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eature

 

confinued
from p. 1

Susan Davis lends her
community a helping hand

downtown Burlington hangouts. A
worker does a risk assessment,
knowing that their questions about
sexual partners and drug use may not
be answered honestly. Kids worry
that any tracking of their information
might end up with the cops, especial-
ly if they’re being asked» about drug
use or older sexual partners.
However, even if they answer by
minimizing or denying using drugs
or the number and age of their sexual
partners, even thinking about the
questions may prompt potential
clients to realize that their behavior
is dangerous.

When the risk assessment
suggests it, the outreach peer sug-
gests HIV testing — sometimes right
next door at the lmani Health Project
or right then by being accompanied
to the Community Health Center
with free bus tokens, followed by

vouchers for movies or pizza. “And
if any of the youth’s friends ask why
they’re getting tested, they can say,
‘Hey, I’m getting free pizza, why
not?’ Or ‘I'm getting a free movie.’
It gives them a good excuse to their
friends.”

When Davis pauses in our
conversation in the corner of the big
one-room office, searching for an
answer to how many of the youth the
project has taken to.be tested have
returned to get the results, one of
Davis’s co-workers pulls up the
answer: 24 out of 24 since June.
Some follow-up appointments have
been rescheduled, but the youths
involved called and asked to be
rescheduled.

There are unique obstacles
in reaching LGBT youth from a
faith-based program. The Ministries’
HIV program is considering estab-

“PeopIie are dying. If you care
about them you do something."

lishing an Internet chat room. The
group has had conversations with
both Outright Vermont and R.U. 1.2?
and the groups cross-refer whenever
it is appropriate.

Davis says that Hilltop
Light Ministries is the only organiza-
tion in Vermont funded directly by
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, which has fully financed
the program for four years. HLM
does not receive any state AIDS
funding, and therefore, its staff does
not participate in the networking
through the state's HIV/AIDS
grantee meetings.

’ Just as we continue to

reach for the Haagen Dazs, the work
at HLM will continue to be relevant,

' for, as Oscar Wilde said, “I couldn’t
help it. I can resist everything except

temptation.” And Susan Davis and
her staff will keep reaching out to an
under-served population to help save
their lives. V

Hilltop Light Ministries’ oflice is
located at 294 North Winooski Ave.,
on the second floor of the former

Gaslight Laundromat; call 802-865 -

3822.

 

 

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