Public Employee Press

DC 37 celebrates World AIDS Day

On World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, members of the union's AIDS team greeted members and staff in the lobby with the AIDS memorial quilt, informative brochures and condoms to distribute, and their passionate determination to keep the subject on the front burner.

That day Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley announced that the Health Dept. was adopting a more aggressive policy for fighting AIDS. He called for treatment to begin immediately when a person is diagnosed with the HIV virus that causes AIDS in the belief that speeding treatment would cut the spread of the disease and hopefully end the epidemic.

Executive Director Lillian Roberts visited the activists' table and spoke about the important new effort. "I'm glad they are on top of it," Roberts said, "and I'm so happy we have these activists to remind us to continue to be diligent. We should never forget that there are still too many people with AIDS and living with HIV, both those who have been diagnosed and those who have not yet been tested."

"We've been doing this for 20 years," said DC 37 retiree and team member Arlene Tuff, whose commitment springs from personal losses and the need to reach out to young people.

"We're trying to pass on what we know to the younger generation," said activist Iona Allen. "We want to let everyone here know the facts about AIDS."

"We do whatever we can to inform our members and staff about how serious the AIDS epidemic is," said Local 957 President Walthene Primus, who chairs the AFSCME and DC 37 Women's committees.

"Getting to Zero" was the 2011 theme for World AIDS Day. "This means zero discrimination, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero new infections," said activist Danielle Falotico. "We're on a mission to save lives."