Sam Spade's San Francisco

On June 27, 2009, state and local health departments, community-based organizations, HIV testing sites, and AIDS service providers across the United States will participate in events for National HIV Testing Day. These activities will include health fairs, community education, special events, and extended testing hours. To find an event near you Click on this link to go to an interactive map of the country. Click on your state to find an event near you.

According to the National HIV Testing Day website on June 19 (8 days before the event), San Francisco, once always on the cutting edge, lists no planned testing events. That is surprising and very disappointing. San Francisco is a no-show.

What is wrong the institutions like City College of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Stop AIDS Project, SF Dept of Public Health, Healthy San Francisco? What happened to all of them? This is an embarrassment to the City, to San Franciscans, to Mayor Newsom and to Health Director, Mitch Katz. Shame!

This is particularly inexcusable in that National HIV Testing Day happens to also be the opening day of San Francisco Pride. Let Mayor Newsom know what you think about San Francisco being "missing in action" on National HIV Testing Day. Contact the Mayor here. Public Health Director Mitch Katz doesn't seem to be on top of it either. They are both asleep at the wheel.

Almost without doubt the Mayor's office, the Health Department and others will answer your questions with politico-babble. You will be told about all the wonderful things we do in San Francisco, blah, blah, bullshit. You will be told that it is all an innocent mistake . . . ad infinitum et ad nauseum.

The question is simple: Why does the National HIV Testing Day site show that there are zero events planned in San Francisco? Who didn't do their job? If there must be more City lay-offs, I hope the Mayor is sure to include that person's name on the list for pink slips.

There is always a chance that San Francisco submitted a long list of terrific planned events to be included on the National AIDS Testing Day website, but none of them were entered. If that is the case, then the Centers for Disease Control, which sponsor the testing day, should deliver their own pink slips to those responsible.

Let Mitch Katz, Director of Public Health, know about this issue and tell the HIV Services Section () about it too. S. F. Dept. of Public Health: Administration, Policy & Planning.

Next year, let's get it right!

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