Meet Dr. Cassandra Esperant. Dr. Esperant is a pharmacist that practices HIV prevention. She believes that educating the urban community will decrease the disparities in the HIV pandemic due to institutionalized racism. As a black woman she is passionate about decreasing the divide in the black communities by empowering them to take initiative to lessen the divide and take back control. Cassandra would like pharmacist to prescribe HIV prevention regimen per collaborative agreement to patients to increase access, and reduce HIV transmission. She loves advocacy, and her interest peaked for HIV because she remembers watching the Haitian community protest the CDC’s false accusations of Haitians being a cardinal cohort that causes HIV. Her self-proclaimed purpose is to add value to all those she comes into contact with on a daily basis. She believes that there is a need to increase access and awareness in the urban communities (particularly black homosexual men and black women) for HIV prevention. She is also on the healthcare committee for capracare where she assists in ordering the medications for the clinic on the ground from drug companies who offer subsidized prices for medical missions.
In this episode, we speak about Dr. Esperant’s passion to break the stigma around HIV and AIDS while serving the people of Haiti. She shares her thoughts on the lack of sexual education in Haiti and why that might contribute to the taboo nature of HIV and we learn how she is working with capracare to serve women in Haiti who may have cervical cancer.
Episode Highlights:
- Introduction (0:00)
- How Cassandra got connected with capracare (04:15)
- Growing up in the states as a Haitian American (05:09)
- What Cassandra wanted to be when she grew up (05:51)
- The CDC’s falsely claimed 4 H’s (07:49)
- How Cassandra feels about how young children were bullied and harassed just for being Haitian (10:40)
- Cassandra’s involvement with the Haitian American Pharmacists Association (12:33)
- Cassandra’s thoughts on sexual education (or the lack thereof) in Haiti (16:20)
- How Cassandra is working with capracare to eradicate cervical cancer in Haiti (19:15)
- Cassandra’s words on how to keep inspiration and hope in the midst of hardship in Haiti (21:34)
- Courage is… (24:39)
- Cassandra’s one act of courage (25:28)
- Ending remarks (27:28)
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Help us fund critical healthcare, emergency relief, education and development programs to residents in the Southern District of Haiti
To donate or learn more about capracare, visit us at capracare.org
If you'd like to be featured or simply want to say hello, email us at info@capracare.org or visit anactofcourage.org
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