County : AIDS Coordinator to Be Hired at $61,000 Salary

The county health department will hire a $61,000-a-year AIDS coordinator to handle public and private efforts to combat the disease, according to the county’s public health officer.

The county also will form a 15-member AIDS advisory committee to offer advice on preventing the spread of the disease and on caring for victims, Dr. L. Rex Ehling said in a report to the Board of Supervisors.

Ehling said the county’s Social Services, Community Services and Health Care agencies will each have one representative on the AIDS advisory committee. Religious organizations, hospitals, AIDS service providers, businesses, employee groups, medical professional organizations, the at-risk population, cities and educational groups also will have one representative each. In addition, there will be three at-large members.

Homosexual males and intravenous drug users are the groups most at risk of acquiring AIDS, according to medical experts. More than 15,000 people have died across the country from acquired immune deficiency syndrome, including nearly 200 in the county, officials said.

The committee will advise on legislation, education, development of treatment programs and possible funding sources, Ehling said.

In the report to board members to be considered next week, Ehling estimated the cost of the AIDS coordinator position at $19,018 for the rest of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, and $61,809 for the next fiscal year.

He said the county Health Care Agency will pay for the position for the current fiscal year from its existing budget.

Ehling’s report was ordered by the supervisors in December when they approved establishment of the committee and creation of the new agency position.