Zebulon Robbins Sr.

Anthony Scott 
Jan. 16, 1994 
Anthony C. Scott, Of Floral Park, N.y., Died Jan. 16 In New York.

Sunday, January 30, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2F QUICK WORDS: AIDS FACTS 





AIDS facts &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 -- Page 2F &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; FOR MORE INFO: The U.S. Center for Disease Control's Business Response to
AIDS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 (BRTA) program offers employers help in developing AIDS and HIV policies
and programs. Call 1-800- 458-5231The Center for Disease Control National AIDS
hotline provides a 24-hour, toll-free service with confidential information,
referrals and educational materials. 1-800-3452- AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I'm HIV positive. I'm scared. What do we do? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 " &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Release of the controversial film `Philadelphia' has heightened awareness
of AIDS in the workplace &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Experts say the spread of the disease `demands' a formal policy dealing
with infected employees &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By CLAIRE SCHECHTER &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Business Editor &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ron Fredericks didn't hide his illness. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 His friends, the college kids he spoke to, the people who saw him in a TV
documentary and his co-workers at The Book and Record Mart all knew the
Wilkes-Barre man was living with and dying from AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For Bob Curry, Fredericks' former boss and owner of two small businesses in
Wilkes-Barre, it was more than a friendship with Fredericks, more than
workplace laws protecting AIDS sufferers, that convinced him to hire and value
Fredericks, even as the disease progressed toward his death in October 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "For as long as Ron worked here he was a model employee. He was a highly
ethical person who did his best every day. His disease never changed that. If
there are going to be people who, out of some sort of ignorance, are afraid
they'll get AIDS from renting a video here, so be it," says Curry. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But not everyone in Wyoming Valley's business community or at firms across
the country is as sure as Curry about how to deal with AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Recent protests over a Wilkes-Barre councilman's public statements on AIDS
and its homosexual victims, as well as a controversial new movie,
"Philadelphia," have stirred debate here on workplace and other AIDS issues. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And while business representatives say they know that laws forbid firing
workers with AIDS, they still must confront difficult issues as the disease
spreads -- from making job accommodations for affected workers, to paying
increased insurance costs, to reassuring nervous customers and maintaining
profits. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 AIDS anxiety climbs &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 More than 2 million people worldwide and 339,000 in the United States have
developed AIDS, the fatal disease that destroys the human immune system and
its ability to resist disease. In Pennsylvania, AIDS cases total 10,327; in
Luzerne County, 101. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Medical experts, including the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC),
generally agree at least 1 million Americans -- or one in every 250 -- are
infected with the HIV virus, which leads to AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Bernard Healey, a state epidemiologist, says some experts think HIV
infection is as high as 10 times the number of reported AIDS cases, or 3.3
million people nationwide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the year 2,000, the CDC estimates that 40 million people worldwide will
be infected with HIV. The majority of those infected now, and likely to be
infected in the future, are between 25 and 44, the age group which makes up at
least half the nation's workforce, according to the CDE. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 About two-thirds of major U.S. firms &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 (with more than 2,500 workers) and about one in 10 small business (with
fewer than 500 employees) already have encountered workers with AIDS or HIV,
according to the National Coalition on AIDS, a business and labor non-profit
group and consultants Foster and Higgins. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And as those numbers grow, so apparently do the nation's workplace
anxieties. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a survey published last year by the National Leadership Coalition on
AIDS, half of the 2,000 employees surveyed identified AIDS as the health
problem they are most concerned about; 67 percent thought co-workers would be
uncomfortable working near an HIV-positive person; and 32 percent predicted an
HIV-positive employee would be fired or put on disability at the first sign of
illness. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Wilkes-Barre, recent harsh public statements by a city councilman about
AIDS and homosexual sufferers sparked a groundswell of both protest and
support in the workplace, in homes and at a heated public meeting that
attracted national press attention. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And across the country, people are now flocking to view "Philadelphia," a
film staring Tom Hanks as a lawyer fired after his firm learns he has AIDS.
The movie has been the top box-office draw two weeks running, grossing $8.83
million in three days last weekend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "`Philadelphia' does very clearly address the issues of unwarranted fear
and prejudice involved in living and working with HIV," says Jeff Monford of
the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 `The only question' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Lee Smith, the Coalition's chairman and former president of Levi Strauss,
says businesses no longer have the options to deal or cope with HIV. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The only question is whether we address the issue before or after the
