‘We are living in reverse’: Fragile HIV funding puts another strain on Kansas City’s safety net

By: Suzanne King

Outlets: Missouri Independent

Published: August 11, 2026

Words: 1,867

Last Updated: 1 week ago

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Roberto Archuleta was 21 years old in 1991 when he found out he was HIV-positive.

At the time, the only medications available to treat the virus were difficult to tolerate and often ineffective. Being diagnosed was commonly a death sentence — something Archuleta, then a hairstylist in Kansas City, witnessed too often.

An old snapshot of Archuleta with a group of friends reveals the grim truth about what it was like when HIV was the …

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