AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Panhandle AIDS Support Organization (PASO) has been in the community since 1987, providing support and resources for people in the area infected with HIV.
“That was whenever the HIV and AIDS epidemic kind of really became the forefront of conversations. People were just discovering how it impacts the human body, also that could kind of come in and help support people who were finding that they were HIV positive and didn’t know what to do or where to turn to,” added Rhoda Breeden, Executive Director of PASO. “So we just kind of have kept going, and we’ve been a support system for people living with HIV since 1987.”
Since the organization began, it has continued to support those affected by HIV by providing testing, counseling, education and breaking the stigma surrounding HIV.
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“So it got labeled as gay cancer, which is far from the truth. It’s not a cancer, and it’s not something just that gay people can get. So the stigma is deeply, deeply rooted, and there are still a lot of people today who don’t understand HIV,” added Breeden. “They kind of latch on to that old way of thinking and that stigma, and that’s how it carries from generation to generation. One thing that PASO tries to do is we try to educate the public. That one of our initiatives, education.”…