Legislature last year to enhance a Basic Health
program for the working poor.
Under the terms of the new law, an insurance
had Butt used to hang around a Phoenix,
company
must advise anyone denied access to
Arizona, park in the summer with some of
his buddies, most of them gay. What he didn’t regular health insurance that the new coverage
is available. State authorities estimate 31,000
know until recently was that local police were
Washington residents will now be eligible for
routinely punching in license numbers of vehi
coverage.
cles they suspected belonged to the cruisers.
What they entered into their police computer
AIDS in the workplace: state
files should terrify you: “ High Risk: AIDS.”
The worst fears of AIDS advocacy groups
employees get instructions
and homosexuals in general have been realized.
nder a cover letter signed by Gov. Neil
Goldschmidt, Oregon state employees
have received specific instructions outlining the
state’s new policy on recognizing the
importance of AIDS.
Here are some highlights of that new policy:
• Each state agency should adopt an
infection-control policy based on the fact that
• • . Between the Lines. . .
there is no significant risk of exposure to AIDS
from routine work conduct in most employment
situations.
• State employees should receive specific
education including a medical overview of
AIDS, policy guidelines and employee rights
and responsibilities, workplace safety, and
B Y
J A C K
R I L E Y
resources for information and assistance.
• Persons with AIDS and ARC, or who are
Phoenix police and Mariposa County sheriff s
sero-positive for HIV infection, may be
officials acknowledged that they have main
handicapped persons under Oregon law and
tained files on “ suspected” AIDS carriers for at
may, therefore, be protected by law against
least a year.
discrimination in employment. Reasonable
Butt learned that Phoenix police had him
accommodation may be required for such
listed as a possible AIDS threat after he reported
persons to perform job functions.
a burglary at his home on May 17.
• Generally, medical records of employees
An investigating officer ran Butt’s name
are protected from public disclosure. Self
through the computer to determine if there were
disclosure is voluntary and should not result in
any outstanding warrants for him. That’s when
harassment.
Butt’s name flashed up on the computer along
with “ High Risk: AIDS.”
• Testing can only be done with voluntary
Butt was concerned not only that the infor
informed consent.
• The state of Oregon administers benefits
mation was being kept in his police file, but also
that it was wrong. He had never been tested for
for employees with AIDS in the same way as for
the AIDS virus.
employees with other life-threatening illnesses.
AIDS advocacy groups said the Phoenix case
• When an employee’s refusal to work with
may be the first in the nation in a major
an affected co-worker is not based on a
metropolitan area where it has been confirmed
reasonable risk of exposure, the employee
that police have maintained AIDS files on
should be counseled as to current medical
individuals.
information. A continued unreasonable neglect
The Arizona Republic reported that Phoenix
of duty could be subject to normal disciplinary
police said they have purged the information
action.
from their files since the case was first reported
Accompanying a synopsis of the new state
in the newspaper. The Mariposa County sheriff s
policy on AIDS was a well-written pamphlet,
office is still maintaining its files, however.
“ AIDS: Gathering the Facts,” prepared by the
AIDS advocacy groups said maintenance of
Executive Department Task Force on AIDS in
files on suspected AIDS carriers not only
the Workplace.
violates privacy laws but also discourages
possible carriers from participating in AIDS
Ad Council urges AIDS
testing.
prevention; overlooks gays
The Oregonian reported that the Portland
Police Bureau claims that it keeps no such
he Advertising Council has announced a
records.
“ tough and sensitive” AIDS prevention
campaign that will be ready this month. It is
Cats infected with harmless
designed to reach all sexually active people in
AIDS-like virus
the U .S., with a particular emphasis on teen
agers, minorities and women of childbearing
illions of cats worldwide are infected
age.
with a virus similar to the human
The campaign includes four television com
immunodeficiency virus and may someday mercials, three radio spots and a half-dozen
replace monkeys and chimpanzees as the best
print ads, all carrying the message “ Help Stop
models for study of the human disease.
AIDS. Use a Condom.”
Recently, Associated Press reported that a
So far, none of the ads feature gay men.
new vaccine to protect cats from feline
Since this is the first national ad campaign to
leukemia could have implications in the fight
address AIDS prevention, gay activists are
against AIDS.
watching to see if gays will be purposely
The drug Covenant is the first whole-virus
excluded in order to make the ads more attrac
vaccine against a retro-virus, a small category
tive to the general media.
of disease that also includes acquired immune
From the text of commercials released so far
deficiency syndrome.
in Advertising Age magazine, the major
The vaccine was unveiled here in Portland in
spokespiece for the United States advertising
mid-July at a meeting of the American Veteri
industry, their concern is justified. The
nary Medical Association.
commercials feature only women with babies,
single women and apparently heterosexual
Insurance program to help AIDS
teenagers of both sexes.
9
Garbage in, garbage out . . .
C
U
Working Toward a Just Society
EMILY SIMON
v°c
SIMON, KRAMER 6 FITHIAN-DARRETT
Attorneys
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AIDS Issues
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A
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
LATELY TO STOP THE
SPREAD OF A ID S?