all-too-frequent day when one of our employees come into our office, closes
the door, and says, "I'm HIV positive. I'm scared. What do we do?" says Smith. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It is no different for Wilkes-Barre area employers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "AIDS has become a much more significant problem," says Dr. Margaret Spear,
who worked in 1992 to develop a "Statement on AIDS/HIV" for students, faculty
and staff at all Penn State facilities including Wilkes-Barre's Lehman campus. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Simply the growing incidence of AIDS and HIV infection demands a well
formulated policy," Spear says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which took effect last year, all
employers are prohibited from discriminating against disabled persons,
including those with AIDS or HIV. In most cases, employers must also make
reasonable accommodations so that a disabled employee can work. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But laws can only go so far, Healey points out, especially if a workforce
is uninformed about AIDS. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "A mere rumor (about AIDS) can set off panic," Healey says. "But if people
are educated they will respond in reasonable ways." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre area businesses are gradually taking up that challenge. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 An informal survey of more than a dozen area workplaces last week showed
that most employers are keenly aware of AIDS/HIV issues and potential related
problems facing their businesses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All know of the laws that forbid discrimination against disabled workers
and several have developed formal AIDS/HIV policies and education programs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here are some of the survey findings: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mellon Bank's formal AIDS policy was written in 1988 and revised five times
since. "Now we call it our `Life-Threatening Illness' policy to emphasize that
we handle AIDS in the same way as other major disease like cancer and heart
disease, " says Tilda Walsh, a Mellon spokeswoman at the company's Pittsburgh
headquarters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Mellon employees known to have AIDS are not restricted from contact with
customers or from any part of the bank or corporate offices, Walsh says.
Affected workers can receive information on the disease from the bank as well
as in private or group counseling sessions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At Allied Services, a health services and rehabilitation firm with 2,000
workers in the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton area, all new employees attend an
orientation session which includes AIDS/HIV prevention and precautions for
patient care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Allied's AIDS/HIV policies are "explicitly detailed" in the employee manual
and counseling and medical advice are offered confidentially, says Bill
Schoen, vice-president of communications. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Allied and the Pennsylvania Department of Health co-sponsored a community
forum on AIDS last year and distributed a videotape on AIDS education for
children. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nabisco's workers wore red ribbons and the company displayed portions of
the AIDS quilt at its Hanover Township financial services center during
national AIDS Awareness week in December 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Vincent Sortino, vice president and head of the local center, said Nabisco
wants employees to know that AIDS and HIV cases will be treated just like
other with major illnesses. Sortino said he is not aware of any affected
Nabisco workers, but "based on media reports, we could have some one day," he
says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the Wilkes-Barre law firm, Rosenn, Jenkins and Greenwald, managing
partner Bruce Rosenthal says the firm tries to accommodate employees with
disabilities and at the same time assure client service. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When someone is active with AIDS it is difficult to predict when he will
work or be in the hospital," Rosenthal says. "We back (the worker) up with
others in the firm. We also have a program to educate the people who work with
that employee." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rosenthal characterized the movie "Philadelphia" as an "incredibly
simplistic" depiction of AIDS at a law firm. "It would have been much better
if they disclosed it (Tom Hanks' AIDS) and showed how fellow workers dealt
with it." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Penn State University's extensive written HIV/AIDS policy for students,
faculty and staff includes names and telephone numbers to call for help with
medical care and personal and workplace concerns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A Penn State "HIV Benefit Information" brochure answers such detailed
question as "Who will serve as liaison with my supervisor if I am not able to
perform my job duties as originally assigned?" and "How do I qualify for a
leave of absence or long-term disability?" &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Some people may want to be open about their HIV or AIDS, some may not,"
says Nancy Sassano, of the Penn State human resources department at State
College. "Confidentiality and compassionate accommodation are definitely our
goals." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre City hasn't yet faced the problem of HIV or AIDS in its
400-person work force, according to Christine Jensen, assistant city
administrator. Nonetheless, Jensen says the city is prepared to deal with all
disabled workers under guidelines of the American With Disability law.
Specific accommodations depend on the type of job an affected worker performs.

Aids Facts 
-- Page 2f 
For More Info: The U.s. Center For Disease Control's Business Response To Aids 
(brta) Program Offers Employers Help In Developing Aids And Hiv Policies And 
Programs. Call 1-800- 458-5231.

Aids Facts -- Page 2f For More Info: The U.s. Center For Disease Control's Business Response To Aids (brta) Program Offers Employers Help In Developing Aids And Hiv Policies And Programs. Call 1-800- 458-5231.