March 1991 AIDS Resources in Vermont Dealing with AIDS and related health concerns can be confusing for anyone. Whether you are seeking more informa- tion, worried about your own health, learn- ing about safer sex, or dealing with HIV disease yourself or with someone you care about, it isn't always obvious where to turn. A good place to start is the Vermont AIDS Hotline (1-800-882-2437). Operated by the Vermont Department of Health, the AIDS Hotline provides a safe place to ask questions anonymously. The counselors who answer the Hotline (some are lesbian or gay, all are gay sensitive) can help sort out the finer points of safer sex and risk reduction, basic information about AIDS and HIV, and other concerns you might have about HIV. The Hotline is also the way to access the Department of Heath's Alternative Test Sites (ATS), a statewide system of free and anonymous HIV antibody testing and counseling. Hotline staff members will talk with you about testing issues and decision making , explain the operations of the sys- tem, and refer you to a site in your area. In addition, the staff can answer ques- tions about other sexually transmitted dis- eases (including Hepatitis B, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis) and refer you to a clinic for testing and treatment. The Vermont AIDS Hotline operates from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday (except holidays). At other times, you can call the National AIDS Hotline (1- 800-342-2437) which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you have tested positive yourself, if you have AIDS, or if someone you care about has HIV/AIDS, there are many other resources you may want to connect with. While the issues may seem overwhelming when you first face them, these resources can help make them more manageable. Two clinics in the area provide spe- cialized care for people with HIV. The Comprehensive Care Clinic in Burlington (656-4594) and the Infectious Disease Clinic at Dartmouth/Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover, New Hampshire (603-646- 8840) both serve as treatment centers for HIV-related health problems. At these clinics, people with I-HV re- ceive health care from professionals who are up to date on the latest treatments and trends. In addition to direct care, they serve as consulting physicians for health care providers throughout the area. This allows someone to receive knowledgeable health care from his or her own physicians instead of traveling great distances for treatment. (Please note that these clinics are only for those with confirmed HIV infection or AIDS. They are not HIV test sites or gen- eral health care providers for uninfected individuals.) Dealing with HIV may bring up countless needs beyond health care: finan- cial and insurance questions are frequently important; emotional support for a person with HIV and for their significant others is vital; serious illness may require assis- tance with daily needs like transportation, food preparation, housekeeping, or other direct care. To address these needs, your best bet is contacting one of the AIDS service organizations (otherwise known as ASO's). VT AIDS Hotline Eschews Caller ID Callers to the Vermont AIDS Hotline don't need to worry that anyone is tracing their call. The Vermont AIDS Hotline will not use the new "Caller ID." Caller ID tells the party receiving acall the telephone number where the call origi- nates. Using Caller ID requires a special device attached to the telephone. The AIDS Hotline, the AIDS Program, and the Sexu- ally Transmitted Disease Program are not equipped for Caller ID, and will not be A equipped in the future. "The Vermont Department of Health thinks it is important for people to be able to call secure in the knowledge that their calls are completely anonymous," says Deborah Kutzko, who directs AIDS programs. "When someone calls our Hotline, we want to answer their questions and provide them with the information they need. That can only happen when people feel safe that we don't know who they are. We have always worked hard to assure people's right to anonymity, and we want everyone to know that we have no intention of ever using Caller ID." Kutzko noted that some recent Hot- ‘ line callers have asked if their call was being traced, and felt it was important to spread the word that it isn't happemng. Community-based ASO's have been essential in providing services since the beginning off the epidemic. Modelled on such well-known programs as the Gay Men's Health Crisis in New York and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, ASO's have sprung up across the country, adapting the models of large urban areas to the par- ticular needs of small town and rural envi- ronments. Eight different ASO's provide a variety of services across Vermont. Many ASO's offer support groups for people living with I-IIV/AIDS and for their significant others. These groups are a valu- able source for support and information; meeting and talking with people who have already "been there" can help immensely when dealing with issues of this magnitude. Being part of a group can help break down the sense of isolation that can sometimes accompany HIV in a rural area. ASO's can also help negotiate the (continued on next page) Forconfidenfial AIDS Information 1 -800-882-AIDS