It definitely can prevent the spread of HIV and save lives. So, their position is purely political, but it is an issue that people really don’t understand, and the noise that is made on the other side really clouds the issues for many of us.

GEORGE STRAIT: What is your overall reaction to the state of the HIV epidemic in Black America and in the Caribbean?

DONNA CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN: It’s easy for us to stay in denial, you know, it’s really easy, and not too many people are yet coming out and saying, “I am HIV positive.” It’s very difficult, and I think until more of us are able to step up and say, “I am HIV positive” or “my son or my daughter died from HI--from AIDS,” so that we can see that it is there, you know, in our family and our friends and in our community and face it, we’re going to be able to continue in denial. It’s a difficult issue.

GEORGE STRAIT: What about stigma and violence over HIV in the Caribbean?

DONNA CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSEN: You know, I don’t know too much about violence over HIV and AIDS in particular, but there is a lot of stigma. Although I would say that in my district, the U.S. Virgin Islands, I’ve seen it begin to melt away, because I can remember back ten or so years ago when I was still practicing medicine and taking care of patients who were HIV positive or who had AIDS, and the obstacles that they faced just trying to get labs done and so forth and dealing with the public. And now, that has changed a lot. We see a lot of people who have become sick, having their friends and the co-workers take care of them. And at least on one island, I know that the health profession--professionals have changed their attitude dramatically. We still have a little work to do on another one of our islands.