Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

Capstone Paper Project: The Fight against HIV

Katherine Rivas
University of South Florida

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

The Florida County that will be examined is New Tampa in Hillsborough County. With
its increase in popularity, New Tampa is known for its cleanliness and new house developments
however there are many things affecting the health of the population in a negative way. Adding
community resources and information can vastly increase the overall health of this county.
Making these changes can also significantly affect the mental and emotional health of the
population.
New Tampa in Hillsborough County is an urban area, with a growing number of office
buildings and commercial estate. New Tampa is a region in Florida that encompasses a 24
square mile area, with a total of twenty three thousand people. Three major employers in the
area are T-Mobile, Walmart and MetLife. The main hospital in New Tampa is a new hospital
called Florida Hospital. Other health systems in the area include four walk in clinics and seven
private doctor offices. The hospital and the doctor clinics are accessible to the population and are
affordable to those with insurance. If a person is uninsured then the hospital does offer payment
plans and reductions for students.
Florida is the nations second most poverty stricken state according to the U.S. Census
Bureaus supplemental poverty measure in 2012. According to the U.S. Census bureau this
number has increased 5.5% since the year 2000. The Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic
Policy (FCFEP) also notes that about 1.4 million Floridians lived in deep poverty in 2012.
According to hillsboroughcounty.org, the county poverty percentage is about 18%, higher than
the overall state percentage at 17%. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of the
population above the age of 25 with a high school diploma is 86.8%, while the overall state
percentage is 86.1%. Finally, another important statistic is the percentage of population above the

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

age of 5 that does not speak English compared to that of the state percentage. In Hillsborough
County it is 26.4%, and that number is lower than the overall state percentage which is 27.4%.
Hillsborough County, like other counties in Florida has its strengths and
weaknesses. According to research conducted by Florida Charts in 2012, Hillsborough County
has three major strengths. The three strengths are, women who seek early prenatal care in the
first trimester, adults who meet vigorous physical activity recommendations which leads to their
third strength; a low rate of obesity. The percentage of adults who are obese is below that of
Healthy People 2020 goal. These three areas are essential because theyre areas that are
controversial in the country. Obesity is constantly talked about on the news and its great to know
that Hillsborough County is doing better than most states. Prenatal care and the percentage of
people that meet physical activity recommendations are also areas that are vital to healthy
families and children and so this number is imperative to maintain low.
Three areas that need improvement in Hillsborough County are the cases reported of HIV,
vaccine preventable diseases and asthma related hospitalizations. Of the three weaknesses, I
chose the high percentage of our HIV population because this number can rapidly increase if we
do not focus on bringing this rate down. It is also important to decrease the number of
preventable disease by educating parents of the importance of vaccines. Sometimes parents have
negative stigmas or wrong information on vaccines, and by educating them with correct
information we can change these numbers. Lastly, asthma hospitalizations can also be decreased
by educating parents about smoking and second hand smoke. The focus of this paper will be on
the importance of reducing the cases of HIV in Hillsborough County. Preventing the spread of
HIV and educating the community can decrease these numbers greatly.

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

Per Healthy People 2020, [t]he Determinants of Health develops objectives that
address the relationship between health status and biology, individual behavior, health services,
social factors, and policies (Healthy People 2020, 2014). This model is used for disease
prevention and health promotion not only in the individual level but also for the overall
population. Determinants of Health include the social and economic environment, the physical
environment such as housing, schools and natural environment and finally the persons
individual characteristics and behaviors (Healthy People 2020, 2014). Individuals are unlikely to
directly control these factors. Other determinants include income and social status, education,
genetics and gender. For HIV the contributing factors are individual behaviors because the
environment and social determinants do not play a big role in the transmission of this disease.
Unprotected sex and use of needles are a major way of transmission of HIV in the United States
and these factors need to be addressed in the individual level first and this can reduce the rate of
HIV in the country (CDC, 2012).
Florida currently ranks third in the nation in the cumulative cases of HIV (Florida Health,
2012) with Hillsborough county ranking as one of the highest in Florida. Unprotected sex and the
use of needles between drug users are two of the main ways of transmission. Educating
individuals about this risk and ways to prevent it can decrease these numbers greatly. The
characteristics of people that perform these behaviors are risky.
The primary level of prevention is educating the individuals about what is HIV
and how can it spread. This can also help assess their knowledge on the topic and nurses can
correct any misconceptions about HIV. Once we teach individuals these things then we can
explain the ways to prevent HIV. This can be done in the school system or holding seminars or
giving out pamphlets in the community. Educating the individuals is important because they can

