Archive-name: aids-faq/part8 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: 1/1/95 AIDS FAQ Part 8/10 Section 7. Information Sources. Q7.1 Phone Information about AIDS. Q7.2 Phone Information about AIDS drug trials. Q7.3 Phone Information about AIDS treatments Q7.4 US Social Security: Information for Organizations Q7.5 Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis. Q7.6 American Academy of Allergy & Immunology Physician's Referral and Information Line ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 7.1. Phone Information about AIDS. For general information about AIDS and referrals to other AIDS information sources, call CDC National AIDS Hotline: 1-800-342-AIDS Spanish:1-800-344-7432 Deaf: 1-800-243-7889 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 7.2. Phone Information about AIDS drug trials. You can obtain information about ongoing AIDS drug trials in the United States by calling the AIDS Trials hotline at 1-800-TRIALSA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question 7.3. Phone Information about AIDS Treatments PHS' AIDS TREATMENT INFORMATION SERVICE BEGINS HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the start of the first 800-number service which provides federally approved treatment information by phone or computer for people living with HIV/AIDS and health care professionals. Secretary Shalala said, "As of today, HIV/AIDS patients and those caring for them can call ATIS, the AIDS Treatment Information Service at 1-800-HIV-0440 and speak to a trained health information expert about up-to-date HIV/AIDS treatments." Interim national AIDS policy coordinator Patsy Fleming said, "ATIS represents the kind of innovative, coordinated effort among government agencies -- working together to provide a service that does not fall under the mandate of any individual agency -- that is vital to meeting the continuing challenges of AIDS." Philip R. Lee, M.D., HHS assistant secretary for health and director of the U.S. Public Health Service, said, "In addition to assisting health care providers, the AIDS Treatment Information Service will help people living with HIV/AIDS extend and improve the quality of their lives by helping them make informed decisions about their health care with their providers." Surgeon General M. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., speaking in Atlanta at the National Skills-Building Conference for community based organizations, sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Association of People with AIDS and the AIDS National Interfaith Network, said, "Community-based organizations and AIDS service organizations all over America need to help get the work out about ATIS. It provides an invaluable additional resource to people living with HIV/AIDS." The Public Health Service National AIDS Program Office has coordinated development of the service. Six PHS agencies have contributed to its formation and will be funding its operation. These agencies are the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Indian Health Service, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Project officers from each of the participating PHS agencies will be responsible for oversight of the program. Representatives from AIDS communities across the country have also participated in designing the service. The data-base for ATIS, which is housed at the National Library of Medicine, part of NIH, will be continually up-dated to include all federally approved HIV/AIDS treatment information. The data base can be accessed free via computer. ATIS also can provide access to other, related PHS information services, including: the CDC National AIDS Hotline, providing basic HIV/AIDS information; the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse, providing HIV/AIDS print and video materials; the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service, providing information on clinical trials for treatments for HIV/AIDS and associated opportunistic infections; the HRSA-sponsored Warmline, which provides HIV/AIDS treatment information to physicians only; the SAMHSA National Drug Information, Treatment and Referral Hotline, which provides information on drug treatment and community resources; and the SAMHSA National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, which provides information on alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention. ATIS staff will not provide treatment advice, but will provide information and advise patients that they need to discuss their treatment options with their physicians. The service is staffed by highly trained health information specialists who are fluent in English and Spanish. Deaf access (TDD) in included. The service is provided Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. All calls are completely confidential. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 7.4. US Social Security: Information for Organizations SSA is committed to disseminating information about its benefit programs to as wide an audience as possible. If your organization has a newsletter, electronic bulletin board, informational database, or other system for housing and disseminating information to people living with AIDS and their caregivers, SSA would like to know about it. SSA wants to work with you to share information about Social Security benefit programs and eligibility criteria. SSA will share or exhibit public information materials if you will inform them of any meetings/conferences. Also, if you believe your staff could benefit from an in-service training program covering SSDI/SSI, Medicare, Medicaid, and other topics, please inform SSA. SSA looks forward to a continuing partnership with your organization to inform the thousands of men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS about the benefits available through Social Security. If you have any questions, or have any additional public information needs, contact Robert G. Goldstraw, Social Insurance Affairs Specialist (AIDS Outreach), Social Security Administration, Baltimore MD 21235. Telephone: (410) 965-4064. