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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1995)
j u s t o u t T J a n u a ry 6 , 1 0 0 9 ▼ 0 Winterize it. It’s Escentiai. H IV/A ID S effort revam ped Centers fo r Disease Control addresses criticism by centralizing H IV programs E^CENTIAL by Richard Shumate 7l() NYV 23KI> AVE. * 248-9748 3688 SE HAWTHORNE * 236-7976 lotions & oils eeding criticism that its fight against HIV/AIDS was disjointed and didn’t focus enough on prevention, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is revamping its entire HIV program. The decision to bring 10 separate HIV pro grams together into a single agency under one leader was made by Dr. David Satcher, who took over as head of the CDC last year. “The overall goal of our HIV/AIDS reorgani zation efforts is to significantly enhance our abil ity to prevent and con trol the spread of HIV/ r, , a id s among individu- ganization will do little to reorganize or centralize research into treatments or a cure for HIV/AIDS, which are centered not at the CDC but at the National Institutes of Health, a separate agency. “But [the CDC’s reorganization] is a proposal I feel has great potential,” says Jeff Graham of ACT UP-Atlanta. “The status quo is not doing anyone any good.” In addition to a change in structure, Satcher’s proposal also marks something of a change in philosophy at the CDC. Programs designed to prevent HIV transmis sion have, in the past, been . , ^ lumped in with prevention programs for other sexu ally transmitted diseases as ais and groups in this country and to contrib- . part of the National Center ute to the prevention for Infectious Diseases. Under the reorganization, and control ot H i v / -n AIDS throughout the HIV prevention efforts will world,” said Satcher in Other Sexually transmitted be separated from those of a memo to the CDC other STDs. sta ff o u tlin in g the A panel tjiat advises the changes. CDC on its HIV preven C u rren tly , seg tion efforts recommended ments of the CDC’s that change because of the program to track and fundamental differences check the spread of between HIV and other HIV are spread sexually transmitted dis throughout the various eases. entities that make up HI V-prevention efforts the CDC. Most are at will also now be located in CDC headquarters in the same center as pro Atlanta, but some are grams to prevent tubercu at other locations. Their efforts are coordinated, losis, a recognition of the emergence of TB as a but not directed, by Dr. Jim Curran, head of the particular threat to people living with HIV/AIDS. CDC’s Office of HIV/AIDS. Groups inside and outside the CDC have long When the reorganization is complete, in Feb been critical of the disjointed organizational struc ruary 1995,80 percent of the CDC’s overall HIV/ ture and the lack of a central clearinghouse for AIDS programs will be in one Atlanta-based information. Last June, the CDC advisory com center, w hich is likely to be given a new name and mittee for HIV prevention recommended that all placed under the direct authority of a single direc prevention programs be centralized, leading to tor, according to CDC spokesman Tom Skinner. Satcher’s decision. A decision has not yet been made on who will “We have been studying this for over a year,” head up the new center, he says. Skinner says. “We hope this will improve our While the change has gotten generally good ability to work with those who are on the front reviews from HIV/AIDS groups, they caution lines of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over the past that this does not amount to a “Manhattan Project” 17 years, we’ve learned that HIV/AIDS directly to fight AIDS— a campaign promise of President has an effect on other health programs.” Clinton that has gone unfulfilled. The CDC reor- H REPORT HOMOPHORIC VIOLENCE HAGGLE W ITH THE DEALERS! OUR BIGGEST SALE EVER! Come get great savings as our 175 dealers clean house for the N ew Year. Saturday, January 14,11:00 am - 6:00 pm Sunday, January 15, Noon - 5:00 pm ST PIN KLIN K IS N ON LIN E! Call 241-9769 (Portland) 7 P • A • N • Y TWO A N T I Q U E MA L L S 7027 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland, Oregon ( 503 ) 239-0346 __ Programs designed to prevent HIV transmission nave, in the past, been lumped prevention programs for diseases as part of the National Center for Infectious Diseases. Under the reorganization, HIV prevention efforts will be separated from those of other STDs. Resource Line • Events Calendar • Personal Ads s • *.• \ / r . r r e A » c ï \ T jt i r r, a > i , t ,r r.\; " • • I