The interest in the youth subpopulation infected by HIV first concerned clinicians and public officials in 1968. At this time a “15-year-old black male (Robert Rayford), was admitted into St. Louis hospital for extensive lymphedema of the penis, scrotum, and the lower extremities” ( Garry, et al., 1988, p. 2085). During the time of his autopsy in 1969 it was concluded that he had suffered from an aggressive form of Kaposi Sarcoma ( Garry, et al., 1988, p. 2085). According to Boshoff and Weiss:
Kaposki Sarcoma was a vascular tumor predominantly found in the immunosuppressed. Epidemiologic studies suggest that an infected agent was the etiologic culprit, Kaposki Sarcoma-associated herpes virus present in all epidemiologic forms of KS and also …show more content…
58). Per Julia Bazar (2007), Dr. Marcus A Conant was a professor of Dermatology at the university of California, San Francisco, coordinated the first medical response to the AIDS epidemic in April 1981 (p. 2). His passion soon led to him and his colleges starting the San Francisco AIDS foundation (Kaposki Sarcoma Clinic) at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Conant focused on addressing the epidemic socially and medically by seeking out non-government funding sources. Dr. Bazar (2007) reported that Dr. Volbeding described the first AIDS ward at San Francisco General Hospital, where infected patients were placed in large rooms to centralize and improve patient care because on other units patients were being neglected because of fear of contagion (p. 4). To address this fear and incorporate a sense of integrity in the treatment plan nurses and doctors alike begun to demonstrate more empathy and compassion towards patients. This pride and dignity centered model proved to be a success for inpatient and outpatient AIDS clinics and continues to be used today for adults and …show more content…
Department of Health & Human Services, 2016, p. 2). Sadly, in 2013, 109 youth aged 15 to 24 died of HIV or AIDS ( U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2016, p. 2). Since the youth subgroup is the least likely to link with care and the most likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, their chances of transmitting and acquiring HIV are more likely. This reality has proven to be a primary barrier to receiving care because the undiagnosed is unaware of their potentially dangerous role in this cycle. Consequently, being uninformed of their status could ultimately lead to their HIV progressing to AIDS and eventually death if left untreated. This tragic chain of events could possibly be avoided if the youth became more receptive towards learning about the significance of HIV testing and