Get a Piece of the Rock

By BUCK HARRIS

The war against AIDS continues. Sometimes our worst enemy is not the HTL-III/LAV virus but institutional reaction to it. Last May the Ohio Department of Health, under federal initiative, set up the alternate testing program. I encouraged gay men not to take the test for a variety of reasons. My stand remains unchanged.

One of my fears for those who took the test, especially if the results were positive, was future insurability. That fear is completely warranted. The potential for the misuse of this test is about to be realized. Inquiries to insurance companies in Ohio about how they might use the test and policies regarding insurability of high-risk individuals cause me to be alarmed. The following is an excerpt from a letter to Ohio Department of Health from the medical director of a large life insurance company:

"Various insurance considerations in containment of AIDS-related benefits are:

1. Denial of insurance to known or suspected homosexual males;

2. A contractual exclusion of death benefits for AIDS, similar to the exclusion for war or insurrection;

3. Adding specific questions to the application regarding predisposition to or diagnosis of AIDS and result of HTLV-III/LAV antibody test;

4. Performance of HTLV-III

/LAV antibody test on persons suspect of being in a high-risk group."

The letter goes on to ex-

plain how employers should not be forced to hire or retain people with AIDS or related conditions. This gentleman suggests that legislation to protect the insurance industry should be forthcoming.

I have met with the Ohio Department of Health AIDS project staff and the Ohio. AIDS Advisory Committee to discuss legislation that would prohibit discrimination against persons with HTLV-III infection and misuse of the antibody test. Until we are protected by law, I encourage you to consider these recommendations:

1. Get a piece of the rock. If you are presently uninsured, obtain health and life insurance before companies begin requiring applicants to take the HTLV-III/LAV antibody test.

2. If you must take the antibody test to learn whether you may have been exposed to this virus, try to wait until there is legal protection and we know more about interpretation of the test results.

3. If you cannot wait, have the test done at one of the Alternate Testing Sites where confidentiality can be assured.

4. If you are receiving medical services that include blood tests ask if they are running an HTLVIII/LAV antibody test. If you feel the test is not in your best interest, forbid them to run it.

5. Just for the health of it, PLEASE PLAY SAFE SEX.

As of July 18, 1985, there are 96 reported cases of AIDS in Ohio.

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P.O. BOX 35483 CLEVELAND, OHIO 44135 (216) 251-1157

Ray Schultz, new coordinator of the Ohio Department of Health AIDS Hotline and the Cleveland Lesbian/Gay Hotline. Hotline volunteers are available from 4 to 11 pm weekdays & 1 to 11 p Saturdays at 651-7111 and 1-800-332-AIDS.

Don't Share Needles

BY STEVEN L. BERG

Because alcohol and other drugs are known to cause a variety of health problems, some people have begun to ask if drugs can cause AIDS. Two pamphlets which address this

issue are Alcohol, Drugs, and AIDS prepared by the Haight-Ashbury Free Medical Clinic. Both publications are available from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, 54 Tenth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-1360. The AIDS/Substance Abuse Task Force claims that recent research has indicated that alcohol, as well as such street drugs as amphetamines marijuana, and nitrite inhalants (poppers), all damage the immune system, leaving the user open to infection and cancer.

While alcohol and other drugs cannot be said to cause AIDS, substance abuse damages the immune system, interferes with many types of treatment for AIDS, and alters the judgement of the user "who may become more prone to engage in activities which put people at at high risks for AIDS."

Alcohol, Drugs, and AIDS describes the connection between substance abuse and AIDS. Specific concerns relating to alcohol, amphetamines, marijuana and a trites are also discussed. The pamphlet is especially helpful because it suggests ways to minimize health

Rob Daroff/GPC

risks for unose individual who use alcohol or other

drugs. It is not a polemic which condemns alcohol and drugs. Rather, the theme is one of responsible drug use. For some people, responsible use might require cutting down on drugs. But it also involves getting regular medical check-ups, eating well, and following safe-sex guidelines.

Shooting Up and Your Health includes information on the symptoms of AIDS, Hepatitis-B, and endocarditis. It It states that although "there are always health risks associated with any use of drugs by injection," risks can be minimized by following such sinple suggestions as not sharing needles. Although the pamphlet is specifically geared to individuals seeking medical help in San Francisco, the basic information on health hazards is helpful to anyone who

"shoots up.

The San Francisco AIDS Task Force rightly claims that "The AIDS crisis has brought about a growing health awareness. For many people, this means re-evaluating their drug and alcohol use. Although neither pamphlet deals with either substance abuse or AIDS in much detail, both have the result of raising the reader's awareness in these areas.