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From: scott@bbxsda.UUCP (Scott Amspoker)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: AIDS Discrimination with dentists
Message-ID: <1991Apr19.045921.1722@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 18 Apr 91 20:23:51 GMT
References: <1991Apr16.102945.5720@cs.ucla.edu> <1991Apr18.191410.10183@cs.ucla.edu>
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In article <1991Apr18.191410.10183@cs.ucla.edu> th1h+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU (Timothy J. Haggerty) writes:
>Unfortunately, your dentist visit is not a flaw in the system, but a
>fairly common event.  I had a very similar thing happen eight years ago
>[story deleted]

It's even worse than that.  The local news station did a story one night
about AIDS in New Mexico.  My SO appeared on camera talking about the
potential problems in years to come if people continued to ignore
AIDS - the usual social commentary.  It was never implied or even suggested 
that he had AIDS.  He appeared in the news story along with other "experts".
Two days later he went to the dentist.  The young hygenist actually shrieked 
when she saw him.  The dentist quietly escorted him out and told him not 
to come back.  Other people in the waiting room watched.

The dentist's receptionist happened to be a friend of ours.  She pumped the
dentist for information before quitting her job in disgust.  Apparently,
the dentist and several other dentists in the area have this "group"
which has an official policy against treating anyone *suspected* of
being HIV+ (read homosexual).  They even go so far as to keep a list of 
*suspected* patients (read homosexual).

Unfortunately there's not a whole lot one can do about this.  It's all
hearsay and difficult to prove.  I just tell people that this dentist
did something unspeakably unprofessional and let their imagination
fill in the rest.

-- 
Scott Amspoker                       | Touch the peripheral convex of every
Basis International, Albuquerque, NM | kind, then various kinds of blaming
(505) 345-5232                       | sound can be sent forth.
unmvax.cs.unm.edu!bbx!bbxsda!scott   |    - Instructions for a little box that
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