People who
know me are aware of my strong support of science and evidence based care. If
you’re my friend you know that as long as you don’t betray the friendship, I am
there when you need me. So when I recently discovered that a friend of mine was
being treated unfairly because of ignorance, it wasn’t surprising to those that
know me that I was irate.
Clint
Moore is a Paramedic for Air Evac Lifeteams, a flight service that does a lot of
good including educational outreach that has improved the knowledge base of
many providers. When Clint learned he was HIV positive he was taken off of
flight status, and told he would have to gain approval of multiple states to
regain this. I understand that this is likely due to state rules, and Air Evac
was stuck in a situation because of this, but the very idea that a Paramedic
with HIV is a threat to his patient is both statistically unlikely and an
insult to the professionalism of the Paramedics and Nurses that make up these
teams.
A quick
review for those of you that are unaware of this, HIV is a blood borne pathogen
that requires specific vectors for transmission that would necessitate a
healthcare provider to intentionally infect a patient. Accidental transmission
in a clinical or prehospital environment would be nearly impossible. Basic BSI
precautions, which are used on every call, will prevent this.
The
reason I state this is because there are laws in place that prevent these
providers functioning. Laws like this serve only to punish these people, and
prevent good providers from performing the duties they are educated and
qualified to perform. The only reason laws like this are on the books is due to
the fact that the most common people infected with HIV are homosexual and
bisexual men, a group that is still commonly looked down upon. It is legalized
discrimination.
So when
my friend found out he was infected, he reported his status and was punished,
despite the fact that he was not a serious risk to his patients. Because of archaic
and bigoted rules, if you act in a responsible manner you become more likely to
punished, than if you just keep your mouth shut. That is pathetic.
That is
the technical and legal side of this. Now let’s discuss the other side of this.
Clint is not a friend I get to see or talk to as much as I like. Life happens
and those that we are close to often leads us to be far apart. But this man is
my friend. Clint has had his career and purpose stripped from him, despite the
fact that he did the right thing. But, when he went public he found out
something he didn’t know. His friends will be there for him. If you have this
horrible disease, or know someone who does, make sure they know you care and
are there for them. The stigma attached to it is known to make those afflicted
feel isolated. They are still the person they were before this happened, and
they likely need your support, friendship, and love more than ever.
Thank you,
Lone Medic.
