AUGUSTA, Maine - Medical professionals and anti-HIV activists have launched an admittedly ambitious effort to eliminate AIDS in Maine by 2030. The Frannie Peabody Center in Portland is leading the effort.
"It will be difficult," says Megan Hannan, executive director of the center. "That's why we want a coalition from everyone across the state. We are talking to hospital systems; we are talking to insurance companies we are talking to financial institutions, media. Everybody has a piece of this."
Hannan says Maine has been having about 60 new infections reported a year, with about 1,700 Mainers currently living with AIDS. She says the new drugs that are allowing those infected with the virus to live longer can also act to prevent infection. She says the goal is achievable with a lot of work.
