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African-American and Latina women fight culture to obtain care.


 African-American and Latina women are increasingly becoming HIV-infected and barriers to treatment are not only limited to the cost of care. Male pride and machismo attitudes coupled with a husband's intravenous drug use and/or sexual encounters outside the marriage become cultural barriers to treatment. Cultural beliefs often stand between caregivers and potential patients, and black women in particular often disregard treatment until they feel very sick. Attitudes of health personnel and lack of comfort are often cited by poor women of color as major reasons for not complying with treatments. Marie Saint Cyr, director of East Harlem's Iris House, produced a series of videos to address the different concerns of Latina, Haitian, Native American, African and African-American women. Spending time with these patients and counseling them can help lessen the barriers. Understanding the male's attitudes and using them to help males accept responsibility can also help their families overcome cultural objections and fight this disease.
