Residents Get Tested on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

HIV rates in Douglas County highest among Blacks

By Kandiss Crone

CREATED Feb. 7, 2013

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Omaha, NE - Members of Omaha's black community listen closely, about getting tested every year for HIV. It's something Tommy Dennis can't stress enough. He's been living with HIV for more than two years. "My stomach did drop, I bursted into tears, it was a real tough pill to swallow," Tommy Dennis said. 

Dennis was just 23 years old when he received the news. The hardest part - finding out his partner may have knowingly infected him. "To find out that my life just meant so little to them that they didn't disclose to me, it hurt."
 
The year Dennis found out he was HIV positive was a record-setting year for infection rates among blacks in Douglas County. In 2010, they were diagnosed at a rate of four times higher than other races. "This is really affecting us and for some reason we're not getting it," Sherri Nared said.
 
Sherri Nared at the Douglas County Health Department helps organize free testing events. The goal - get educated, get tested, get involved, and get treated.
 
"A lot of times we give our power away to the other person thinking that they look good so I'm sure it's safe and it may not be safe," Nared said.
 
Dennis encourages people not to take that chance. He's made it his mission in life to help educate others so they won't get the disease.
 
"If I could take it on a national basis I would love to," Dennis said.
 
The Douglas County Health Department has free testing events throughout the year. For information on their testing services go to www.douglascountyhealth.com/services-a-clinics/sexually-transmitted-disease