​​​Over 50 people attended Breaking the Silence, the Community Service Department’s Ending The HIV Epidemic event at the Lake Pavilion in downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday, July 20. HIV activist and advocate Hydeia Broadbent was the featured speaker, and Community Services Director Dr. James Green mc’d the event. 

Before Broadbent delivered her presentation, Assistant County Administrator Reginald Duren offered a few words, and Virginia Savietto presented a proclamation for Mayor Gregg Weiss’s office. Mayor Ty Penserga of Boynton Beach and City of West Palm Beach Commissioner Sholanda Warren were in attendance alongside community members like Kenny Talbot and Cecil Smith, who have long fought against HIV stigma.

As of 2021, 8,417 people in Palm Beach County lived with HIV. Dr. Casey Messer, program director of the Ryan White Program, broke down those statistics. He stated that approximately 300 people in the county are diagnosed each year. More specifically, 322 new diagnoses were made in 2021. The 2022 statistics will be released later this year. 

To Messer, the most significant tool for combating stigma is the knowledge that, with treatment, the virus is undetectable. With treatment, those living with HIV are “not harmful, not jeopardizing anyone’s safety,” Messer said. 

This was not the reality when Hydeia Broadbent was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the mid-1980s. Rather than choosing to be homeschooled, Broadbent’s mother dug into her past civil rights experiences and did not allow anyone to interfere with her child’s rights. Subsequently, Hydeia became an advocate, activist, and educator while still in elementary school. She was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show and met Magic Johnson. On July 20, Broadbent spoke to the audience at the Lake Pavilion about the importance of being tested and honest with intimate partners about one’s HIV status.

Broadbent asserts that stigma is a factor that can increase the spread of HIV/AIDS, especially among Black African American women. 

Sean Conklin, program evaluator for Ending the HIV Epidemic, sees the importance of Broadbent’s message. He explains, “Hydeia’s talk…showcases some of the challenges people with HIV face. The Care Council advocates for people like Hydeai every day.”  

Palm Beach County's HIV Care Council comprises Palm Beach County residents who plan, develop, monitor, evaluate, and advocate for medical and support services for people living with HIV. Council members include Cecil Smith, who tested positive for HIV nearly 20 years ago. He joined the Care Council to give back.

Other members of the Care Council, including coordinator Neeta Mahani joined in an inaugural Zero HIV Stigma walk on Saturday, July 22. The event was hosted by Council partner Campbell Health Solutions and conceived by authors Melvin Wright and Dr. Sandra Anderson, who wrote “Life at the End of the Tunnel: The Light of a New Day,” a book about living with HIV. 

Not in attendance at the HIV anti-stigma events were four members of CSD’s Ryan White Program. They spent a week in New York City as part of ESCALATE Stigma Reduction Training. They engaged in interactive training on the impacts of social constructs and race on health disparities and HIV stigma. Other workshops emphasized patient-centered care and the effect of social support on the quality of life of those living with HIV. 

Geneve Simeus, MPH, explained via email that the training helps address how stigma leads to health disparities, especially among marginalized groups in Palm Beach County. She stated, “Our specific target population for our Learning Collaborative is Haitians living with HIV in Palm Beach County. We have seen a continual increase in new cases from this population, and we also know that there is mistrust and reluctance to receive care. Addressing stigma and strategies to combat it will help our community feel more comfortable engaging in care.”​