HIV clinic in South Los Angeles sees more teenagers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a worrisome report late last month on a jump in newly diagnosed HIV cases among young gay men. From 2001 to 2006, such cases among all gay males ages 13 to 24 rose by 12%, which was ominous enough. But the steepest increase was among young gay blacks -- up 15%, compared with 8% for young gay Latinos and 9% for young gay whites. Dr. Wilbert C. Jordan, medical director of the OASIS Clinic at the Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Service Ambulatory Care Center near Watts, confirms the increase on the ground. In the last 15 months, the HIV clinic has gone from treating one teenage patient to treating 47. This month the clinic will begin a program on Saturdays just for adolescents. Jordan expects to have 100 teenage patients before the end of the year. Many of his patients are kids who got kicked out of their homes for being gay or experimenting with sex with another boy, Jordan said. So, he said, they went to West Hollywood, prostituted themselves for food, contracted HIV and now are back in South Los Angeles, infecting their friends. more