San Francisco Chronicle (SF) - TUESDAY, August 15, 1995 Edition: FINAL Section: News Page: A18 Word Count: 404
Steve Rubenstein, Chronicle Staff Writer

Half the new cases involve people 23 or younger. One fourth are teenagers.

Speaking to a dozen young AIDS activists in San Francisco yesterday, Patsy Fleming, the director of the President's Office of National AIDS Policy, discounted reports that the epidemic is leveling off.

"It's not waning. It's with us, and it will continue to be with us for a long, long time," Fleming said.

Fleming, on a three-day tour of the Bay Area, is visiting AIDS treatment and outreach centers.

Yesterday she visited Peter Claver Community, a San Francisco residence for three dozen people with AIDS. She also called on the AIDS/HIV Clinic at Children's Hospital in Oakland and on Health Initiatives for Youth, a San Francisco-based program of young AIDS counselors and journalists.

At the Market Street office of Health Initiatives for Youth, Fleming said that short-sighted members of Congress are part of the AIDS problem.

"Our political system is very short term. House members are elected for two years, and they don't think about what's going to be needed in 10 years," Fleming said.

Fleming, appointed in November by President Clinton, advises the president and Congress about AIDS and coordinates the federal AIDS program.

Tania Brown, an 18-year-old student, told Fleming that she was frustrated by her high school's refusal to offer condoms to sexually active students. Fleming urged her to speak to her school board.

"Have a serious meeting; give them some statistics," she said. "Get your facts together and tell them you want them to help save your lives. I think maybe you can get somewhere."

Wayne Davis, 24, who carries the virus that causes AIDS, said the government spends too much time blaming or feeling sorry for people with AIDS and not enough time helping them.

"HIV is such a scary thing, people don't want to deal with the social issues that lead people to risky behavior," said Davis, a former drug addict and prostitute. "It's easier to blame somebody than to tackle the problem of what makes someone abuse drugs or engage in unsafe sex."

At each stop on her Bay Area tour, Fleming listened, asked questions and instructed an aide to write down the answers in a black notebook that she promised to take back to Washington.

Copyright (c) 1995 - San Francisco Chronicle. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, CA 94119.
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