Dickinson-Iron County Critical Health Indicators 

What Is It?

AIDS is the final stage of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infection. As treatment and early identification of HIV infection have improved, persons with HIV infection have progressed more slowly to an AIDS diagnosis and those with AIDS are living longer. Decreasing deaths does not reflect a decreasing spread of HIV, but is related to improved treatment for those infected.

How are Dickinson and Iron Counties doing?

The Dickinson and Iron statistics as depicted on the map, indicates a low rate of death from AIDS, however, Iron Mountain is home to the Veterans Hospital where HIV/AIDS caseloads are substantial but may not be reported in our statistics as veterans return to their communities. Dickinson County, in the July 1, 2001, Quarterly HIV/AIDS Analysis published by the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Section, Communicable Disease and Immunization Division, has had five persons ever diagnosed with AIDS and has three persons currently living with AIDS, and Iron County has no current residents living with AIDS and has had only two persons ever diagnosed with AIDS.

Click on the map below to show the County specific rates.

How does the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department compare with the rest of the Upper Peninsula counties, Michigan and the US?

The Upper Peninsula (Region 8) has roughly one percent of Michigan AIDS cases, with an estimated 150 people HIV positive. There have been 65 reported AIDS cases in the U.P. and there are currently 28 persons in the region living with AIDS. Within the region, Marquette County had the highest number of cases reported from 1987 through 1998 with 12 reported AIDS deaths. This compared to 45 throughout the region and 5,456 within the state.

The low number of people infected in the region makes it difficult to show any significant trends in populations infected, modes of transmission or death rates. The region has historically followed the same patterns of transmission and progression as the state and national statistics.

The rate of progression from HIV to AIDS has slowed and death rates have decreased. This is primarily due to advances in treatment options with the development of a new class of medications. The rate of diagnosis of new HIV infections has not decreased. Men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDU), continue to be the populations at highest risk of HIV infection and the development of AIDS.

The populations mainly infected in the region are white males between the ages of 25 and 55.

What other information is important to know?

Some people may have symptoms in as soon as a few months, whereas others may be symptom-free for more than 10 years. The recent decline in AIDS deaths is due to better access to care and better treatment, allowing AIDS patients to live longer. Education and prevention efforts have kept the incidence of new infections from increasing.

HIV-related illness and death now have the greatest impact on young people. AIDS is a leading cause of death among Americans 25- to 44-years-old. In this same age group, AIDS now accounts, on average for one in every three deaths among African-American men and one in five deaths in African-American women. Between 1990 and 1995, AIDS incidence among people 13- to 25- years-old rose nearly 20 percent. While AIDS incidence among both young gay and bisexual men and young injecting drug users was relatively constant during this time period, AIDS incidence among young heterosexual men and women rose more than 130 percent.

What is the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department doing to affect this indicator?

The health department participates in regional planning for care services and helping to establish standards for care, prevention, and advocating staffing allocations.

The department participates in the Region Continuum of Care program. Services are available for all residents of the region who are HIV+ and their families. These services include a case manager to address social, medical, and mental health issues, as well as to provide advocacy services. Through this service local clients have access to financial assistance for housing, utilities, food, medical care, dental care, and transportation. The local health department provides confidential, anonymous counseling and testing for HIV at no cost.

We are members of the Regional Community Planning Group (RCPG) which is a process whereby planning for culturally competent, scientifically sound HIV prevention interventions are identified and arrangements are made for services that address unique community needs. This process is undertaken by a 20 member RCPG comprised of those infected, affected, health professionals and those concerned with preventing HIV across the region.

The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department provides a peer education program where annually 15-18 high school youth in each county are provided with 40 hours of health issue training so that peer sharing of factual health education can be facilitated in our schools, HIV/AIDS training as well as Sexually Transmitted Diseases, abstinence, etc. are part of the curriculum. Follow-up activities that highlight HIV/AIDS are facilitated for the youth.

The department works closely with other public and private HIV/AIDS community resources to provide informational services to our residents. Behavioral science has shown that a balance of prevention messages is important for young people. Total abstinence from sexual activity is the only sure way to prevent sexual transmission of HIV infection. Despite all efforts, some young people may still engage in sexual intercourse that puts them at risk for HIV and other STDs. For these individuals, the correct and consistent use of latex condoms has been shown to be highly effective in preventing the transmission of HIV and other STDs. Data clearly show that many young people are sexually active and that they are placing themselves and their partners at risk for infection with HIV and other STDs. These young people are taught the skills and given support that they need to protect themselves.

The department co-coordinator for the Dickinson-Iron Healthy Youth Coalition which is facilitated by the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District, with funding from the Michigan Abstinence Partnership, promotes Youth Developmental Asset Building through abstinence messages and the promotion of total abstinence of risky behaviors.

The Health Department is also responsible for facilitating a U.P. wide peer opinion leader training project for adults who are at risk for HIV/AIDS.