Petrelis Files

CDC Panel Debates Swiss HIV Report on Thursday

I called numerous people today at the Department of Public Health requesting open forums to discuss the closed-door decision made last week by Grant Colfax, head of HIV prevention programs for the city, to reject an important study from Switzerland.

To my surprise, Tracy Packer, from the HIV prevention section of DPH who is also co-chair of the CDC's local HIV prevention planning council, left a message this afternoon about my request. (See below.)

It's a small step in the right direction that Colfax will make short remarks at the prevention council on Thursday afternoon, but it will not be the full discussion the San Francisco gay men's community needs with him about his rejection statement.

We very strongly must require wide and open debate first on the Swiss study and has value for HIV prevention in San Francisco, in addition to learning how DPH arrived at its dismissal of the study with no public comment.

Some background. Colfax has also been repeatedly asked to hold town hall meetings with the gay community regarding ineffective and offensive HIV social marketing campaigns, the presentations he and others from DPH made in Boston last week at the CROI AIDS meeting, and generally start a public and respectful engagement with gay men. He has steadfastly refused to do of any this.

I've also learned that Colfax wrote the DPH rejection statement while in Boston, so I guess only people at the CROI meeting may have had influence over the statement.

Colfax seems to be going so out of his way to not organize and host his own much-needed public dialogs that I'm beginning to think he's allergic to sunshine and is afraid to be accountable to his gay brothers.

The HIV prevention council meets on February 14 at 3 PM at the Quaker Meeting House, located at 65 Ninth Street. CDC rules require that members of the public are allowed three minutes of comment time, at the start of the meeting.

Here's the transcript of Ms. Packer's message:

"Hi Michael. It's Tracy Packer from HIV prevention returning your call.

"I just want to say I think that your suggestion that Grant talk about the Swiss study at the council meeting is a very good one. And I will pass that on to him.

"I believe that we're writing something about the Swiss study for the co-chairs report and then Grant can give a brief presentation as to the group that came together to respond to what the study said.

"Thank you for that suggestion. If you have any further comments, please call me."