Antonovich on AIDS

Supervisor Michael Antonovich is at it again. In his letter (Feb. 19) he described the providing of bleach and clean needles to intravenous drug users as “preposterous.” This shows he still refuses to understand or accept the concept of AIDS prevention.

Instead of spending money for prevention, he points with apparent pride to the fact that Los Angeles will spend over $57 million to combat AIDS this year, which he says is double the amount of two years ago. A review of the figures from the county explains the doubling of costs.

At the end of January, 1988, there were 4,329 people diagnosed with AIDS in the county of whom about 1,600 were still living. At the end of December, 1989, there were 8,576 people diagnosed with AIDS of whom about 3,000 were still alive. Is it any wonder it is costing the county (and taxpayers) twice as much in health care for AIDS as it did two years ago?

But when he writes bout a “responsible approach” to help IV drug users he writes about drug rehabilitation programs (which are grossly under-funded) and education, but then adds hospices. Hospices are remarkably humane, and cost effective. But they are for the dying.

And this is Supervisor Antonovich’s (and a majority of the Board of Supervisors’) true message: Los Angeles will not spend millions of dollars on effective programs that slow the spread of the AIDS virus. Instead it will spend tens of millions (soon to be hundreds of millions) of dollars on health care for people after they become sick and when they are dying.

Is that really how the people of Los Angeles want their limited funds spent?

NEIL R. SCHRAM, M.D.

Former Chair

Los Angeles City/County

AIDS Task Force

Palos Verdes