Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation

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 the San Fernando Valley, in Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills.cite web
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE4DB133BF934A25757C0A9629C8B63
title=H.I.V. Cases Shut Down Pornography Film Industry
publisher=New York Times
author=Nick Madigan
date=2004-04-17
accessdate=2008-03-20] 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.cite web
url=https://www.sxcheck.com/view/test/GetTested/
title=Test Selection — Comprehensive Panel — HIV/AIDS Premium Test
publisher= [http://www.sxcheck.com SxCheck]
accessdate=2008-03-20] Other tests include such STDs as chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.cite web
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E6DF153DF931A35756C0A9629C8B63
title=How to Put Condoms in the Picture
publisher=New York Times
author=Sharon Mitchell
date=2004-05-02
accessdate=2008-03-20]

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.cite web
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?&res=9C05EEDF123CF933A25756C0A9629C8B63
title=Voice of Health in a Pornographic World
accessdate=2007-02-26
author=Nick Madigan
date=2004-05-10
publisher=New York Times
quote=
Sharon Mitchell — "Well-behaved women rarely make history"]

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.

xCheck

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 [http://www.sxcheck.com SxCheck] (alternatively [http://www.aim-med.org/ AIM Check] ) website.cite web
url=http://sxcheck.com/AskMitch/
title=Ask Dr Mitch
author=Sharon Mitchell
publisher= [http://www.sxcheck.com SxCheck]
accessdate=2008-03-20]

Also, with secure online access to test results, the faking of paper test results are avoided, since clients can select to privately share the results with others, as appropriate, either online, or by email and mobile phone.cite web
url=https://www.sxcheck.com/view/test/About/
title=About SxCheck — Physical Barriers
publisher=Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation
accessdate=2008-03-20]

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 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. 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. 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.cite web
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506E4DD143DF933A05757C0A9629C8B63
title =New H.I.V. Infection Found in Sex-Film Industry
accessdate=2008-03-20
author=Nick Madigan
date=2004-04-30
publisher=New York Times ] James had apparently had contact with 12 women since his initial negative HIV test in March upon his return from a Brazil shoot.cite web
url=http://www.adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=22883
title=Lara Roxx Timeline Begs Questions: Darren James got it from Lara Roxx, not the other way around?
author=Gene Ross
publisher= [http://www.AdultFYI.com Adult FYI]
date=2007-05-27] cite web
url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-041604adult-g,1,4216028.graphic
title=Pyramid of potential infection
publisher=Los Angeles Times
date=2004-04-16
accessdate=2008-03-20
quote=Time line of potential first and second generation infections]

ee also

* AIDS test
* ELISA
* PCR

References

External links

* [http://www.aim-med.org/ Official website] at AIM
* [http://aim-med.org/library Reference Library] at AIM
* [http://www.aim-med.org/about/granadahills.html Granada Hills, CA] AIM office
* [http://www.aim-med.org/about/shermanoaks.html Sherman Oaks, CA] AIM office
* [http://www.sxcheck.com SxCheck] STD and HIV testing facilitator website service