WOULD EVENTUALLY BE A TARGET. WELL, BACK HERE AT HOME, DECEMBER 1ST, WORLD AIDS DAY AND THIS YEAR, THE THEME IS REMEMBER AND COMMIT. GREATER CINCINNATI ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN MUCH HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN THE FIGHT, INCLUDING CREATIVE WAYS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE IN WLWT NEWS. FIVE’S CURTIS COURTIS LIVE DOWNTOWN WITH ONE WAY CINCINNATI’S LEADING THE WAY ON THIS ISSUE. CURTIS. HEY, MIKE AND ASHLEY. YOU KNOW THAT ONE WAY IS RIGHT HERE. THIS IS A VENDING MACHINE, BUT IT’S A UNIQUE VENDING MACHINE. YOU SEE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT, HAMILTON COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT INSTALLED TWO OF THESE PUBLIC HEALTH VENDING MACHINES IS RIGHT IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THIS WEEK. THAT WILL HAVE HARM REDUCTION PRODUCTS, EVERYTHING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO COULD BE AT HIGH RISK FOR HIV. YOU HAVE TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE AND IF IT MEANS HAVING A VENDING MACHINE OUT THERE WITH CONDOMS, WITH NARCAN AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, MAYBE, AND ALSO THE LITERATURE, HIV PREVENTION, LITERATURE, THEN THAT’S WHAT WE NEED TO DO. AN ORGANIZATION CALLED CARACOL STARTED A NATIONAL TREND BY PUTTING THIS VENDING MACHINE AT ITS LOCATION IN NORTHSIDE. A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE IMPLEMENTED THE HARM REDUCTION VENDING MACHINE SINCE IMPLEMENT STATION, WE’VE HAD OVER 1600 PEOPLE REGISTERED TO USE THE MACHINE. IT IS FREE. CARACOL IS AN HIV AND AIDS ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION THAT’S BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN 35 YEARS. THIS IS HEALTH VENDING MACHINE IS STOCKED WITH HARM REDUCTION PRODUCTS. EVERYTHING FROM SAFE SEX ITEMS TO NARCAN. THE OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE NOW WERE UNHEARD OF. I WORKED IN THIS FIELD IN THE LATE 80S AND IT WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I MEAN, IT WAS ABOUT MAKING PEOPLE COMFORTABLE AS MUCH AS WE COULD AT THE TIME. AND NOW PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO LIVE THEIR LIVES. AND OFTEN, YOU KNOW, WE’RE COMING BACK TO STIGMA, BUT OFTEN PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO WALK INTO AN AIDS SERVICE ORGANIZATION. THEY DON’T WANT TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT HIV, BUT THEY’RE WILLING TO ACCESS SUPPLIES TO KEEP THEM SAFE. THOSE WHO HAVE WORKED DECADES BEING A VOICE FOR THE AIDS ISSUE WILL TELL YOU THE JOURNEY IS BETTER, BUT IT’S NOT OVER. THERE’S NOT A CURE ON THE HORIZON. AND SO I ALWAYS END STUFF UNTIL THERE’S A CURE. SO I’LL CONTINUE TO DO THIS WORK UNTIL THEY’RE SECURE, AS SIMPLE AS THAT. YEAH, AS SIMPLE AS THAT, HUH? I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE COUNTY, AGAIN, THEY HAVE TWO OF THESE RIGHT NOW IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA. AND OF COURSE, DEPENDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THIS, THERE COULD BE MORE. BUT THEY WATCHED THAT CARACOL PROJECT AND FIGURED IT WAS A GREAT IDEA. MATTER OF FACT, CARACOL HAS BEEN. HELPING 72 MUNICIPALITY IS ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY AS THEY TO INSTALL THES