Out in the Mountains VEFlMONT'S NEWSPAPER FOR LESBIANS, GAY MEN, AND BISEXUALS Volume IX, Number 3 May, 1994 VT CARES Hosts AIDS Czar John Olson National AIDS Policy Coordinator, Kristine Gebbie (President Clinton’s choice as AIDS Czar) was the featured guest for a full day of meetings recently with Vermont CARES and other members of the AIDS community. Ms. Gebbie was the guest speaker for the Vennont CARES Annual Dinner, held in Burlington on March 18, which was attended by over 300 supporters, volunteers and people with I-IIV/AIDS. The Annual Dinner included honoring three volunteers, recognition of CARES staff (including honoring five years of service by Marita Hartnett) comments by Governor Howard Dean, Senator James Jeffords, CARES Board Chair David Curtis, and Executive Director Kate Hill. Students from Harwood Union High School performed a dramatic educational piece. Ms. Gebbie concluded the evening with her remarks urging cooperation among community groups and service providers and the local, state, and federal government. V . AIDS Czar Kristine Gebbie Visits VT Paul Olsen National AIDS Policy Coordinator Kristine M. Gebbie visited Vermont on March 18, 1994. Gebbie’s visit included breakfast with representatives of AIDS Service Organizations and the Vermont Department of Health, a visit to the University Health Center’s Comprehensive Care Clinic, meetings with members of the Vermont Legislature, Governor Howard Dean, and people with AIDS, and a speech at the Vermont Committee for AIDS Resources, Education & Services (CARES) armual dinner. Formerly Secretary of the Washington State Department of Health, an Administrator with the Oregon Health Division, and a member of the first National Commission on AIDS, Gebbie was appointed “AIDS Czar” by President Clinton on June 25, 1993. Since beginning her tenure in Washington DC, Gebbie has been traveling throughout the country focussing on AIDS prevention, research, and education programs. What follows are excerpts from Gebbie’s exclusive interview with Out in the Mountains. OHM: How do the needs of people with AIDS in Vermont differ from those who live in inner cities and how do you balance the conflicting needs of urban and rural areas? Gebbie: The basic needs are the same - people with this virus need good competent medical care, they need it early, and they need a chance to make their own decisions about treatment, lifestyle and all those things to try to live a healthy life despite the virus. They need access to support and comfort and resources, they need opportunities to keep being productive as long as possible — all of those things are common everywhere in the country. The challenge in rural areas is that the general community level of denial of the disease is higher so it's a lot harder to say “I've got it” or to find somebody that will admit that. It’s also harder to find a support group of people like me-whatever I am like. The third thing is the complication of how do . you get care? When higher tech care or '%?t‘