AIDS Victims, Discrimination

Doctors who refuse to report AIDS cases may be showing sympathy and sensitivity to both the victims of the disease and their families, but your editorial should have mentioned that these physicians are also breaking the law.

Last year, I authored legislation signed by the governor which clearly stated that confirmed cases of AIDS must be reported to the head county health officer. We did this because accurate statistics and information are the first thing needed to wage an organized and effective fight against AIDS. You were correct to point out that under-reporting inhibits our battle against AIDS, but given the seriousness of the crisis, you should go further by calling for penalties against doctors whose good intentions cause more harm than good.

In addition, The Times was correct to point out that education about behavior is crucial to slow the spread of AIDS. But right here in Los Angeles, there is an excellent mechanism that the county refuses to utilize in order to inform high-risk people about how to change high-risk behavior.

Under the provisions of AB 488 last year, a statewide network of Alternate Testing Sites (ATS) has been set up to encourage high-risk people who want to know if they have been exposed to the AIDS virus to steer clear of blood banks. To date, more than 41,000 people have visited these sites. The primary purpose of the ATS is to protect the blood supply, which might become contaminated if high-risk people donated blood with the ulterior motive of getting the AIDS blood test.

But the ATS also can play an important role in disseminating public health information to those high-risk people who need it most. People who go to an ATS are those most likely to be infected with the virus, or at least those most concerned and worried that AIDS might affect them personally. The ATS offers an efficient way to inform them about the behavior changes necessary to stop the spread of AIDS. The governor has endorsed this approach in his April report designed to meet the needs of fighting AIDS into the 1990s.

But outside of the City of Long Beach, which has its own health department, there is only one ATS for all of L.A. County! And this one site is located at the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center in Hollywood. For a county with an extremely large number of high-risk persons, the county’s refusal to establish more sites doesn’t make sense.

The funds for additional sites are provided by the state, and are waiting to be spent right now. Furthermore, recent changes to the reimbursement procedures help guarantee that the county doesn’t get stuck with unexpected costs. The only barrier still to be overcome is the lack of initiative on the part of the county.

ASSEMBLYMAN MIKE ROOS

Majority Floor Leader

D-Los Angeles