The New York Times - December 17, 1985
Josh Barbanel

Mr. Koch acted as the City Health Commissioner, Dr. David J. Sencer, called drug abuse "the main health problem in the city today" and warned that little could be done to stop the spread of AIDS among drug addicts.

"There are thousands of drug addicts who want to get off their addiction," Mr. Koch said. "They can't without treatment."

The Mayor said that if the state provided more funds for drug treatment, the city would cooperate by providing sites for the programs at municipal hospitals.

AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, cripples the body's immune system; it primarily attacks homosexuals and intravenous drug users. #12,860 Cases by 1989 In a report to the Mayor, Dr. Sencer also said the number of AIDS cases reported each year would continue to rise, but more slowly than in the past.

While the number of cases reported has, so far, doubled each year, Dr. Sencer predicted that the numbers would not double again for two years. By 1989, he said, the city will have recorded 12,860 people with AIDS - half of whom will have died - compared with 5,024 reported since 1981.

Dr. Sencer predicted that the numbers would stabilize within 10 to 15 years, but that in the meantime the share of cases among drug addicts would probably go up while the share among homosexuals would decline.

Drug addicts now make up 28 percent of all AIDS victims, he said, but they comprise about half of those treated at city institutions and are usually sicker and have more complications than other AIDS victims.

Expanded Social Services

The report from Dr. Sencer and Victor Botnick, a special assistant to the Mayor, listed steps the city was taking or contemplating to deal with AIDS.

These include opening a 52-bed shelter for homeless AIDS patients in lower Manhattan and expanding social services and home care for drug addicts and AIDS victims.

In his letter to Governor Cuomo, Mr. Koch also called on the state to combat discrimination against AIDS victims and increase reimbursement to the city for treating AIDS patients.

He urged the Governor to help AIDS victims fight discrimination by insurance companies, ambulance services, nursing homes and embalming services, all of which are subject to state regulation. #250,000 Addicts in City Mr. Koch said he was particularly concerned about the efforts of some insurance companies to deny benefits to AIDS victims on the grounds that AIDS was a pre-existing condition, even when the only evidence to support this was a complaint of fatigue.

Asked for comment, Martin Steadman, Mr. Cuomo's press secretary, said the Governor could not comment because he had not seen the Mayor's letter.

Lynn Ansara, a spokesman for the State Division of Substance Abuse Services, said the division was pleased that Mr. Koch recognized that drug treatment programs were "one of the major cost-effective ways of dealing with the AIDS problem."

She said there were an estimated 250,000 drug addicts in New York City, with 30,000 in treatment and up to 1,500 on waiting lists for treatment.

Dr. Sencer did not provide figures for the cost of treating AIDS in the future. But using the city figures, Elinor B. Bachrach, the special deputy state comptroller for the City of New York, said the cost would be $373 million, including $136 million in city funds.

Last week Miss Bachrach said that if the number of cases continued to double, the cost could reach $500 million a year in city funds alone.

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