Grass-Roots Programs Battle AIDS Close to Home : Health: Efforts in the San Gabriel Valley to help people with the disease are more modest than those elsewhere, but local assistance is growing.

As the second decade in the war against AIDS begins, survival remains the key word for those infected with the HIV virus.

Most have learned to rely on support networks of organizations that specialize in emotional and physical assistance. The payoff comes in the form of an enhanced and oftentimes prolonged life.

But such networks, by now extensive in the downtown and Westside areas where the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus has been most prevalent, remain modest in the San Gabriel Valley.

There have been 1,155 cases of AIDS in the San Gabriel Valley since 1981, compared with 13,647 countywide, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services AIDS program. No numbers are available for those who test HIV positive.

Most Valley AIDS programs report increases of those who have AIDS or test positive. The All Saints AIDS Service Center, for example, has doubled its average incoming monthly caseload from 10 to 20 in the past nine months.

“We feel that the San Gabriel Valley is still the forgotten land when it comes to AIDS,” said Brenda Morris, founder of Friends That Care, a Sierra Madre-based AIDS fund-raising group.

“People with AIDS who live in the Valley have to rely on services here--and there aren’t that many. Organizations like AIDS Project Los Angeles get huge sums of money--which is fine. But sometimes the greatest need is in your own community, where your friends and neighbors are fighting AIDS and you may not even know it.”

Nevertheless, AIDS-related resources are beginning to become established in the San Gabriel Valley. They include support groups, professional counseling, legal services, education, medical assistance, and financial help with drugs, food, bills and clothing. Most organizations target the Pasadena area, but the East Valley has also joined the battle against the disease.

Morris founded Friends That Care in 1988 after her brother, Steven Schultz, contracted AIDS. “I realized people with AIDS often quickly run out of cash--for simple things like phone bills, clothing and rent,” she said, adding that the group’s seven volunteers have since raised $40,000, which is donated to groups that supplement AIDS patients’ waning finances.

The organization hopes to open a thrift store in 1992, similar to Los Angeles-based Out of the Closet, which donates proceeds to AIDS causes. For information on Friends That Care, phone (818) 810-0644.

Experts say it costs an average of $100,000 per patient to battle HIV before it runs its course. The AIDS Drug Program, run by the Pasadena Health Department, can help put a dent in that figure by providing free or low-cost drugs.

The program is for those who lack medical insurance and who earn less than $40,000 per household. Begun in 1988, the program currently serves 53 clients. For information, phone Kimberly Green at (818) 405-4391.

A handful of pharmacies in Southern California provide a similar service, becoming outposts for AIDS education and assistance. Among them is Pasadena’s Care Rite Pharmacy, which offers drugs and supplies at reduced cost for those who require high volumes.

Mail, phone or fax orders are accepted and home delivery is provided at no extra charge.

The pharmacy also stocks hard-to-find injectable medications that require refrigeration and has a reference library on AIDS-related topics. The address is 301 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. (818) 577-2273. Fax: (818) 585-4081.

The area’s largest AIDS resource center is the All Saints AIDS Service Center, which started at the All Saints Church and became independent in 1988 as a full-service provider. The church, which annually contributes $35,000 to the center, is still used for meeting space. Scores of church volunteers also assist clients with transportation, cooking, cleaning, child care and clerical support.

All Saints provides case management for those with AIDS, but not for those who are asymptomatic. Two registered nurses working with the center’s home health service visit patients.

The center’s mental health department offers individual counseling for people with AIDS and family members, as well as numerous support groups, including those for mothers of AIDS patients, women and care-givers; some are Spanish-speaking.

“We’re seeing the same changes here that everyone else is experiencing,” said director Mary Nalick, who heads a staff of 20 employees and 500 volunteers. “We’ve seen an increase in women, minorities, heterosexuals and children. We just got a new client who is a 15-year-old male, HIV positive--a first for us.”

Three full-time All Saints’ educators respond to requests to speak at schools, prisons and in the workplace. A lounge and drop-in center feature a 300-book AIDS library and 75 videos, which can be viewed in the lounge.

