Dear Rick:

Thank you for the copy of Craig Howell's January 11th letter to Councilmember Sandy Allen regarding the Agency for HIV/AIDS' endorsement of a plan requiring doctors to report the names of those who test positive for HIV. I agree that the Council's Committee on Human Services should hold a hearing on the matter before a reporting system is implemented.

As both an AIDS activist and a member of the Committee, I would be very interested to learn more about the unique identifier system, mentioned in Mr. Howell's letter, which is now being used in Maryland and a number of other states. I believe that my colleagues on the Committee would also like to hear more about the different reporting options.

As you know, names reporting is a difficult issue for the AIDS community and civil libertarians, both of which I associate myself with. I strongly believe in the right to privacy and, as a 10-year member of the Board of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, I have always fought for privacy protections for people with HIV/AIDS. That said, I also know that knowledge of one's HIV status is very important to that individual's treatment and prospects for long-term survival. Some sort of reporting and tracking system may lead to greater numbers of HIV-infected persons being treated earlier and may reduce the infection rate.

I have always believed that those in government should work in concert with the AIDS community to develop helpful and effective policies. I will ask Councilmember Allen, who chairs the Committee on Human Services, to hold a hearing on names reporting so that we can develop an informed position on the issue and implement an acceptable and effective reporting system in the District of Columbia.

Sincerely,

Carol Schwartz
Councilmember At-Large

cc: Councilmember Sandy Allen, Chair, Committee on Human Services
Mr. Craig Howell, Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
Dr. Pat Hawkins, Whitman-Walker Clinic
Mr. Ron Lewis, Agency for HIV/AIDS