HIV and AIDS Awareness

Ken Osfield, ADA Coordinator, Committee Chair

Because HIV and AIDS awareness helps all of us be more effective university employees and members of our local communities, the University of Florida Committee on Campus HIV Education and Policy is pleased to provide the following information:

Learn more about HIV/AIDS: Attend “What You Need to Know About HIV/AIDS in the Workplace”

“What You Need to Know About HIV/AIDS in the Workplace” is a free class that dispels common HIV/AIDS myths while providing prevention information and other details related to HIV/AIDS in the workplace. Provided by the North Central Florida AIDS Network (NCFAN) and sponsored on campus by the UF Committee on Campus HIV Education and Policy, this three-hour class is patterned after AIDS 104–the first step in becoming an educator or volunteer for NCFAN.

“What You Need to Know About HIV/AIDS in the Workplace” is an excellent opportunity for university employees to become better informed about HIV and AIDS. This workshop also is being counted as an elective in University Personnel Services’ supervisory challenge series.

When? February 11 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Where? Room 316 of the Stadium
University Personnel Services’ Training Room

Please call Employee Development, University Personnel Services, at 392-4626 (TDD: 392-7734) to make reservations. All interested employees, including university administrators and/or their representatives, are invited and encouraged to attend this workshop! If an accommodation is needed to attend this program as a result of a disability, please notify Employee Development at least one week prior to the workshop.

HIV/AIDS crisis response team is available to help

A crisis response team, composed of counselors, physicians, health educators, and other appropriate members from the university community, is available to employees with HIV or AIDS– or their coworkers. Its mission is to provide counseling, information, benefits coordination, and other services for these employees.

Designated contact points for the crisis response team are in place to make the process of finding resources or services an easier prospect for UF employees. Employees who are interested in the services available from the crisis response team first should call the appropriate contact person designated from University Personnel Services, as listed below.

HIV/AIDS Crisis Response Team Contact Points:

Jodi Gentry, Employee Development, 392-4626
Adrienne Oehrle, Health Science Center Personnel, 392-3786
Susan Hudson, IFAS Personnel, 392-4777
Denise Bogart-Caballero, E&G/Auxiliaries, 392-6615
Kim Czaplewski, PPD Personnel, 392-2333

TDD for all numbers listed above: 392-7734

The University of Florida’s AIDS Policy provides guidance

The policy of the University of Florida is to assess the needs of students or employees with HIV infection on a case-by-case basis. With the permission of the affected individual (whether student, faculty, or staff member), the director of the Student Health Care Center, Dr. Michael Huey (392-1161), will assist in the coordination of resources and services.

The confidentiality of the individual’s HIV status and the individual’s welfare are respected. Breach of confidentiality of information obtained by a university employee in an official university capacity may result in disciplinary action.

Based on current medical information concerning risk of infection, the university does not isolate persons with HIV infection or AIDS from other individuals in the educational or work setting. Furthermore, the university supports the continued participation, to the fullest extent reasonably possible, of these individuals in the campus educational/work environment.

It also is the policy of the university to provide education which seeks to prevent the spread of HIV infection. Those at risk for HIV infection are encouraged to get tested; those who are infected are urged to seek treatment. With current advances in HIV/AIDS treatment, early intervention can be crucial to maintaining well-being and delaying complications of the illness.

In keeping with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the university considers HIV/AIDS to be a disability. Existing support services may be used by students or employees who are disabled by HIV infection or AIDS.

Community resources also can help

The Gainesville-area community has many resources available that can provide information, assistance, and HIV testing. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the Florida AIDS Education and Training Center at the University of Florida Health Science Center; PO Box 100177; Gainesville, FL 32610-0177; (352) 395-8037.

So that our university community may be better informed about HIV and AIDS, please route or share this information with members of your staff. We also encourage you or your representative to attend “What You Need to Know About HIV/AIDS in the Workplace,” which is being held on campus this February and is described on Page 1 of this memorandum. If you have any questions about this committee’s efforts, please feel free to contact me at 392-7056 (voice) or 846-1046 (TDD).

We appreciate your assistance!