gay peoples CHRONICLE

Vol. 2 No. 9

Cleveland, Ohio

PWAS NEED BUDDIES

By CHARLES CALLENDER

The

Health Issues Taskforce is expanding its Buddies Program, through which volunteers provide support for people with AIDS. Developed by by HIT's HIT's Support Committee, the Buddies Program became a working reality three months ago. Last month 19 volunteers attended a weekend training session and began offering their services as Buddies. Response to the program, by PWA's and the Buddies, has been

enthusiastic.

A new training session for a second group of volunteers is scheduled for the weekend of November 14 throuth 16.

Mark Lehman, Chairman of the Support Committee, and Bill McCaffery, who is in charge of the Buddies, note that requests by people with AIDS threaten to deplete the existing supply of Buddies. Fourteen of the 19 volunteers in the first training program have already been assigned. By the end of this month they expect all of them to be working, while new requests continue to come in.

Lehman and McCaffery attribute the growing demand for Buddies partly to the rising incidence of AIDS cases in the Cleveland area, and partly to the success of the program.

They hope to expand the volunteers to include more women and members of minority groups. Straight people are also welcome. Because the Buddies program is the only service of its kind in this area for people with

LESBIAN

GAY VOTE

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AIDS, it is receiving quests from hemophiliacs and IV-drug abusers, as well as gay people.

McCaffery emphasizes that the program welcomes even persons whose free time is limited. As partners, two such persons can provide Buddy service to a person with AIDS.

Training Session

Designed to prepare volunteers for working with people with AIDS, the training sessions cover the medical, nursing, and psychosocial aspects of AIDS.

The next training session begins Friday, November 14, and runs through Sunday, November 16. The Friday segment is 7 p.m. to 9:30. Saturday and Sunday hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The $25 fee, covering the costs of the session, includes all meals during the period, as well as printed material and other information that will be distributed. Funds are available to cover the fee for those who might not be able to afford it.

Those interested in volunteering to be Buddies and attending the training session may call or write the Health Issues Taskforce, expressing their interest and giving names and telephone numbers. The HIT address is P.O. Box 14925, Cleveland OH 44114. Its telephone is 651-1HIT.

[More information about the Buddies Program is included in the interview with Lehman and McCaffery, starting on Page 10.]

Please Note:

With this issue the Chronicle is shifting to

a mid-month publishing

schedule

BRISBANE

ADELAIDE

INTERVIEW: MARK LEHMAN &

BILL MCCAFFERY PAGE 10

AUSTRALIA

AZARO

Oct.

1986

MONTREAL

KENT GARVEY LOS ANGELES

GAY GAMES: PARADE OF ATHLETES DURING OPENING CEREMONIES

KEZAR STADIUM, SAN FRANCISCO

1987 HEALTH CONFERENCE SCHEDULED

The 1987 National Lesbian and Gay Health Conference will be held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Los Angeles during the weekend of March 26-29, 1987. The conference, which will focus on lesbian and gay healthcare issues and include the Fifth National AIDS Forum, will be sponsored by the National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation, George Washington University Medical Center, and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center.

Eric E. Rofes, Executive Director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center and the 1987 Conference Coordinator, said, "We're very excited about bringing the conference to the West Coast and we're planning a very comprehensive conference that will stress basic issues in les-

bian and gay healthcare, as well as AIDS.

"In particular, this year's conference will include strong programming on mental health, women's health, sexually transmitted diseases, youth health care, and the health care needs of lesbian and gay people of color. New areas we will be including are presentations on health-care issues of the disabled, technology and healthcare, and preventative and holistic healthcare."

The conference will be limited to 1,000 participants. It is currently in the early stages of organizing. A call for papers was available September 1. Conference registration information will be available on October 15.

For information about the call for papers and registration, contact Greg Thomas Page 9, col. 3