Newswise — In honor of World Aids Day Tuesday, December 1, University Hospitals Case Medical Center patients, staff, and community members joined to create a 100-piece art mosaic in an effort to revitalize HIV/AIDS awareness. Art therapist Stephen Macek co-organized the project. Macek said patients created their pieces based on three prompts: 1) identify a personal symbol, 2) show the challenges that come with either being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or being around the disease, and 3) express a hope for the future. “We know if a patient is feeling anxiety, they’re probably going to experience more pain,” says Stephen Macek, art therapist, at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, in Cleveland, Ohio. “So through the art therapy we’re able to help decrease some of those (anxiety) levels and help a patient feel more human.” Patient Will Reed has noticed how much this project has helped him grow and establish a support network. Through continued awareness, he hopes to help change the stigma associated with the disease. “I’m hoping that people allow people with HIV to thrive. We got past the point of surviving and now we’re at the point of thriving,” says Reed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 36.9 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS. More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with an HIV infection, and almost 1 in 8 (12.8%) are unaware of their infection.
Sound bites from Stephen Macek, art therapist at UH Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, patient Will Reed, and related b-roll are available for download on http://news.uhhospitals.org/.
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