BY JIM CHUD

First of all, I want to thank everyone that sent in their

questions after my first column, I was blown away by your sincerity and am honored by your trust. I wish I could answer them all here, but space is limited. I do respond to all by e-mail, and any e-mail sent my way is treated with complete confidentiality.

I received several questions from folks who are afraid to either get tested, or seek treatment for the first time. In several cases these were either recently diagnosed or undiagnosed people working in this country with visas that had expired or were about to. They feared creating any kind of “paper trail” documenting their infection by seeking treatment or testing because of the ban on people with HIV coming to this country to work and live. They wanted to know if there was someplace they could go to talk about their predicament and find out if there was any way to get treatment anonymously without having to pay cash for testing and medication to a doctor or clinic that would not mention HIV in their records.

Luckily, there are some very good options. First of all, there are anonymous testing sites in L.A. County. Second, the Ryan White Care Act, which funds medical care for those without other means is practically the only federal program that does not require immigration legality to qualify for treatment. Places like the Jeffrey Goodman Clinic, the Care program in Long Beach at St. Mary's Medical Center and several other Los Angeles area clinics fall into this category. A good directory for these and other services is “HIV L.A.” published by APLA, and available at most AIDS service organizations and pharmacies.

A good first stop for anyone newly infected who is struggling with their HIV status is West Hollywood's own Being Alive. Being Alive offers most of the social support services of larger agencies in a more casual and intimate setting. They run with a small and energetic staff who specialize in helping their clients get the support they need via peer facilitated groups and activities that encourage the camaraderie that can be so important in dealing with one's infection. As most of their staff lives with HIV, their personal experiences offer a level of empathy that is hard to come by. It has been my experience that their door is always open to anyone having a difficult time and they are experts at offering pertinent referrals. Their large and active crew of volunteers is always eager to take new folks into the fold. They also offer alternative treatment modalities like massage, chiropractic and acupuncture to help with the physical stresses of HIV disease.

Being Alive is currently located at the Ron Stone Center in West Hollywood Park. At the end of November they will move into their new quarters at 7531 Santa Monica Blvd., where it intersects with Sierra Bonita. As young gay men are once again one of the fastest growing groups of new infections, Being Alive finds themselves as busy as ever.

The opinions expressed in this column are strictly those of the author and do not represent those of the L.A. County Commission on HIV. E-mail Jim Chud your questions or comments at askjimabouthiv@gmail.com.