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AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta settles into new home

The Georgia Voice Editors
Atlanta
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Founded in 1988, the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta is one of Atlanta’s oldest continuously operating HIV/AIDS service organizations.

The agency learned in mid-September it would be forced from its home on Ponce de Leon Avenue after its building was purchased by a real estate developer who planned to build new residential properties.

The move to ARCA’s new location at 440 Ralph McGill Blvd. has been challenging, Dr. Melanie Thompson, ARCA executive director, told GA Voice.

“We were given about eight weeks, but it took us a long time to find a place where we wanted to live, given all the different constraints,” Thompson said. “We had been in our old place 22 years. You can imagine how much stuff accumulates over 22 years.”

[Video] Atlanta doctor examines health issues facing gay community

The Georgia Voice Editors
Videos
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Dr. Randy Martin from Piedmont Healthcare and HealthWatch MD today released a video highlighting the unique health concerns for LGBT persons in light of recent medical reports examining the gay community.

Martin, a former medical correspondent for Atlanta's WSB TV, is a well-known figure in Atlanta medicine and the medical correspondent for HealthWatch MD.

Martin spoke with Dr. Patrick Coleman, an internal medicine specialist at Piedmont Physicians in Atlantic Station, about the lack of research in LGBT healthcare and specific issues facing gay and lesbian patients, including increased risk of substance abuse, cancer in lesbians and depression among LGBT youth.

Health & Fitness: Top 10 health concerns you should discuss with your doctor

The Georgia Voice Editors
Health
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GAY MEN

HIV/AIDS, Safe Sex That men who have sex with men are at an increased risk of HIV infection is well known, but the effectiveness of safe sex in reducing the rate of HIV infection is one of the gay community’s great success stories. However, the last few years have seen the return of many unsafe sex practices. While effective HIV treatments may be on the horizon, there is no substitute for preventing infection. Safe sex is proven to reduce the risk of receiving or transmitting HIV. All health care professionals should be aware of how to counsel and support maintenance of safe sex practices.

Substance Use Gay men use substances at a higher rate than the general population, and not just in larger communities such as New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. These include a number of substances ranging from amyl nitrate (“poppers”), to marijuana, Ecstasy, and amphetamines. The long-term effects of many of these substances are unknown; however current wisdom suggests potentially serious consequences as we age.