Florida has shaken off a dubious honor: it is no longer one of the top states in the nation for syphilis and gonorrhea. Instead, in the most recent rankings of cities by the Centers for Disease Control, Miami ranked 50th for gonorrhea and 37th for syphilis. Statewide, the numbers have dropped dramatically, from a peak
KEY WEST -- Concern is being expressed by an involved Roman Catholic priest over the increasing number of people diagnosed with AIDS and HIV infection in the Middle and Upper Keys, where the disease until recently did not have the impact it did in and around Key West. When I joined the board of AIDS in 1995, nearly all
WASHINGTON -- During his seven years in prison, Marco Fernandez has explained his weekly trips to the pharmacy and 27-pills-a-day drug regimen as the down side of a long battle with liver disease. It s a ruse that allows the former drug dealer from Miami a strange measure of credibility and security from harassment. Th
First Eckhard Sohn lost his mind to AIDS, his memories dimming until he forgot his own name. Then he nearly lost his life when he collapsed in a parking lot more than a year ago. A new class of AIDS drugs saved him, helping him reclaim his mind, his life and his health. But the miracle nearly slipped through his finger
The St. Francis Xavier seventh-rader who is infected with HIV willingly told her classmates about her condition and was not forced into a confession, lawyers for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami contended Thursday. Jane Doe s HIV status is not a private matter protected by Florida law, which applies to the discl
OUCH! said Enrico Papale as he lay back on the Bloodmobile couch and felt the needle prick that meant he had begun donating blood. Well, maybe not such a big ouch. More like: Ouch! Or even just plain ouch. But he grinned when he thought about the good that would flow out of his donation. I ve got a lot of olive oil an
In the world s most advanced democracy, in an era when medical miracles are commonplace, millions of black Americans and other ethnic minorities are living lives that belie all that progress. What they face is separate and unequal health. Even minority members of the well-educated, well-insured middle class are more li
If current trends hold true, experts estimate that by 2000, the majority of the nation s known AIDS patients will be black. Soon afterward, Hispanic AIDS patients are expected to outnumber white non-Hispanic patients. That s a far cry from just over a decade ago, when white, homosexual men were virtually alone in the
For Lila Salman, it wasn t a difficult choice. She needed an operation to remove plaque from an artery in her neck, just below the left ear. Her doctor told her she could have conventional surgery, or undergo an experimental treatment using a stent -- a tiny, mesh coil that resembles the spring found in ballpoint pens
The Food For Life Network provides groceries and meals to more than 600 people in Miami-Dade County who are living with AIDS. When we opened our doors on July 22, we discovered a nightmare: The electricity was off due to a severe storm during the night. Our walk-in freezer, containing more than $5,000 worth of frozen d
To be young and to be HIV positive is to live a life like no other. That s what A Way captures, a drama about a young woman dealing with the effects of AIDS on her life. The public is invited for a free presentation of the play at 7 p.m. today at the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd. The play is being presented by Commu
They gave LaGena Lookabill Greene six months to live two years and four months ago. They gave her up for dead, sent her home to die. Then she went to the Swiss Alps with full-blown AIDS, coaxing her 60-year-old mother to the highest viewing point of the 14,690-foot Matterhorn in swirling snow and subfreezing temperatur
A despondent 15-year-old girl who learned she carries the AIDS virus scribbled a note to a classmate at St. Francis Xavier School in Miami, threatening suicide. School officials turned that delicate situation into one that became outrageous, atrocious and intolerable, the girl s lawyers contend, because they forced her
Florida law leaves scant room for doubt on the issue of HIV and AIDS confidentiality. Under all but the most dramatic of circumstances, carrying the AIDS virus is no one s business but the patient s. And it is illegal for anyone to force its disclosure. If a 15-year-old student s allegations prove true, said Allen R. G
Medical IDs can lead to better care, but Congress must tighten privacy laws. Is there no privacy left in this, the Internet age? None, or at least little that s not locked up in one s own cranium. Confide your anguish, as Monica Lewinsky did, and there s a witness if not a tape to be subpoenaed. Get a traffic ticket, a
Two of South Florida s premiere AIDS service providers have merged into a new group. The new group, CAresource Community Aids Resource, Inc., is a union between the Health Crisis Network (HCN) and the Community Research Initiative (CRI) of South Florida. The two groups each contribute to the fight against AIDS in diffe
Wine glasses will be raised and toasts offered -- not so much in celebration as in hope. CAresource, a not-for-profit organization that helps those with HIV and AIDS, is hosting the second annual Toast Toward a Cure, two events aimed at raising money for research, treatment and education. On July 1, CAresource -- Commu
Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Roger Mittleman will not be criminally charged for altering an autopsy report to omit a notation that marijuana was found in the body of Patricia Mishcon, wife of North Miami Beach Mayor Jeffrey Mishcon. But according to the close-out memo in an investigation by the Miami-Dade state attorney
If students need anything for school -- besides a desire to go -- it s backpacks. That s why KIDZCARE wants to outfit kids infected or affected by HIV and AIDS with the essential back-to-school gear -- backpacks with school supplies. Last year, the KIDZCARE Backpack Committee -- a nonprofit volunteer project of the Uni
