The movie “Dallas Buyers Club” focuses on Ron Woodroof. A Dallas man who is newly diagnosed with HIV and is told he has just 30 days to live. Woodward is diagnosed in 1985, in the midst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Little was known about the disease and there were limited treatment options available. Woodroof takes part in a clinical trial for a drug called AZT. To ensure he does not receive the placebo, Woodroof bribes a hospital worker to get him AZT. Unfortunately, his health continues to deteriorate. Left with few options, he drives to Mexico in an attempt to get more AZT. There Woodroof meets a doctor who tells him AZT is poisonous.
The doctor prescribes Woodroof a cocktail of drugs and nutritional supplements that contain ddC and peptide T. This miraculously works and Woodroof’s health begins to improve. While Ron gets better, his friend Rayon’s health only worsens and Woodroof decides something needs to be done. He begins to import the drugs from Mexico and sells them to people with HIV/AIDS. With Rayon’s help, they grow their customer base and establish the Dallas Buyers Club. They charge $400 a month for membership, to get all of the drugs they need. It became so popular, Buyers Clubs sprouted up all over the country. Ultimately the Buyers Clubs get shut down, but they successfully helped many people infected with HIV/AIDS. Ron Woodroof died of AIDS in 1992, exceeding doctors’ expectations by seven years.
The community health issue the movie illustrates is the HIV/AIDS crisis. The movie takes place during the 1980s, also marking the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States. The movie depicts the widespread panic and concern during the HIV/AIDS crisis, since it had high mortality rates, and little was known about it. The ambiguity of the disease meant limited treatment options. The treatments offered were usually a last-ditch effort to buy time. The movie also portrays the way people with HIV/AIDS were treated during this time. Those diagnosed were often ostracized and ridiculed. It was and continues to be a highly stigmatized disease, although to a lesser extent today. The movie shows the assumptions people made about those who were infected. It was not uncommon for family and friends to cut off contact out of fear of either becoming sick or being associated with the disease.
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I think the movie did a great job of illustrating the main events of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It showed the adversity those infected faced, as well as the sheer panic. It was a scary time because even the doctors and health care professionals were unsure about HIV/AIDS and how to treat it. All of this uncertainty at the start of the HIV/AIDS crisis meant that its diagnosis was basically a death sentence. With only a few treatment options available, people were trying anything to save their lives. Luckily, we have made great advancements with the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The advent of new drugs, screening methods, and treatment guidelines have dramatically decreased the transmission and mortality rate of HIV/AIDS and those infected are living longer than before (“A Timeline of HIV and AIDS”). The disease is also better understood, and people are more educated about HIV/AIDS. Although we have made great strides, there is still a long way to go to destigmatize how those affected with HIV/AIDS are seen.