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question 7.5. Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS Hypothesis. Please see Q5.3 `HIV the cause of AIDS?' for introductory information on this question. The Group for the Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV/AIDS Hypothesis (hereafter just 'Group' for short) is an organization of scientists, AIDS-activists and educators, and other concerned persons, currently numbering around four hundred. As their name indicates, the Group wishes for the scientific community to reexamine an hypothesis which they believe to have been prematurely, dogmatically, and even dangerously, accepted. Many or most of the best known AIDS-skeptics are members of the Group, including Peter Duesberg, Robert Root-Bernstein, John Lauritsen, Eleni Eleopoulos, Michael Callen, Jad Adams and Kary Mullis. The Group may be contacted at 2040 Polk St. Suite 321, San Francisco, CA 94109 USA; Fax: 415-775-1379. The Group publishes a newsletter entitled Rethinking AIDS, for which a $25/year donation is requested. The Group came into existence as a result of efforts to get the following four sentence letter published in a number of prominent scientific journals, including Nature, Science, JAMA, The New England Journal of Medicine, and Lancet. As of October 1993, all have refused to do so. "It is widely believed by the general public that a retrovirus called HIV causes the group of diseases called AIDS. Many biomedical scientists now question this hypothesis. We propose that a thorough reappraisal of the existing evidence for and against this hypothesis be conducted by a suitable independent group. We further propose that critical epidemiological studies be devised and undertaken." The members of the Group do not necessarily agree with each other on the precise nature and causes of "AIDS;" all they automatically have in common is disbelief that HIV (sole) causation of AIDS has been scientifically established. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 7.6 American Academy of Allergy & Immunology Physician's Referral and Information Line American Academy of Allergy & Immunology Physician's Referral and Information Line 800/822-2762 The American Academy of Allergy & Immunology (AAAI) is the largest national professional medical society representing allergists, immunologists, and related allied health professionals. It is comprised of 4600 clinicians, academicians, research scientists and allied health professionals from the United States, Canada, and more than 40 foreign countries. The purpose of the AAAI is to advance the knowledge and practice of allergy and immunology through discussion at meetings; to foster the education of both students and the public; to promote and stimulate allergy and immunology research study; and to encourage the unity of and cooperation among those engaged in the field of allergy and immunology. For more information about the AAAI, including membership information, please contact: Audrey Mudek American Academy of Allergy & Immunology 611 E. Wells Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 414/272-6071 If sending mail, please include a note that you heard about the AAAI through a posting on the Internet. To contact the AAAI via Internet, send e-mail to: paulr@execpc.com Please include your name and mailing address. =============================================================================== Section 8. Internet resources. Q8.1 Ben Gardiner's Gopher AIDS Database Q8.2 CDC CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse Internet Services Q8.3 WHO AIDS Cases Information Q8.4 CDC AIDS Public Information Dataset. Q8.5 World Wide Web site on AIDS (French and English) Q8.6 Information about HIV and AIDS related patents Q8.7 Art-AIDS Link Q8.8 HIVNET/AEGIS Gateway (BETA VERSION) - Need update Q8.9 Other USENET newsgroups. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.1. Ben Gardiner's Gopher AIDS Database The 'gopher' system provides convenient menu-driven access to a wealth of arcana--and valuable information--on the Internet. Daily, more and more resources are made available in gopherspace. Generally, your local gopher client (if one is installed) will be available by typing 'gopher' at your system prompt; your local system administrator should be able to provide further details. Local gopher clients in turn allow convenient access to other remote gopher clients throughout the Internet. One of the most valuable gopher resources for AIDS-related information is the mirror of Ben Gardiner's AIDS-Info BBS database (also available by direct modem dialup -- see below section). This database exists on the University of California at San Francisco Experimental Gopher. It may be reached either, (1) through the menu system of your local gopher: --> More Gophers and Other Internet Services/ --> All Registered Gophers/ --> North America/ --> USA/ --> california/ --> University of California - San Francisco, UCSFYI/ --> Computers and Networking Guide to Services at UCSF/ --> Questions, Answers and Information about Everything/ --> Databases (including Ben Gardiner's AIDS BBS database)/ or, (2) by typing 'gopher itsa.ucsf.edu', and