Chicago Tribune (CT) - WEDNESDAY August 5, 1987 Edition: SPORTS FINAL Section: CHICAGOLAND Page: 2 Word Count: 902
Jean Latz Griffin

Increasing numbers of people are calling for appointments, often saying they want the test while it is still anonymous, say operators of city and private clinics.

At the same time, the "no show" rates at the clinics have climbed steeply as people skip their appointments, erroneously thinking that the bills are law and that their names will be reported if they undergo the tests.

Bills requiring mandatory reporting of those who test positive, as well as of those who have the disease, await Gov. Thompson's signature or veto. He says he will act on the legislation in September.

Officials at Howard Brown Memorial Clinic say confusion over the legislation is hurting its research activities by scaring people away from joining groups to track the epidemic and causing national health agencies to doubt the clinic's ability to protect the anonymity of patients in ongoing studies.

"It depends on what rumor is going around at the time," said Patrick Lanahan, spokesman for the Chicago Health Department. "If people hear the bills will become law, they try to beat the deadline. If the word goes out that somehow their names are already being reported, they fail to show up."

The number of appointments scheduled at the city's two test sites rose by 20 percent in both May and June. But the "no show" rate rose to 46 percent in June from 41 percent in May and 34 percent in April, according to the health department. No figures are available for July.

Howard Brown reports the same pattern. "Our no-show rate is up, but at the same time people are scrambling to be tested before mandatory reporting," said Dan Dever, spokesman for the North Side clinic, which provides medical care and counseling for anyone with a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS.

Cancellations at Howard Brown jumped to 39.4 percent in July from 28 percent in June. The clinic tests about 300 people a month.

"And last Saturday (Aug. 1), a full 56 percent of those who were scheduled to be tested did not show up for their appointments," said Reuben Dworsky, clinic director.

The legislation would require doctors and clinics to report the names of infected and sick people to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The health department would then try to trace the sex partners of those people, though there would be no penalty if they refused to divulge names.

Supporters of the legislation say it is necessary to know how many people in Illinois are infected to stem the epidemic. But opponents say it will have the opposite effect by driving people away from testing.

Dworsky says that if anonymous testing is eliminated, "our board of directors will have to decide whether we can continue testing. It is our policy that testing must be voluntary, it must be accompanied by counseling and it must be anonymous."

He said concern about the legislation "is already hurting us in following the natural history of the disease."

"We are trying to get a group of black gay and bisexual men together to monitor infection rates and the epidemic," Dworsky said. "People are hesitant to join because they fear their names might be reported."

A major national health agency recently expressed concern to Howard Brown that if the legislation passed the clinic would not be able to maintain the anonymity of patients in a research project.

Officials of the clinic say they reassured the agency that a local law would not affect the research contract because of a federal confidentiality exemption.

Dworsky said that although it would not be possible to put all people tested at the clinic under that exemption, "we will explore every option to protect the anonymity of all our clients. Ethically, reporting names would put us in an unviable position."

AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is thought to be caused by human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. The test shows the presence of antibodies to the virus in the blood, thus indicating that the person has been exposed to HIV.

Scientists do not know how many infected people will get AIDS. The U.S. Public Health Service estimates that 20 to 30 percent of those infected will get AIDS within five years and another 30 percent will develop symptoms of AIDS within that time, according to Chuck Fallis, spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control.

AIDS destroys the body's immune system, leaving it defenseless against numerous infections and cancers. As of Aug. 3, 39,594 cases had been diagnosed nationally and 22,747 people had died. The majority have been homosexual or bisexual men, intravenous drug users who share needles and people who have had sex with them.

The test at the city clinics is free and includes counseling and confirming tests if the first test is positive. The waiting time is three weeks at the city's southside clinic and seven weeks for the North Side clinic.

Howard Brown, which charges $56 for counseling, the initial test and any confirming tests, is now taking appointments for the middle of August. But because of the high cancellation rate, the clinic is also double-booking times at earlier dates.

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