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

understand what the disease is and how devastating it can be. Nurses can educate patients in
hospitals if they know the patient uses drugs and/or needles. They can also educate teenagers in
schools and colleges that are sexually active. Nurses can also hand out pamphlets in the
community, or hold seminars where they can discuss what HIV is (Florida Health, 2012).
The secondary intervention is handing out condoms on college campuses and high
schools. Because most teenage and college age students are sexually active and are involved in
risky behaviors. Nurses can hand these items out in their offices in schools and on campus.
Nurses can also give this to their patients after their appointments. Nurses can also target men
who are sexually active with other men, U.S. dependent areas from 2007 to 2010 decreased or
remained stable for all transmission categories except among young men who have sex with
men (NIH, 2014).
Finally the third intervention would be through testing, counselling and referring. If a
person wants to be tested and know their status it is important to have accessible ways that are
confidential yet affordable for everyone. Getting tested is the only way to know if you have the
disease or not and since there is a large 10 year window where a patient can be asymptomatic it
is important for people to get tested as soon as possible. Many people dont get tested for fear of
the result, the stigma or just simply do not know where to go and having this available makes
finding those individuals who are positive easier to find and treat (NIH, 2014). This intervention
can also help those who are HIV positive by counseling them and educating them on how to
prevent transmission. Nurses can start in doctors offices with referrals to specialists or
psychologists if the patients need them. Nurses can also have a day of free or reduced price
testing for students.

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

Currently the youngest age for HIV testing without consent is 13 years old, but I
would change the policy to 10 years old because every year girls are becoming sexually active at
younger ages. If young girls can have birth control pills at a young age than they should also be
allowed to get tested if they wish to do so. The outcomes are worst if they wait to get tested,
because they can spread the disease without knowing that they are HIV positive. This can greatly
help Hillsborough County because girls can find out their status right away and this can prevent
the spread of this disease. HIV testing is also an integral part of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy
to prevent the spread of HIV and improve health outcomes for those who are already infected
(NIH, 2014).
HIV is a disease that is found in every country in the world. In the United States, Florida
is the third largest state with most cases of HIV and Hillsborough County is in the top five
counties. This means that this county has many more cases of HIV than the majority of the
United States. Education and prevention is the key in this disease because it is preventable.
Targeting individuals that are involved in risky behaviors is important when treating the
community. Most individuals that are involved in risky sexual and drug related behaviors are
teenagers and young adults so it is vital for nurses to start with these individuals and move out.
Nurses have the power to educate and implement interventions and it is important for them to
advocate for their communities and be involved in policies. Changing the behaviors of the
individuals can change the county as a whole for the better.

Running Head: THE FIGHT AGAINST

References
NIH (2013, April 23). Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
http://aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/1/adult-and-adolescent-arv-guidelines/21/hiv-infectedadolescents-and-young-adults
CDC. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/prevention/programs/ebis
Florida Charts. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
/http://www.floridacharts.com/charts/view
Healthy People. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of-Health
Healthy Tampa Bay. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
http://www.healthytampabay.com/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=5052
Florida Department of Health (2012). Chronic Disease.
Retrieved from http://www.floridacharts.com/charts/ChronicDiseases