going through the final three menus. However, these particular menus are subject to change. The most convenient means of reaching the database is by adding the below information to your '.gopherrc' file. This will set a bookmark in your personal gopher for the AIDS-Info BBS, which may be reached by typing 'v' from anywhere within the gopher system. The information to add, using your favorite system editor, is: Type=1 Name=Databases (including Ben Gardiner's AIDS BBS database) Path=1/.i/.q/.d Host=itsa.ucsf.edu Port=70 The University of California at San Francisco Experimental Gopher also provides gopher gateways to a wide variety of Biology and Medical resource gophers. The UCSF gopher may be reached as described above ('gopher itsa.ucsf.edu'), or most simply by adding the following to your '.gopherrc' file: Type=1 Name=Bio and Medical Gophers and Info. Sites Path=1/Bio and Medical Gophers and Info. Sites Host=itsa.ucsf.edu Port=70 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.2 CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse Internet Services CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse Internet Services The CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse is pleased to announce our new Internet services, including a listserv of AIDS-related news, an anonymous FTP site, and a gopher server. The CDC Clearinghouse also maintains an Internet mailbox to which users may send questions about Clearinghouse services, orders for free publications and general inquiries. To correspond with the Clearinghouse, send email to "aidsinfo@cdcnac.aspensys.com". AIDS News Listserv Address: listserv@cdcnac.aspensys.com A listserv (short for "listserver," the computer server that runs the list) is an automated mailing list that sends electronic mail messages to a large group of users who subscribe by sending signup messages to the listserv. The CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse maintains a read-only mailing list for individuals who wish to receive AIDS-related documents from CDC, including the AIDS Daily Summary, selected Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report articles, CDC National AIDS Hotline Training Bulletins, and factsheets. The listserv also distributes press releases from other Public Health Service agencies such as the National Institutes of Health. To subscribe, Internet users should send the message "subscribe aidsnews firstname lastname" to the address above, where your real first and last names are substituted for "firstname" and "lastname." Anyone with email access to the Internet, including members of such networks as America Online and CompuServe, can subscribe to the AIDS News Listserv. File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Site Address: cdcnac.aspensys.com FTP allows users to download files from host computer sites all over the world. An "anonymous FTP" site means that users do not have to have an individual ID or password to connect to the host. The CDC Clearinghouse's anonymous FTP site contains files of documents such as the current HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, AHCPR's clinical practice guidelines, pathfinder guides to AIDS information, and in the future, the Clearinghouse's Standard Search Series. To obtain files: 1) FTP to the address "cdcnac.aspensys.com" 2) Type "anonymous" when asked to login. 3) Enter your complete Internet address (e.g., "johndoe@delphi.com") when asked for password. 4) Change to the public directory and the CDC NAC subdirectory with the command "cd /pub/cdcnac". 5) To download the file with basic information about CDC NAC's FTP site and the available files, type the command "get readme". 6) To download other files, type the command "get filename", where "filename" is the name of the file. If downloading a binary (non-text) file, such as WordPerfect files ending in ".wp5" or compressed files ending in ".exe" or ".zip", be sure to type the command "binary" and press [Enter] before using the "get" command. If using Mosaic or similar Internet software, the universal resource locator address is "ftp://cdcnac.aspensys.com/pub/cdcnac". Gopher Server Address: cdcnac.aspensys.com A gopher server is a host computer with a simple menu interface leading to text files of documents and other options. A gopher is structured in a hierarchical or outline format with menus and submenus leading to different levels of choices, like folders or directories. The CDC Clearinghouse's gopher site contains the AIDS Daily Summary, AIDS-related Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report articles, tables from the HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, and other CDC documents. Basic HIV/AIDS-related information is available, as well as information about prevention, treatment, and living with HIV. To reach the CDC Clearinghouse gopher, point your gopher client to the address: "cdcnac.aspensys.com" Select CDC NAC from the first menu. To point directly to the CDC NAC gopher, point to the address "cdcnac.aspensys.com 72" (port 72). If using Mosaic or similar Internet software, the URL is "gopher://cdcnac.aspensys.com:72". