Language may no longer be a barrier for Spanish speaking residents living with AIDS or seeking intervention in Santa Barbara County, thanks to $400,000 made available to the Early Intervention Program.

Dan Reid, program administrator of the Santa Barbara County HIV/AIDS Services Program said Hispanics, though not the hardest h

Dan Reid, program administrator of the Santa Barbara County HIV/AIDS Services Program said Hispanics, though not the hardest hit by the disease, make up a segment of the general population that is the toughest to reach.

The money, which was provided through an existing grant, is intended to enhance the way Hispanics, especially in the North County, receive access to medical care. The Pacific Pride Foundation, located in Santa Barbara, will provide various services to the program until 2010.

The increase in funds will be used to expand bilingual case workers from part-time to full-time. The case aids work to ensure that clients living with the disease have access to registered dieticians. Other services that will be provided through the grant include psychological assessments, counseling and client advocacy.

"Nutrition is critical for HIV/AIDS clients to reduce side effects of medications and to reduce outside stresses on their already impacted immune systems," Reid said.

According to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department, 38 percent of Hispanics are living with AIDS, compared to whites at 53 percent.

The Early Intervention Program, started in 1992, functions as a link between HIV positive clients and medical care, ideally right after diagnosis. A case manager is provided to monitor treatment.

Studies show that the newly infected, prior to medication and care, are more likely to transmit the disease to others. This is because newly infected people are usually unaware of their HIV status and are not likely to take preventative measures to protect their sexual partners. Also, they are probably not taking medication, which lowers the levels of the virus in their blood.

Reid said that he believes the Hispanics who make up 34 percent of the population will take advantage of these supplementary services.

"There will be a greater need for these services as more people are living with HIV and AIDS than ever before, and because of language and other cultural issues, Hispanic clients will likely need higher levels of case management service," he added.

HIV and AIDS continue to be a major concern for Santa Barbara County Public Health because of the mortality rates and exorbitant costs. Antiviral medications cost between $15,000 and $20,000 per year.

County Public Health estimates that with the average of 20 newly infected cases of HIV diagnosed annually, the costs associated with care and treatment equates to $15 million per year.

County Public Health stresses that the number of people living with HIV or AIDS continues to grow and it encourages everyone to know their status.

Santa Barbara County offers free testing at multiple sites in English and Spanish.

To find out where you can go to know your status, log onto http://www.sbcphd.org/dcp/hiv_aids.html.