All services are free at the center, which serves 300 people through an annual budget of $1.6 million, garnered from private, federal and state sources. It’s at 126 W. Del Mar Blvd., Pasadena. (818) 796-5633.

In July, the San Gabriel Valley Early Intervention Program opened a clinic out of St. Luke Medical Center in Pasadena. The clinic, which is available two days each month, offers medical screening and treatment, blood and laboratory work, specialist referrals and counseling for 95 patients. The service is for those without medical insurance who have tested HIV positive or who have contracted AIDS.

“Because our program is at low or no cost, we tend to serve the disenfranchised,” said HIV program coordinator Natalie Rosenblum. “Before we had this clinic, we had to tell people to go down to the county Health Department, where they would stand in line for a month.”

Although there is no known cure for the fatal disease, many who live with AIDS “are now looking at it as a chronic illness rather than a terminal disease,” added Rosenblum. “More AIDS patients are living longer. We have some diagnosed in 1984 who are still asymptomatic. You didn’t see that five years ago, before drugs like AZT and ddI.” The clinic is at 2750 E. Washington Blvd., Suite 240, Pasadena. (818) 797-1141, Ext. 393.

The East Valley Community Health Center in West Covina provides case management and mental health services for AIDS and HIV-positive clients. Professional counseling is provided free for patients or their intimate friends. Support groups are now being formed.

The center’s AIDS outreach program sends volunteers into parks, bars and other hangouts to distribute bleach and condoms to high-risk groups. It is located at 420 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina. (818) 917-8330.

The Pomona-based Foothill AIDS project, begun in 1987, conducts AIDS support groups for clients and their friends. Psychologists provide therapy at no charge for 175 people. A paralegal offers free legal services, such as assistance in drawing up wills and assigning powers of attorney.

The group’s Personal Active Listener Program consists of 50 volunteers who are assigned to lend support to AIDS patients. Its offices are at 637 N. Park Ave., Pomona. (714) 620-0359.

The A-Team AIDS ministry offers hospital and home visitations, food and transportation to those with AIDS. Emergency financial help is also provided, as well as access to a library of books and videos.

The Ontario-based group uses the services of five pastors from neighboring churches for home and hospital visits in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. (714) 988-9711.

The Greater Pasadena Assistance Fund was formed last year to supplement the finances of people with AIDS. Its 15-member board holds fund-raisers, which help pay the rent, utilities, phone bills and prescription needs of the group’s 20 clients.

“Running out of money is a common problem for people with AIDS,” said board member Ken Van Heule. “If you’re waiting for your disability insurance to come in and bills are due, that can be very tough.

“Many don’t have family members, or their significant other has the virus too--there’s a tremendous need out there waiting to be filled,” he said. The fund is based at 3199 Foothill Blvd., Pasadena. (818) 795-7637.

Where to Get HIV Tests and AIDS Information

Information about HIV testing is available through most medical providers and county health departments.

In addition, the following groups offer HIV screenings, which consist of blood tests to detect antibodies formed in reaction to the AIDS virus.

Tests at these locations are either anonymous, using a code number as identification, or confidential, using the name and phone number of the person taking the test, but with the information kept in confidence.

Results are reported only in person and all the following sites provide education and counseling services.

The East Valley Community Health Center; free anonymous testing Mondays through Fridays; three-week wait for appointment, results in one week; 420 S. Glendora Ave., West Covina. (818) 919-5724.

The Jackie Robinson Center; confidential testing on Mondays; and anonymous testing on Wednesdays, both at no cost; two-month wait for appointment, results in two weeks; 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena. (818) 405-4391.

The San Bernardino Department of Public Health; free anonymous HIV tests on Fridays, 8 to 11 a.m.; no appointment needed, results in one week; 320 E. D Street, Ontario. (714) 383-3060.

Upland-based Planned Parenthood; free and anonymous walk-in testing, Mondays through Fridays; call for available times, results in one week; 918 W. Foothill Blvd., Upland. (714) 985-0065.

Planned Parenthood; confidential tests; one-month wait for appointments, results are ready in two weeks; fee of $44; 1900 Royalty Drive, Suite 230, Pomona (714) 620-4268 and 4786-B N. Peck Road, El Monte. (818) 443-3844.