As Miami-Dade County drafts an ordinance to merge several HIV/AIDS advisory boards that control millions of government dollars, its staff will host meetings throughout the county beginning this week on how to set up this new organization. The ordinance to create a Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Partnership is scheduled for a prel
Ambivalence and fear allow the disease to take an indefensible toll. With deadly proficiency, the AIDS virus has become a quiet scourge among black Americans. Disturbing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week show that African Americans, who make up 13 percent of the population, account for
Fear of AIDS can be as much an epidemic as the disease itself. That s one of the challenges that Marc Cohen, the new leader of the United Foundation for AIDS, is trying to overcome through education. The group also aims to improve the quality of life of people with HIV and AIDS by providing housing, medical support, ac
The Miami-Dade Public Health Department, Office of HIV/AIDS will have a free workshop entitled The Connection between HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia ( PCP ) from 10 a.m. to noon Monday at Jackson Medical Towers, 1500 NW 12th Ave., Room 718, East Side. The guest speaker will be Dr. Da
Greg Louganis still seeks the happy ending promised by his 1995 autobiography, Breaking the Surface . Happiness eludes the gold-medal diving champ, now 38 and on the road again, this time promoting his new video, Looking to the Light , a sequel of sorts to the book. Am I happy? It s something I m working on. I m more c
On the refrigerator in Maxine Segal s kitchen, three butterfly magnets hold fast a yellowed scrap of paper that promises: Be back before 1:30. Doug. On the other side of the paper, the side no one sees, is a recipe for chocolate chip cake, a family favorite. Segal glances at the scribbled message before quickly turning
Eighty HIV-positive Broward kids want to attend camp this summer. They want to swim, fish, sing at campfires and explore nature like other kids their age. But the North Broward Hospital District s Children s Diagnostic and Treatment Center, which tends to the needs of the kids and their families, won t be able to pay t
Phillip Scott Plotka has the resume of a prominent insurance agent. In 1996 he received the Quality of Life Winner award by the Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation. He serves on the board of Jewish Vocational Services and on a professional advisory committee for the insurance industry. He works out of a Brickell Avenu
Nowhere but Here is a weekly column on the people and places that make South Florida unique. She is an unlikely heroine. Her past is less then postcard perfect, and her future far from Hallmark card material. She s edgy, brazen, and she dishes as much as she can take. What would you expect? Sheri Kaplan grew up poor in
Three local AIDS activists will be honored at a luncheon hosted by Mothers Voices, a national grass-roots organization that promotes sexual health, HIV education and advocacy. The awards will honor the work of a doctor, a volunteer and a person living with HIV. The luncheon will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Eden R
Health Crisis Network is now offering a simple, fast way to test for HIV. HCN now has OraSure, a collection pad that is placed between the lower cheek and gum and will detect the presence of HIV antibodies by collecting a sample of oral mucosal transduate. HCN officials stress that OraSure is not a saliva test, since H
WASHINGTON - At the Supreme Court, where ordinary events sometimes trigger landmark decisions, a woman s routine visit to a dentist is expected to generate a high-stakes ruling on the scope of the nation s newest civil rights law. When the justices convene for oral arguments Monday, they will for the first time delve i
The Food For Life Network has just made getting food easier for needy Miami Beach residents living with HIV. The organization opened its second food distribution center, at 420 Lincoln Road, Suite 250. The center is a food bank, where food is delivered and clients come to pick it up. Our original food bank was opened i
For almost 10 years, the Rev. George McRae has been fighting an unpopular battle: helping people who suffer from AIDS, many of whom live on the streets and worship crack pipes. The Bible says love the sinner, not the sin, says McRae, pastor of Liberty City s Mount Tabor Baptist Church. And at this point, AIDS is not a
There was a flood of stories of special interest to the gay community in the national news last week. A New Jersey appeals court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America s ban on admitting homosexuals violated the state s laws against discrimination. The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, ruled unanimously that federal
Herpes, syphilis, and gonorrhea still rampage among the poor, young. Though overshadowed for many years in the public consciousness by HIV and AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases have not been dormant. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they quietly have been rampaging at a near-
WASHINGTON - There is an alarming increase in infectious diseases in America, fueled in part by the easy flow of food and people around the world, newly appointed Surgeon General David Satcher warned Tuesday. The U.S. death rate from infectious diseases, excluding HIV/AIDS, rose by 22 percent from 1980 to 1992, Satcher
Hoping to chart a course to financial survival, Florida s biggest AIDS service agency have announced it is merging with a group that makes promising drugs available to patients. Health Crisis Network, still reeling from a money crisis, decided Friday the best hope for salvation rested with Community Research Initiative
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.