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Page 3.
The name game
Just
H IV policy w ill take effect J u ly 1
by J onathan
K ipp
fter months of controversy, Dr. Martin Wasserman, the
Oregon Health Division’s new administrator, went public
Dec. 21 with his decision to expand HIV surveillance
around the state.
Starting July 1, the names of people testing positive for HIV
will be reported to the public health system. The information
will remain in the state’s computer database for 90 days before
the name is transcribed into a code called a unique identifier.
Anonymous and confidential testing will continue to be
available throughout Oregon. “1 personally believe that name-
to-code reporting is the best compromise within the options
open to us,” Wasserman said.
He made the announcement at Cascade AIDS Project, the
leading HIV/A1DS social service and education agency in
Oregon and southwest Washington. It was the culminating event
after months of public hearings, research, task forces, advisory
boards— and even peaceful demonstrations.
Although many HIV/AIDS groups and civil rights organiza
tions— including American Civil Liberties Union Oregon and
Basic Rights Oregon— opposed the proposal, others supported
the state’s quest to execute an HIV reporting system that would
help epidemiologists track the ever-changing disease.
The benefits to public health and individual health, they said,
would outweigh any consequences the policy might bring. In
addition, the health division repeatedly said no evidence in 32
other states indicated that names reporting resulted in decreased
testing, as the opposition claimed.
Continued on Page 10