Local residents will have a chance to participate and offer their thoughts on Monday as the White House brings its National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions to the Virgin Islands.

The discussion, which is part of the Obama administration's pledge to develop a national HIV/AIDS strategy, will be hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. It is one of 14 community discussions on HIV/AIDS being held across the country.

The event is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday at the University of the Virgin Islands. It will be teleconferenced live between UVI campuses on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Jeffrey Crowley, director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, will host the community discussion from St. Thomas, according to a release from V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen's office.

The goal of the discussions is to hear directly from the public on what they think the National HIV/AIDS Strategy should look like, the release states.

There are many issues surrounding HIV in the territory.

The Virgin Islands has one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS, per capita, in the nation. Advocates say that fear of stigma and discrimination is a very real factor in the territory, affecting the lives of those who have HIV and residents who may fear being tested for the virus.

The V.I. Health Department in the past also has periodically failed to provide critical medications for those enrolled in the federally funded AIDS Drug Assistance Program, most recently early this year. In that incident, Health failed to keep critical ADAP medications in stock, leaving about 75 of the 87 patients in the program without their medications for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than two months.

That situation was resolved when medications arrived in late February. Health officials say they have taken the necessary steps to prevent it from happening again.

In her release, Christensen urged all interested parties to attend the discussion on Monday.

"I am extremely glad that the White House is coming to the Virgin Islands to hear firsthand from those on the front lines about what the needs and challenges are for persons living with HIV/AIDS and how the forthcoming National HIV/AIDS Elimination Plan can help curb the epidemic in the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as on the mainland," she said in the release.

In announcing the National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions in August, President Barack Obama said in a prepared statement that HIV remains a "serious challenge" to the American people and that he is committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

The goals of the strategy are to reduce HIV incidence, to increase access to care and optimize health outcomes, and to reduce HIV-related health disparities.

The discussions are just one mechanism the White House is using to develop the plan. The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS also will provide input, and public comments submitted to the Office of National AIDS Policy will also be taken into consideration.

"We are trying to get our friends and consumers there on Monday," said Sandra Phaire, executive director of VICARE on St. Croix. "I think that many of them may show up."

Phaire said she believes it is important "that everyone come out and air their comments on HIV and AIDS in our community - the positive and the negative. We need to be able to hear how people feel. I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to do this."

Aware of the fear of stigma, Phaire said that those living with HIV in the territory may also submit written comments to VICARE that staff plan to read aloud at the meeting. Comments may be e-mailed to her at sandra.phaire@vicareinc.org or by phone during business hours at 692-9111.

The discussion is free and open to the public. The Office of National AIDS Policy asks that those who plan to attend on Monday RSVP online at https://www.cmpinc.net/ ONAP. Participants also may register by faxing their name, organization and fax number or e-mail address to: Debbie Cestaro-Seifer at 692-4015. Or they may register at the door.

Those who attend will be given up to a minute and a half to provide their recommendations for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. They may also leave written comments after the meeting or e-mail them to AIDSpolicy@who.eop.gov.

The discussions will be teleconferenced between UVI's Administration and Conference Center on St. Thomas and UVI's North West Wing Great Hall on St. Croix.