TI "Program Dedicated to Gay Adolescents Fills Support Gap" AU Lewis, J. Patrick SO AIDS Alert (12/93) Vol. 8, No. 12, P. 188 AB Gay youths, who account for nearly one-quarter of U.S. adolescent AIDS cases, are at a higher risk for the virus than are heterosexual youths, yet they have fewer support systems and information resources for the disease, reports Gary Remafadi, director of one of the country's first AIDS prevention programs for homosexual adolescents. "Because they face such an extraordinarily high exposure to HIV, they need very good help--and few schools and communities offered that assistance," says Remafadi, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in Minneapolis. To better meet these needs, the University of Minnesota established its AIDS prevention program for gay and bisexual males under 21 who are HIV-positive or at high risk for infection. More than 500 youngsters have used the service, which provides risk-reduction counseling and peer education, as well as HIV testing and treatment. The program also focuses on such issues as the misconception that protection is not necessary with steady partners, coercion to have unprotected sex--particularly by an older partner, substance abuse, and self-destructive tendencies. The program is funded with state and local dollars, and its success is documented, although such a program is still too controversial for many communities. 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