Tapping Into the Power of Prayer

Somebody prayed for me,
Kept me on their mind,
took time to pray for me.
I'm so glad they prayed for me...

 My friend Reverend Pernessa Seale believes in the power of prayer. I mean, she really believes in the power of prayer. So much so that in 1989 she founded the Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, now known as the National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. My mother also believes in the power of prayer. I have survived two close encounters with death. I should be the poster child for the power of prayer. I am alive today, because my mother, Pernessa, and many other people pray for me, sometimes every day.

This week, we commemorate the National Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. While I am a person of faith, I think I might witness the power of prayer a little differently than either Pernessa or my mom.

I see the power of prayer in the new HIV treatments that keep me alive. I remember the days when HIV treatments required a dozen pills taken multiple times a day, some of them before meals, some of them during meals, some of them after meals—many of them with horrible side effects that sometimes made you wonder which was worse: the disease or the treatments? Today treatments are simple, with few side effects and highly effective.

I see the power of prayer in the new HIV testing technologies that now exist. Getting an HIV test today is easy, simple, fast and accurate—and God's fingerprints are all over it.

I see the power of prayer in biomedical prevention tools that none of us could ever have imagined as little as five years ago. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), when used appropriately and properly, can prevent acquisition of HIV by over 90 percent. We now know that treatment is also prevention. If we can help people living with HIV reach viral suppression by taking their medications, we can reduce transmission by over 90 percent. Prayer works.

The Affordable Care Act is clearly an answer to the prayers of thousands of people living with HIV who previously were denied healthcare because of preexisting conditions, or were at risk of losing healthcare because they were HIV positive, or were subjected either annual caps or lifetime caps that allowed insurance companies to deny their claims.

So this week I'm praying that we don't delude ourselves into thinking the AIDS epidemic is over, because our communities are still under attack by the HIV virus. Don't get me wrong. We can end the AIDS epidemic if we take action. If we get tested and, if positive, go on treatment; and if negative, educate ourselves about the new scientific break throughs and use them. I'm going to pray this week. I'm going to pray that we have the will and courage to action. If faith without works is dead, what is prayer without action?

I know that Pernessa and my mom are going to be doing their part. I'm praying that you will be doing yours.

In this issue, read the sixth installment in our series on HIV criminalization. Learn about the Institute's recent Brown Bag Lunch webinar educating participants about the new 4th generation HIV tests that will allow us to detect HIV earlier than we can today. Black Treatment Advocates in the Richmond, Virginia, area recently conducted a training symposium. Find out what happened there. Libraries are now becoming hubs where people can obtain information related to the Affordable Care Act. Find out how that is playing out in Philadelphia's library system, where research has found that fully one-third of people coming to the library are looking for health information. And read about how some of the states that initially rejected Medicaid expansion are actually partnering with the federal government to roll out health care coverage to the working poor through what are called "demonstration waivers."

I'm so glad they prayed for me,

Phill