This class is off to a good start. I am happy that I am learning more and more about HIV disease with every passing conversation, discussion board, and article. So much information is available on the topic, and having the opportunity to discuss openly with those that are afflicted with the disease puts a real world aspect on this class that cannot be done with others. I am looking forward to attending the panels that are being offered and putting the names to some faces that I've been communicating with.
The blogging topic for this week is ASO's in other parts of the country. I really wanted to learn more about China's ASO's, and found a few that looked promising (HomeAIDS, AIDS Concern, and TeenAIDS) but unfortunately Google wouldn't translate any of the pages for me. Cest la vie. I decided to take a closer look to see what our upstairs neighbor, Canada, had to offer.
The ASO I came across is called ACT, which stands for AIDS Committee of Toronto. ACT provides services to those who are infected and affected, as well as provide education to those that want to learn more. Specifically for the HIV population, some of the services provided include free counseling, transportation services, and employment help for those re-entering the workforce.
One service that ACT offers that I found to be of interest is a consultation with a naturopathic physician and graduating students of naturopathy schools. These consultations are to help evaluate the client to determine if there are alternative medicines to help ease the side-effects of anti-retroviral therapy. I had never heard of the term "naturopathic" prior to this, and had to ask the physician I worked for what it meant. It roughly translates to natural medicine. Natural medicine I have heard of, but I had no idea that one could receive a degree in naturopathy.
ACT also provides forums and educational seminars led by medical experts. These forums are open to the public. It looks as though ACT is doing a lot of good up in Canada. Their services reach far and wide, and many are very specific to those infected with HIV.
www.actoronto.org/home.nsf/pages/livingwithHIV
Did you Know?
Cirque du Soleil: A dancer and gymnast's dream. Those who have been around the gay community may think that "The Arts" have a long and deep relationship within the community. This is especially true in matters concerning HIV discrimination. While history has proved this to be true for the most part, there are still instances of HIV discrimination in every facet of life, including the arts.
According to Lamda Legal, Matthew Cusick was an aspiring dancer and trapeze artist who passed the tryouts at the Orlando Cirque du Soleil. While he disclosed his HIV status to those closest to him, he kept it from his employers at Cirque du Soleil. Upon finding out about his HIV status, the company terminated his employment due to the risk of injuring other performers or audience members.
Was this a case of intolerance or a true risk assessment? The courts found it to be the former. There wasn't any scientific evidence available to determine that there was a substantial risk, and the courts found in Cusick's favor. At what cost did this come? How about disclosure of his HIV status to whoever picked up a newspaper at the time. While it was a hefty price to pay for Cusick, his openess paved the way for other companies to take note that discrimination, in any form, cannot be justified. According to Lamda Legal, Cirque du Soleil paid a record $600,000 for the wrongful termination. An expensive lesson, indeed.
www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/matter-of-matthew-cusick-and-cirque-du-soleil.html
www.abanet.org/irr/hr/fall04/casestudy.htm
Hello Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI am also really enjoying the discussion boards and blogs. The one thing that is helping me to grasp HIV at another level is the faculty posted articles. I have been reading all of them because they give me information on current events, which I am lacking in.
What really caught my eye about ACT is that it helps people who have HIV to get back into the workforce. When people become sick and lose their jobs, they tend to also lose the hope of being able to find a new job when they are feeling better. To be able to have someone speak to me and help me through the process, that would make it a lot easier to get out of the house and find a job.
Your Did You Know was very interesting. I do not know how I feel about whether it was or was not a risk to other employees. If he were to start bleeding, who is to say that they would be able to clean up all of the blood from the mats and floor. But at the same time people who have HIV should be able to follow their dreams just as anyone else is. Thank you for the food for thought.
-Courtney D
Hey Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI also came across the language barrier when researching different ASOs in different countries. I had wanted to research an African ASO but could not read the language displayed in the summary of their programs. I also ended up choosing an ASO from Canada. It seems that Canada had a lot of different ASOs. It is nice to see a country with so many options for those that are HIV positive.
I work in the health care industry too and have never heard the term "naturopathic". It is nice to hear that there is a school of thought behind dealing with the side effects of AIDS medications. It is truly a miracle that there is a medication that can extend the life of a person with AIDS but quality of life is also a huge factor. Hopefully naturopathic medicine will continue to look at ways to improve quality of life.
I also found your Did You Know feature to be very interesting. I have never heard of this case but I agree with the outcome in the courts. HIV is such a scary disease to people but it does not give grounds to discriminate. This case is one step in the direction of getting rid of the stigma behind the HIV virus.
I enjoyed your Did You Know once again. I think your topic is so interesting and I never would have thought to blog about the gay community. I always wanted to go see Circe de Solei but your post made me think. I hate hearing about cases of discrimination becomes it always hits close to home. I am also glad that Cusick got some kind of justice for his troubles. He definitely set an example and I hope other companies have learned their lessons. Sadly, even though there are laws in place now, I don't think discrimination has ceased.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the judge I would have made them pay more than $600,000. He had to out himself to everyone in order to get justice and that should cost Cirque a lot more than a slap on the wrist.
ReplyDeleteI know Toronto. I use to work there at the Toronto General Hospital as a Respiratory Therapists. I've heard of ACT. My sister goes to a naturopathic physician as well as a regular doctor. They work well together.
You probably will not meet anyone you've been reading about on the class discussion boards unless Colin and Jim make a surprise visit in April. We have some pen pals that will be with us so their student will get to meet them if they come to the panels.
Sorry we won't have all the pen pals, chatters and bloggers at the panels.
Is a naturopathic the same as a homeopathic?
ReplyDeleteI remember the case of Matthew Cusick and I agree with Teach. He deserved much more then $600,000 especially since his attorney probably took a nice chunk of it. :>)