is an employee of the leadership that we have elected and set in place and designed as an emblem of what we represent. Second, where I am in the business of delivering information, I have to deliver information on the street presently with two paid teams of outreach workers, I would love to have 22 teams out there in all sectors. The concept of voluntarism isn't very prevalent in the population of people that I have to reach and draw from to give education to that population: Prostitutes, IV substance abusers. They need to be paid. That is the system that they operate on. They need to be paid something akin to respectable wages. We presently pay ours $7.50 an hour. The Government or somebody could provide funding for that. We hear all manner of people who can-I heard one man in marketing boast about how he could "sell two milking machines to a guy who only had one cow, and then take the cow in downpayment." Where are those marketing skills when it comes to marketing health education and the preservation of life in the face of a threat from AIDS? Somebody needs to do the research around the issues of communication. The majority group has a responsibility here, since it controls the resources, to effectively learn how to communicate with the minority group because the minority groups, whether they be abusers, people of color, sexual minorities, are a part of the whole society. Mr. WEISS. That's good. I thank you very much. Within the context and as a followup to that last response, have you seen anything by way of public education or mass education efforts which has reflected the increased breakout of the disease from the prime risk areas? Mr. Dunne, Dr. Rosenberg, either of you. Mr. DUNNE. I wish I could say I thought there was, but I'm afraid the news is discouraging. NBC commissioned a poll in January 1987, and among the questions that they asked is, "Since you became aware of AIDS, have you changed your sexual behavior in any way?" They asked that question in January 1986 and they asked it again in January 1987, and only 7 percent of the respondents indicated that yes, they had changed their sexual behavior. I would hazard a guess that probably the majority of those 7 percent are gay or bisexual men, so it is clear to me that the message has not gotten to heterosexuals that they are at risk, and we have certainly seen evidence in New York and other places where we have seen a dramatic decline in the gonorrhea rate for, again, gay and bisexual men, but during that same period of time, it has either stayed the same or risen somewhat for heterosexual men and women. Mr. WEISS. Dr. Rosenberg. Dr. ROSENBERG. By way of agreeing with that, I think that the calls that we get for the AIDS hotline, for example, are predominantly from heterosexuals. I think that, unlike the statistics for the gay hotline that we heard earlier, I think that when people perceive themselves to be at high risk is when they go ahead and call in, and largely we have not impressed upon the straight community that AIDS is a disease for which they are at risk as well. 74-444 0 - 87 - 7 Mr. GERALD. From the perspective of minorities, I am extremely concerned. I was just in the State of Alabama 2 weeks ago, and I got information that 40 percent of the people with AIDS in the State of Alabama are people of color. You have the States of Connecticut, the District, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New Yorkall of these States-reporting that over 50 percent of their cases are people of color. You have the States of Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania reporting that more than 40 percent of their people with AIDS are people of color. And again, in the States of Illinois, Delaware, Louisiana, Virginia, more than 30 percent of their cases of AIDS occur among people of color. And again, there is a myth out there. There is a perception that people are not at risk and that those at risk are confined to New York and San Francisco. I think that this reinforces the real need for doing an effective and coordinated national campaign. Mr. WEISS. I want to thank all of you very much for your testimony because I think it underscores the tremendous gap that is out there and the tremendous gap between what is suggested that the administration or the Federal Government has been doing and the reality of what, in fact, is happening. Today we have reviewed what is being done to inform and educate the American people on how to protect themselves and others from AIDS. We have heard about the creative work and the dedicated workers trying to teach people, including San Francisco youth, New York City drug users, Oregon migrant workers, the alienated in Washington, DC, and gay and bisexual men in the New York metropolitan area. We applaud these efforts and hope that city and State agencies and organizations around the country will follow their lead. However, what has been done up to now has been done with little leadership, output or funding from the Federal Government. The Federal response in this crucial area of the fight against AIDS has been slow, limited, and ultimately impotent. How many more people must die before the administration takes heed and something really gets done? Public health experts estimate that 74,000 new cases of AIDS will be diagnosed in 1991 alone. Of these, 37,000, or half, are people already infected with the AIDS virus. The other 37,000 are presently uninfected. If a massive education campaign against AIDS began this afternoon, many of these people and their family and friends could be spared the suffering and tragedy of AIDS. Unhappily and unfortunately, we do not see the beginning of that massive effort this afternoon. We are pleased a long-delayed superplan has finally been signed off on and released. However, we have reviewed the various components of the plan this morning and early this afternoon with the administration people. Tragically, it seems that many of the components of this plan are matters which have been talked about for years and barely implemented. Hardly any of these components are ready to go into effect before another 6 or 9 months or longer. There is a desperate need for a sense of urgency. We hope that today's hearing may have helped in some small way to create a greater sense of urgency within the Federal Government. We thank all of our witnesses very much for their participation and all of their work. The meeting of the subcommittee is now adjourned subject to the call of the Chair. [Whereupon, at 2:45 p.m., the subcommittee adjourned, to reconvene subject to the call of the Chair.] DESCRIPTION PAGE(S) V) SEC. DESCRIPTION PARTI-THE SCHEDULE PART II-CONTRACT CLAUSES SOLICITATION/CONTRACT FORM SUPPLIES OR SERVICES AND PRICES/COSTS DESCRIPTION/SPECS./WORK STATEMENT 1-2 X CONTRACT CLAUSES PAGE(S) 21-23 3-5 6-13X J LIST OF ATTACHMENTS PART III-LIST OF DOCUMENTS, EXHIBITS AND OTHER ATTACH. 24 PART IV - REPRESENTATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS 14 X K 15-16 H SPECIAL CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS ACONTRACTOR'S NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT (Contractor is re- star agrees to furnish and deliver all items or perform all the services get wth or otherwise identified above and on any continuation sheets for the ion stated herein. The rights and obligations of the parties to this fwest shall be subject to and governed by the following documents: (a) this rd/contract, (b) the solicitation, if any, and (c) such provisions, representa Kications, and specifications, as are attached or incorporated by herein. (Attachments are listed herein.) A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print) 18. AWARD (Contrestor is not required to sign this document) Your offer on Solicitation Number including the additions or changes made by you which additions or changes are set forth in full above, is hereby accepted as to the Rems listed above and on any continuation sheets. This award consummates the contract which consists of the following documents: (a) the Government's solicitation and your offer, and (D) this award/contract. Nu further contractual document is necessary. |