6
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
SEPTEMBER 17, 1993
PROGRESSIVE
AIDS IN A 'SECOND-TIER' CITY
URBAN REAL ESTATE AIDS educators target specific groups
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Continued from Page 1
that I would not be able to speak to the science classes and that as soon as I was through I would have to leave," says Cargill, the anger still in her voice.
Knowing that she would have to meet teens on their turf if she wanted to get the message across, early contact took the form of parties, after-school jams with a DJ, with a lecture first, then the party. The first "party" grew from 80 participants to capacity crowds and locked-out teens wanting to get in on the action. Educating the DJ was also an important part of the plan. Kids might feel easier ask-
Since its
to all health issues. "Large cities are flooded with AIDS patients. In New York, people with emergency room needs are forced to seek help out-of-town. And with an increasing number of AIDS we will see a rising number of other diseases."
SAMM has since grown to become Cleveland's key provider of AIDS information to teens directly. Presentations are given regularly throughout the school system and other settings with access to youth-community centers, housing projects, churches, day camps. Since its inception, SAMM has
ing a DJ questions about inception,
AIDS during a wicked, hyped tune rather than confronting an adult.
SAMM's focus on teens of color stems from signals professionals were seeing in the late 1980's. Gay men of color were always an evident part of the HIV community, while in 1988 gonorrhea was rising
SAMM has
educated more than 13,000
teens about
AIDS and HIV
in the general black population. Experience shows that where there is one sexually transmitted disease (STD) like gonorrhea, others can follow.
As a physician, Cargill's concern about AIDS is directly related to what she sees in her work environment. She notes that Cleveland has, since June 1993, received the dubious distinction of being a Metropolitan Statistical Area, now having enough AIDS cases to qualify for CDC funding.
As the veteran of a coastal city like Philadelphia, where the initial AIDS wave hit hard, she knows the impact from AIDS can sorely tax a community's ability to respond
NUMBERS
PRESENTS:
Camille's
Place
Every Saturday
entertainment hot dancing I staffed by ladies
gentleman with escort only please cover/i.d. 621-6900
educated more than 13,000 teens about AIDS and HIV.
Requesting a SAMM presentation means a commitment to a fivestep process. Students are first given an intenIsive look at AIDS and other STDs, and counseled about sexual decision-making, all with a strong emphasis on cultural heritage and selfesteem. By level four, students are ready for direct contact with a panel of speakers from the HIV community, with an emphasis on representatives from ethnic minorities. The final step in the process is student planned projects for AIDS Awareness Week. Past efforts have included producing puppet shows concerning AIDS for elementary school students, holding jump-rope-a-thons to raise money for AIDS services and distributing educational materials at area malls.
Real efforts are made to look at things from a teen's perspective. "Teens have ways of minimizing the way AIDS hits them personally. I show them through role-playing that they can't make assumptions about behavior, that assumptions are dangerous," says Cargill. She also thinks that a "sense of invincibility" should not be dismissed as a factor in a
teen's approach to the issue.
But like adults, teen behav-
ior isn't always indicative
of teen knowledge.
"I can tell you that 90 percent of the students know how AIDS is spread, 90 per-
cent know that multiple part-
health facilities are required to notify the Ohio Department of Health of all positive test results, anonymous testing is the preferred option. The questionnaire maps a patient's sexual history and awareness about HIV.
An interview with a counselor follows, one-on-one. During this time the counselor covers a variety of preventive measures, providing choices and options. Pointing out that the safest sex is no sex, a counselor will work backwards, illustrating many levels of risk so that clients can make their own decisions.
A follow-up appointment is made to discuss test results. Should there be a negative result, "it's time to reinforce the message." For those who test positive, the clinic is there to offer support (medical, legal, emotional) through its Early Prevention Program. A client may also be referred to other agencies for more specialized care. Last year the Free Clinic provided roughly 1,600 HIV tests, and currently serves over 100 through the Early Prevention Program.
With its Adolescent Clinic and Safe Space Station, the Free Clinic is also able to impact teens' lives with education. The Teen Theater Project provides a forum for teens to target issues that are important to them by scripting and directing plays aimed at teen audiences.
Safe Space Station is also a good avenue for collaboration with other agencies. SAMM is an active partner in weekly education sessions at the shelter. In the Adolescent Clinic, Bigley says "we spread the message of HIV to all people coming in with STDs." Seventy percent of teen clients in the clinic seek help with STDs or other gynecological or family planning related issues.
The Free Clinic, like other AIDS services, would benefit greatly from wider public enlightenment. Yet people do seek help when the message gets through to them.
Educators still fight a
Bigley cites a particular example. “The Clinic performs an average of 70 tests a week. After Magic
we went up to 400 tests
resistance to the Johnson came forward issue of AIDS among the general public
ners can lead to AIDS... But some of those same teens admit to prostitution, some admit to bisexual sex, lots admit to sex in the past year, a few admit to multiple partners in the past year . . .' The attitudes may reflect knowledge but not necessarily behavior."
With perceived reality not always related to actual reality, what can parents hope for? Cargill thinks a firm dose of love and trust provided with dialogue is the best way to start. "As parents we've let our children down. I don't think you can say, 'it's a crap shot and I'll take my lumps.' They know more than you think and they're going to find things out. I try at every juncture to provide my son with choices and to give unconditional love."
Free Clinic
At the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland "education is a part of every visit," says Director of Development Maggie Bigley. Because the clinic "does it all," from legal services and a dental clinic, through all aspects of mental and physical health, to providing shelter to runaway teens through Safe Space Station, an educated and nonjudgemental staffer is the first step to an educated patient. "I feel that the quality of our volunteers makes us one of the best HIV testing centers in town," says Bigley, "volunteers who have a sensitivity to the issues and the people involved."
Since the Free Clinic offers free anonymous HIV testing, it is a natural first step in getting help and information. An HIV test follows three steps. A patient is first given a false name and a questionnaire. Because
a week and stayed there for a year." But without wider exposure, individual responsibility must bear the weight. "We see it as a responsibility to yourself and your body. Until people take responsibility, nothing will fall into place," she said.
Health Issues Taskforce
Chrisse France, director of education at Health Issues Taskforce (HIT), has her share of frustrations. Getting through to the wider straight population is one of them. "We get calls that are still about basic contact risk," she says, a bit exasperated. "Landlords wanting to know what they need to do to an apartment where someone with AIDS has lived. Every Monday morning I get the same phone calls from men who are worried about what they've done over the weekend. So much of the general population is just asking about AIDS."
As the area's largest AIDS services organization, the structured, widely embracing programs aptly reflect HIT's central role. In 1992, 26,000 people benefited from HIT education programs, programs largely possible through the efforts of volunteers. Direct education consists of outreach programs targeted to the specific needs of four focus groups: gay men, women, AfricanAmericans, and the Hispanic community. Because each group faces inherently unique problems, "we have found that the best people to go into these communities are members of these communities," she said.
The gay-bisexual outreach grew from a survey of 800 gay men conducted by HIT, gauging men's misconceptions and perceptions about AIDS, all with the aim of "trying