TI "Health Worker Brings Bad News to the AIDS Infected" AU Daubenmier, Judy SO Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/26/93) P. A6 AB Every state has an HIV-notification program of some sort, according to Janet Riessman, spokesperson for the AIDS Action Council of Washington. Some programs coach individuals in notifying partners themselves, some enlist the help of doctors or other professionals to help the patient conduct partner notifications, and some are a combination of both. In Michigan, doctors and local public health officers who diagnose an HIV-positive patient have a responsibility to warn persons who have shared needles or had unsafe sex with the infected individual. As a communicable-disease field representative for the health department in Ingham County, Mich., Patricia Villegas has the tough task of telling patients their HIV status, and helping the positive ones trace and contact partners who may have been exposed to the virus. This is sometimes dangerous work for Villegas, who finds herself at the fringe of the drug world and often needs a police escort. It is also frustrating work, for there are times when partners who may have been exposed to AIDS cannot be found. "A lot of the time they may be individuals who say they've had sexual contact with [people] in a very casual sense of the word. They don't know much about them; they had sexual contact while under the influence of alcohol or drugs," explains Villegas. When she does locate a partner, Villegas breaks the news, lets it sink in, then suggests testing. Confidentiality is guarded-- Villegas never discloses the name of the individual who listed the contact as a partner. Still, it is a difficult job. "I don't think it gets easier," she says. "I think what has happened is that I have learned a healthy detachment as a professional." Copyright (c) 1993 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. This information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), National AIDS Clearinghouse as a public service. Non-profit reproduction is encouraged. * Origin: AEGIS/San Juan Capistrano 714.248.2836 (CASAN) (1:103/927) * Provided as a service of THE BACKROOM - NYC * 718-951-8256