Local News in Brief : AIDS Project Seeks Funds

Officials of a Los Angeles County community organization, which since June 1 has been dispatching outreach workers to talk to drug addicts about AIDS, say their program is jeopardized by the impending loss of county funding.

Officials of the Rio Hondo Community Action Network, based in Santa Fe Springs, say they have been unable to spend all of an $80,000 grant that the group was awarded in January--and that is scheduled to expire June 30--because sensitive details of the program have not received county approval.

The program is directed at intravenous drug users, a group within which health officials fear the AIDS virus is spreading rapidly through dirty needles.

Official approval of the outreach work has been hung up by concerns over the political palatability of funding the proposed distribution of bleach for cleaning hypodermic needles and condoms for preventing the spread of the AIDS virus through sexual contact.

“Two months ago, we decided we’re going to (end up) talking our way through this year and not have accomplished anything,” said John L. Brown, the organization’s executive director. His group subsequently persuaded the county Department of Health Services that, while not distributing condoms or bleach, it should at least begin distributing information about AIDS.

Brown said 12 workers have each been spending 10 hours a week talking with intravenous drug users on the streets. By the end of the month, they expect to have made 1,000 contacts.