“AIM Healthcare Foundation has complied with all reporting requirements, including those pertaining to prompt, timely reporting to Los Angeles County Health, HIV Epidemiology Program,” Douglas told XBIZ.
“Since no one outside of that program can lawfully possess any information regarding reporting, critics who make claims about late reporting are either continuing to make up false information, knowingly and deliberately, or are receiving false information from personnel within Los Angeles County Department of Health HIV Epidemiology.”
AIDS Healthcare Foundation released a press release expressing its concern about the apparent missed deadline, but in the same release, also acknowledged that several calls to LA County officials to determine whether AIM supplied the county with the required information went unreturned.
“Journalists should inquire of those persons making these defamatory, false claims to provide the source of the confidential information they are purportedly relying upon,” Douglas said.
XBIZ earlier this week spoke with AHF’s Ged Kenslea who wouldn’t reveal the source of the foundation’s information.
Douglas said that AIM is continuing testing procedures and waiting on results. He said there are certain people who’ve been asked not to perform until their situation has been resolved.
In terms of revealing any information on the HIV positive patient, Douglas said the law is clear.
“Anyone speaking on behalf of the clinic or government agency that provides any personal information such as name, gender, sexual orientation is violating the law.”
Douglas also said that because of advancements in testing, much more information can be extracted, which can both speed up and slow down the testing process.
He said there’s an astonishing low number of HIV cases in the adult biz and calling the recent case an outbreak is misleading.
“It’s been referred to as an epidemic, one infection can never be an epidemic.”
[Update 4:11 p.m. ] This afternoon, Kenslea and other AHF representatives appeared at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting. They urged the board to ask the Department of Public Health to use whatever authority it has to regulate the industry by taking protective measures, such as enforcing the use of condoms.
They also asked the board to suspend issuing new film production permits.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding said that AIM has delayed reporting test results to the county, but does not appear to have violated regulations, according to the LA Times.
AIM had an HIV positive PCR-DNA test Oct. 9, and is still awaiting results for a second Western Blot from an outside lab.
"AIM will provide the report immediately upon receipt from the lab," said Karen Tynan, another AIM attorney. "There has been and there will be no delays."
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