ABSTRACT
Historically, Americans of African ancestry have been a very proud group of people. As slaves they maintained a kind of connection and self-esteem through a sense of community and the extended family. Regardless of how poor the family might be, cleanliness and good personal hygiene were of the utmost importance. African-American families have had a very strong kinship bond and flexibility in roles within the family unit. Religion, education, and work are given great value. Self-esteem of this magnitude and quality has been a means of survival. Knowledge of this cultural diversity became part of the professional knowledge base in caring for HIV-positive African-American women. Professionals need to be cognizant of a number of psychosocial and cultural issues, as well as address them in their practices to meet the challenge of caring for these women and their families. This chapter describes a unique project that focused on ethnically appropriate health care interventions with HIV-positive African-American women and their families. The project successfully combined folk medicine and alternative therapies with traditional health care practices for African Americans in New York City, thus increasing the acceptance and effectiveness of traditional medical regimens.
