OXNARD : Activists Use Play to Issue AIDS Warning

Jeanne Scott and Gloria Chinea, two activists in the fight against acquired immune deficiency syndrome, were talking one day about the need for education on the deadly disease within Ventura County’s poor Hispanic immigrant community.

While Chinea, who works at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, shared horror stories about the difficulties of her work, Scott, with the American Cancer Society, came up with an idea. Why not use a play as a vehicle for warning of AIDS dangers?

With Chinea’s stories providing the inspiration, Scott set out to do just that, eventually producing a live drama in Spanish and English. The play traces the lives of several migrant workers, from the moment they cross the border through various encounters with prostitutes, shared needles and infected blood transfusions, to the birth of AIDS-infected babies.

Titled “ Cara a Cara (Face to Face) An AIDS Prevention Program,” the play was staged earlier this year at the hospital, reaching more than 1,000 Hispanics in five performances.

The play was directed by Armando Garcia of the Inlakech Theatre Company and funded in part by a grant from the Sisters of Mercy.

Scott, of Thousand Oaks, is primarily involved in assisting cancer patients. She said she has grown more aware of the dangers of AIDS. Surveys of AIDS patients show that more than one in five develops a usually fatal cancer due to the breakdown in the immune system.

The production allowed the message of AIDS dangers to reach a large audience quickly and effectively, Scott said.

A videotape of the results will be made available for public use.