january 18. 200?»
15
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B reak of D awn
Health worker wins state award as frontline warrior against HIV
by Ja c k T u rteltau b
D
awn Spellman— a quiet but dedi come in. Spellman also is available if users
cated fighter in the war against “want to talk to someone.”
She says crystal meth is a huge problem and
HIV for the past 12 years— has
been named Health Educator of “almost unrecognized” in parts of the gay com
munity. She describes speed as “the perfect drug
the Year by W ashington states
AIDSNet. She is the recipient for the South for gay men. If you have self-esteem issues, it
west W ashington Health District, a region cov goes away. If you want to lose weight, it helps
you do that. You want to have a lot of sex, there
ering 11 counties.
you go. It’s scary because we’re not addressing it
The soft-spoken lesbian is modest about the
from a health perspective.”
recognition, saying “it probably has more to do
Spellman notes the greatest dangers lie in
with the years I’ve been doing it. I feel wonder
ful that I was recognized, but there are a lot of the way crystal meth affects brain neurotrans
mitters— leading to long-term depression— and
people who are deserving.”
an increased risk for HIV and hepatitis infec
Supervisor Therese Falkner begs to differ.
She says Spellman “brings a passion and com tions as many users engage in more frequent and
more unsafe sex, especially when they are high.
mitment to her work,” part of “an uphill battle
She has tracked one compelling statistic with
in every community” against HIV and other
program participants: Before getting informa
sexually or blood-transmitted diseases.
Education coordinator
Suzanne Hidde, last year’s
award recipient in the dis
trict, describes her col
league as “a tenacious ad
vocate for the disenfran
chised, marginalized and
underrepresented popula
tions” she serves. “Dawn
tries to look at the bigger
picture...hom eless shel
ters, health clinics, drug
and alcohol centers, how
to bridge the gap between
agencies.”
The Wyoming native
moved to the Portland
area in 1995, working part
time at Cascade AIDS
Project, where she devel
oped and coordinated
HIV education, outreach,
Dawn Spellman coordinates an H IV outreach clinic and a crystal
testing and peer counsel
meth needle exchange program
■»
ing programs. She later
tion, 30 percent used needles only once before
took a part-time job in Vancouver that turned
discarding; after learning more, that number
into a full-time job.
Today, Spellman coordinates an off-site out increased to 70 percent.
The harm reduction model, the essence of
reach clinic providing HIV testing and informa
which is “to deal with people where they’re at,
tion for gay and bi men. It is held twice a week
not where we think they should be,” is critical to
in downtown Vancouver.
Spellman’s work. This public health philosophy
Spellman believes the program is working
because it reduces some of the barriers pre attempts to give them the information and tools
to make their own decisions, regardless of oth
venting gay and bi men from getting tested.
ers’
moral beliefs.
Many "don’t feel comfortable” walking into a
“I believe in people,” Spellman says. “People
regular health departm ent and prefer the con
don’t
always make the right choices, but if they
venience, perhaps th e anonym ity, of an
are given the right information, I think they will
evening clinic.
make better choices.”
The program is making a difference because
So the fight goes on. Spellman knows there
these people otherwise would not get tested,
are no easy answers, but she’s an absolute believ
according to Spellman. “It’s appalling to me
er in health education and giving people real
that some men are not finding that they are
HIV-positive until being admitted to the hospi choices. Her many years of concern is obvious as
she talks about preventing sexually transmitted
tal with PCP,” a type of pneumonia that can
diseases and helping those "who are stigmatized
develop when the virus attacks a weakened
by our society.”
immune system.
Spellman lives happily with her partner, Kim
Spellm an also is working on hepatitis
screening and vaccination. Last summer “we set Connor, in Vancouver. They have two dogs hut
no cats in the otherwise “average lesbian house
up a testing booth and free hepatitis screening
for the guys and free breast exams for the ladies hold.” Spellman loves to travel, plays softball
and stays in touch with her family in Wyoming
at Saturday in the Park,” Vancouver’s annual
and her partner’s family in California. J D
Pride festival.
She also is excited about her work with a
crystal methamphetamine needle exchange pro For more information contact D a w n SPELLMAN at
360-397-8078 or dspellma@sivwhd.iua.gov.
gram targeting the gay male community. Like
the HIV clinic, it uses a harm reduction ap
Portland free-lance writer, coach and psycholo
proach so users can make better choices.
The program provides free needles, condoms gist J a c k T urteltaub may be reached at
turtelta@ e-znet.
and lots of information to people when they
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