REDONDO BEACH : Free Workshop Offered for AIDS Advice, Tests

People who are considering an HIV test may attend a workshop Saturday in Redondo Beach that will provide advice and an opportunity to be tested.

The program, titled “Should I Be Tested?” is the first in a series of workshops on testing organized by Women at Risk, a nonprofit group providing services for women whose condition has been diagnosed as AIDS or who have the human immunodeficiency virus that causes it. The workshop, funded by the Beach Cities Health District, is open to women and men. Ann Copeland of Hermosa Beach, executive director of Women at Risk, said that many people hesitate to get tested, even if they know they are at risk.

“People are afraid that they are not going to be able to cope with a positive diagnosis,” Copeland said. “But if people don’t test, it’s also risking other people’s lives.”

Panelists will include psychologist Alima Sherman and AIDS expert Dr. Gail Simpson, assistant clinical professor of medicine at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center. Stewart Sokol, director of HIV and AIDS program services at South Bay Free Clinic, will talk about the virus and its prevention, and several HIV-positive women will discuss their experiences.

The free workshop is scheduled from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at South Bay Hospital, 514 N. Prospect Ave. Arrangements have been made for free, anonymous testing after the workshop at South Bay Free Clinic in Manhattan Beach.

Workshop reservations may be made, anonymously, if desired, at (310) 374-3426 or (310) 204-1046.