Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation

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The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation (AIM) is an organization which tests erotic actors for HIV and other STDs on a scheduled basis.

Most tests for the sex industry actors are done at the Foundation's offices in San Fernando Valley, Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills.[1] Each month, about 1,200 actors are tested for HIV, with results as early as 14 days after infection. This test is effective ten days after potential infection, and anytime thereafter (HIV-1 DNA, by PCR) as compared to the alternative HIV test (HIV ELISA) which requires a six month waiting period to be effective.[2] Other tests include such STDs as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.[3]

Contents

[edit] Background

Since the 1980s, an outbreak of AIDS, aside from the general populace, has also caused a number of deaths of erotic actors.

The Director of the AIM Health Care Foundation, Dr. Sharon Mitchell, a former erotic actor, left the industry in 1996 to qualify in public health counseling and sexology before setting up the Foundation in 1998.[4]

The Foundation has helped set up a system in the U.S. where erotic actors in the adult film industry are tested for AIDS every 30 days. All on-camera sexual contact is logged, and a positive test result triggers the contacting and re-testing of all sexual partners during the previous three to six months.

[edit] SxCheck

Since 2006, AIM offers online services for selecting, scheduling, and paying for tests in affliation with local clinics and laboratories in many cities via the SxCheck (alternatively AIM Check) website.[5]

Also, with secure online access to test results, faking of paper test results is prevented, since clients can select to privately share the results with others, as appropriate, either online or by email and mobile phone.[6]

[edit] History

This system has resulted in low rates of HIV transmission, and hence low rates of infection among erotic actors: reportedly, not a single HIV test if an active adult industry performer had been positive in the four year period prior to 2004.

It was in 2004 that AIM assisted in the sex film industry shutdown, a quarantine that lasted less than 60 days.[1] A male performer, Darren James, tested positive for HIV in April and, to prevent another HIV outbreak, an urgent search was initiated for his potentially infected partners.[4] A total of four more performers, Bianca Biaggi, Jessica Dee, Lara Roxx, and Miss Arroyo were diagnosed with the virus by the end of the testing rounds, including one unrelated case in New York.[7] James had apparently had contact with 12 women since his initial negative HIV test in March upon his return from a Brazil shoot.[8][9]

In 2009, the Los Angeles Public Health department and the Los Angeles Times claimed that there were 16 unreported of HIV among adults film actors.[10] AIM Healthcare Foundation reported that these cases were actually members of the general public or people applying to work in the adult film industry that had not yet actually worked in films.[11]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Nick Madigan (2004-04-17). "H.I.V. Cases Shut Down Pornography Film Industry". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE4DB133BF934A25757C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  2. ^ "Test Selection — Comprehensive Panel — HIV/AIDS Premium Test". =SxCheck. https://www.sxcheck.com/view/test/GetTested/. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  3. ^ Sharon Mitchell (2004-05-02). "How to Put Condoms in the Picture". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E6DF153DF931A35756C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  4. ^ a b Nick Madigan (2004-05-10). "Voice of Health in a Pornographic World". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?&res=9C05EEDF123CF933A25756C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved on 2007-02-26. "
    Sharon Mitchell — Well-behaved women rarely make history"     
  5. ^ Sharon Mitchell. "Ask Dr Mitch". SxCheck. http://sxcheck.com/AskMitch/. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  6. ^ "About SxCheck — Physical Barriers". Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation. https://www.sxcheck.com/view/test/About/. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  7. ^ Nick Madigan (2004-04-30). "New H.I.V. Infection Found in Sex-Film Industry". New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E4DD143DF933A05757C0A9629C8B63. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. 
  8. ^ Gene Ross (2007-05-27). "Lara Roxx Timeline Begs Questions: Darren James got it from Lara Roxx, not the other way around?". Adult FYI. http://www.adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=22883. 
  9. ^ "Pyramid of potential infection". Los Angeles Times. 2004-04-16. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-041604adult-g,1,4216028.graphic. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. "Time line of potential first and second generation infections" 
  10. ^ "At least 16 previously unpublicized HIV cases". Los Angeles Times. 2009-06-11. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/06/at-least-16-previously-unpublicized-hiv-cases-in-porn-film-performers-public-health-officials-say.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-11. "Los Angeles County officials released public health data this afternoon indicating that 16 previously unpublicized cases of HIV had been confirmed in adult film industry performers since 2004 when an outbreak shut down porn production for a month." 
  11. ^ "News 6/12/09". AIM. 2009-06-12. http://www.aim-med.org/news/2009/06/12/1244838040/. Retrieved on 2009-06-12. "This is why they are not "publicized" as they had never fulfilled the desire to work in Adult Entertainment, due to the positive test." 

[edit] External links

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