HIV/AIDS and Barriers to Good Health in New York City

HIV/AIDS in New York City
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HIV/AIDS in New York City
Healthcare remains a priority in any society that intends to progress both socio-politically and economically. A healthy population is creative and much more advanced in economic productivity as opposed to an unhealthy population. In the US, healthcare has stayed at the center of policymaking in almost every electioneering period. While progress has been made in combating a few health disparities, gaps remain filled through policies and resource allocation. A case at hand is HIV/AIDS prevalence in New York City. It is agreeable that New York joins other places in the US in the fight against illnesses. However, questions are still raised on whether the efforts put are adequate in combating the prevalent challenges. This paper assesses HIV/AIDS as one of the biggest challenges of healthcare in New York. The paper continues to explore prospects such as the demographic composition of New York, the evident barriers to healthcare, and the possible interventions that could revitalize the current trends in the long term. Understanding health disparity issues in New York is vital in formulating and implementing policies, public health awareness strategies, and advancement of social equity as key to addressing the challenges posed by illnesses such as HIV/AIDS.
Background Information
New York is among the most remarkable cities of the world, bearing its contribution to various prospects. New York has advanced its image as a trade, tourism, administration, and economic hub rivaled by only a few globally. Part of the success that New York has seen over the years stems from its vibrant population. In 2019, New York had a population of 8.34 million people. The population of New York is fairly young, with a median age of 37.2 years (Data USA, 2021). The household income in New York averages $69.407. The growth of New York’s population keeps changing. Between 2018 and 2019, the population of New York saw a decrease of 0.737% from 8.4 to 8.34 million individuals. In the same period, the city’s income grew by 8.79%. Growth in New York populations is a guaranteed factor considering the amount of attraction that the city commands globally.
New York boasts as one of the hubs of diversity in the world, going by the composition of its population. The largest ethnic groups in New York include whites, who constitute 31.9% of the population, African Americans or blacks at 21.7%, Asians at 14.3%, and Hispanics at 13.5% (Data USA, 2021). It is worth remarking that 48.3% of New York’s population communicate in languages other than English as their primary language at home (Frieden, 2021). Diversity in New York extends to sexuality. Seven hundred ninety-eight thousand eight hundred individuals in New York identify as members of the LGBTQ community. That number represents 5.1% of the adult population in New York. A subpopulation analysis indicates that 4.9% of New York’s adult population identifies as LGBO while another 0.6% identify as transgender.
HIV/AIDS remains among the biggest health concerns in New York. The latest HIV/AIDS data of New York were published in 2018. The data represented by AIDSVU (2018) indicated that 127,162 individuals were living with HIV/AIDS in New York. The rate of individuals living with HIV/AIDS per 100,000 population is 765. That number makes New York among the leading states on HIV prevalence alongside the District of Columbia, Georgia, Florida, and Louisiana. HIV/AIDS prevalence in New York also varies across different population segments. The AIDSVU (2018) data indicates that 71.6 of the individuals infected with HIV/AIDS in New York are male, while 28.4% are female. If assessed through the lenses of ethnicity, blacks are the largest affected population with a representation of 37.2%, followed by Hispanics/Latinos with 35.6%. Only 17.8% of the white population in New York are HIV/AIDS victims. HIV/AIDS prevalence also varies through different age groups. Of the infected individuals, 2.2% are aged between 13 and 24, 12.7% are aged between 25 and 34, 26.7% are aged between 35 and 44, and 42.6% are aged 55 years and above. The city also experienced new cases to indicate the trends of HIV/AIDS. In 2018, 2,456 new diagnoses were representing 15 individuals per 100,000 population. Males constituted 79.8% of the new diagnoses, while females constituted 20.2% of the new diagnoses. Ethnic communities also differed in representation when it came to the new diagnoses. AIDSVU (2018) reports that 40.7% of the new diagnoses were blacks, 36.5 Hispanics, and 14.0% whites. The variations through different age groups indicated that 17.8% of the new diagnoses were aged between 13 and 24, 35.3% were aged between 25 and 34, 19.1% were aged between 45 and 54, and 12.9% were aged 55 above contributed to the new diagnoses. The data indicate that minority ethnic groups still lead in new cases of HIV/AIDS in New York (AIDSVU, 2018). Also worth remarking is that the younger individuals contribute more to the new diagnoses if compared to the older individuals aged 55 and above. The statistics indicate that the trends could be changing positively, but not for the younger individuals and individuals from minority ethnic groups.
New York has indicated significant growth in the fight against HIV, going by the prevalent data. Since 2008, the number of new diagnoses has dropped steadily. For instance, there were 4,578 new diagnoses in 2008, 3,911 in 2010, 3,057 in 2015, and 2,456 in 2018 (AIDSVU, 2018). New York has also shown significant growth in the employment of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The number of PrEP users in 2019 was 31,004 representing 187 individuals per a population of 100,000 people. The number of females using PrEP stood at 8.0%, while males were 91.9%. Analyzed by age, 12.6% of PrEP users in New York are aged between 13 and 24, 43.6% are aged between 25 and 34, 24.7% are aged between 35 and 44, 14.0% are aged between 45 and 54, while 7.5% were aged 55 and above. Over the years, the number of PrEP users has also increased consistently. In 2012, there were 1,127 PrEP users in New York. That number increased to 10,262 in 2015, and another increase to 31,004 in 2019. Going by the trends in the usage of PrEP, it is understandable that New York is taking steps to curtail the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. However, questions are still asked of whether the efforts put are adequate, especially when considering prevalence among the young populations, members of LGBTQ, and individuals from minority ethnic groups.
Barriers to Good Health in New York
Multiple barriers contribute to healthcare challenges in New York. Primary among the factors is cost. While healthcare remains an important prospect to individuals, most people only prefer to seek the services if necessary. That is, most individuals in New York forego primary care services due to the hiking costs of healthcare. In 2019, it was noted that more than 52% of New York residents experience healthcare affordability burdens.
Further, 76% of New York dwellers are more worried about their ability to afford healthcare in the future. Remarkably, New Yorkers believe that government-led solutions could be vital to delivering the ultimate healthcare outcomes. The afford...