Subject: Today's SF health comm. mtg., re: bathhouses, the homeless
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 11:38:36 EDT

TO:   Health and political editors
DA:   April 20
RE:   Today's 3:00 p.m. Health Commission Meeting, 101 Grove St., 3rd fl.
FR:   Michael Petrelis, 415-621-6267

Dear Friends and Associates:

	As you may know from the AP wire, more than 40 people were arrested on 
Sunday at San Francisco's City Hall to protest Mayor Willie Brown's policies against 
homeless people.  Advocates for the homeless and homeless persons will be at 
the April 20 SF Health Commission meeting to demonstrate against the Health 
Department's director Dr. Mitch Katz, an open homosexual.  Katz last month 
gave walking papers to the department's assistant for homeless health issues, 
Bob Prentiss.  His firing has angered homeless people and their supporters.  

	You can call Sister Bernie Galvan for information about their 
concerns at Religious Witness for the Homeless at 415-863-3611.

	Vocal proponents of reopening gay bathhouses will be present with research 
showing bathhouses do not spread AIDS.  We were at the last commission 
meeting where Katz overtly mischaracterized the political nature of a March 24 forum on 
bathhouses and sex clubs.  Commissioners promised bathhouses would be on the 
April 20 agenda.

	Furthermore, the commission will be grappling again with Katz's effort to cut 
programs and services at SF General Hospital.  That means workers and 
patients from the hospital will also be present tomorrow to hear how city 
health officials will maintain health care, especially including on-site 
access to drugs.  This concerns people with AIDS who use General, and all 
other patients who need its pharmacy services.

	I hope you will be there to support removing Katz from his position. He is a 
walking argument against gay politicians.  Katz has miserably failed to 
communicate and collaborate not just with what should be his core 
constituency, gays and people with AIDS, but also with scores of other health 
activists.  

	If you believe San Franciscans deserve a health care policy agenda that pro-
actively reaches out to our diverse communities in times of need, then show 
up tomorrow and assist in forcing the commission to be more responsive to 
people's needs, not just Willie and Mitch's political agenda.