Big Brother hits HIV programs

[kweerwolf]

Ever had sex with someone of the same gender, or exchanged sex for drugs or money? The U.S. government now wants to know about it -- if you get an HIV test or participate in a group discussion on safer sex that's supported with any federal dollars.

Starting on Jan. 1, the federal Centers for Disease Control will require a first wave of states to start reporting an unprecedented range of information from federally funded HIV prevention programs. It's called "PEMS" (Program Evaluation and Monitoring System), and it's a mandatory computerized database with hundreds of questions designed to evaluate and monitor HIV prevention efforts.

Isn't it reasonable for the CDC to collect information about the effectiveness of the programs it funds? Yes, we all want to know how HIV prevention works, and to make sure the scarce dollars are spent well. But PEMS won't give us the answers we need.

Universal outcome evaluation is a huge, and perhaps impossible, challenge. Any hope to get accurate data would require better training, funding and support than the CDC now provides. Many prevention providers remain in the dark about what PEMS will involve or mean for them. It is likely that frustration will only continue to build as these new requirements roll out.

http://www.planetout.com/news/feature.html?sernum=1288

[sam sarrha]

1. theyre just fishing forONE bad case to close them ALL down thru a Fascist

Media Blitz..lookn to cut the fat for another tax cut for the rich