Medical students partner with Savannah Pride Center to combat rising HIV rates

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Medical students are getting hands-on experience at the Savannah Pride Center, helping break down the stigma surrounding HIV.

Georgia is leading the nation in new HIV diagnoses, and Chatham County is quickly becoming a hotspot. A new partnership with the Savannah Pride Center is training Georgia’s future doctors to better spot HIV early and improve treatment.

“Basically seeing if your body has antibodies to HIV or if you’ve contracted or not,” said Patrick Fletcher, a medical student at Mercer School of Medicine.

For the past three months, Fletcher and other students have worked side-by-side, offering HIV testing and services in a community with some of the highest HIV rates in the country.

“It feels good, you know, making sure they feel comfortable,” Fletcher said. “Personally I haven’t had any positive HIV cases, but it’s nice giving people reassurance that they’re safe.”

The work is part of the Pride Center’s PrEP program, teaching students and community members about pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication that can significantly reduce the risk of contracting HIV.

“It’s our opportunity as a small nonprofit to educate the public as much as we can,” said Michael Bell, executive director of the Savannah Pride Center.

The Pride Center said the program helps educate the community and trains future medical professionals to better connect with patients.

“Having training in how to handle, speak, approach the community when it comes to testing or preventive medicines is key in order to get people to open up and really seek care for things that could be bothering them for many years,” Bell said.

Advocates hope expanding these services will lead to lower HIV rates across Georgia and Chatham County.