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.3. WHO AIDS Cases Information The latest figures on the The Current Global Situation of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic are now available on the web using the URL: http://gpawww.who.ch/gpahome.htm There also is a gopher version available at gpagopher.who.ch For those with email only, the figures can be obtained by sending an email message to gpadoc@who.ch with the command GET EMSERVE AIDSCASE in the message text. A complete list of documents available from this service can be retreived using the GET EMSERVE INDEX command. These servers also contain additional publications and documents developed by the Global Programme on AIDS, World Health Organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.4. CDC AIDS Public Information Dataset. You can get the CDC AIDS public information Dataset via anonymous ftp. Michelle Murrain has set up a small AIDS ftp site, which has the most recent dataset (data through 1992). She gets each year's version (usually in June-July) and puts it there. It contains a line of data on each individual, including transmission category, OIs diagnosed, date of diagnosis, etc. The ftp site is: family.hampshire.edu directory, /pub/aids The name of the file is PIDS92Q4.DAT (BEWARE the file is 16 MB!!) There is also a Women and AIDS bibliography there. If anyone has resources they would like to share with folks via FTP let her know and she'll be glad to add them. Contact Michelle Murrain via mmurrain@HAMP.HAMPSHIRE.EDU ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question 8.5 World Wide Web Site on AIDS (French and English) I'd like to inform you of (part of) a WWW server on AIDS and HIV in french and partly in english. It contains extensive lists of ressources in France, and also pointers to many other ressources on the Internet. The entry point in english is http://www.ircam.fr/solidarites/sida/index-e.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.6. Information on AIDS and HIV related patents The US Patent and Trademark Office recently made available to the Internet all AIDS and HIV-related U.S. Patents. The patents include detailed research information. http://patents.cnidr.org or send e-mail with the word "help" in the message body to ezgate@cnidr.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.7.. ArtAIDS Link The ArtAIDS LINK URL http://artaids.dcs.qmw.ac.uk:8001/ ================ The ArtAIDS LINK is a collaborative art project and Internet event open to all digital artists. The ArtAIDS LINK is located on the World Wide Web, to commemorate and celebrate the fight against AIDS. The LINK starts with original digital image files commissioned from international artists, to enable an infinite chain of images (and soon other digital media) to be created by modification and/or development of the originals. New work can also be added to the LINK, in response to the theme or aspects of the contributed images. Not all the artists involved work on AIDS issues, but its theme is that *WE ARE ALL INVOLVED*. The LINK symbolizes that involvement. Participants can browse the ArtAIDS gallery and information pages, which are regularly updated to reflect the submission of modified digital art. Anyone can register to give notification of participation, and to identify their contributions. Initial contributions are expected to be single image files; no restrictions are placed on file size, although the preferred formats are: * 24-bit TIFF (RGB), 640x480 pixels, IBM PC byte order, with LZW compression. * Adobe Photoshop (2.5), 640x480 pixels Other file types are welcome, but please check with the technical coordinator first. Animation, multi-media, audio, MIDI and font files are welcome, and you should contact the technical coordinator for further information. Files created on an Apple Macintosh should be binhex'd before contributing. The ArtAIDS LINK will become active on World AIDS Day, 1st December 1994, hosted by Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. This was preceded by an Internet video conference launch, using the MBONE, on 28th December and hosted by University College London. The LINK will close in March 1995, and re-open in November 1995, prior to World AIDS Day 1995. We are seeking sponsorship to help maintain the LINK; please contact Andrew Nimmo if you are interested. Project Coordinator: Q Love (Roarke Associates) Technical Coordinator: Andrew Nimmo (email A.D.Nimmo@dcs.qmw.ac.uk) Project Curator: Peter Ride (Cambridge Darkroom Gallery) ArtAIDS LINK: http://artaids.dcs.qmw.ac.uk:8001/ ArtAIDS Email:ArtAIDS@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> ===================================================================== ArtAIDS is a collaborative project for CRUSAID, a leading UK AIDS fund-raising charity, with the Cambridge Darkroom Gallery, Queen Mary and Westfield College (University of London), University College London, Roarke Associates and the BBC Networking Club. The ArtAIDS LINK is supported by funding from the Arts Council of England. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.8. HIVNET/AEGIS Gateway Frequently Asked Questions About AEGIS What is AEGIS? AEGIS--AIDS Education Global Information System--is a global freeway to a world of people, knowledge, and resources. A non-profit bulletin board service (BBS), AEGIS is the world's largest non-government database on HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The AEGIS database contains nearly 2 gigabytes of information, stored in over 158,000 files of information, with about several hundred new files added monthly. Users can read and download more than 26 different full-text publications, the National Library of Medicine's CLINICAL ALERTS, AIDS DRUGS, AIDS TRIALS, and AIDSLINE databases (more than 100,000 files), the National AIDS Clearinghouse's recourse data (more than 15,000 files), Law Library containing dozens of full-text AIDS-related judicial decisions and legal commentaries, a FUNDING RESOURCE database and global events calendar. Users also can connect directly to the White House (ONAP/OASH) BBS, FDA BBS, and NIH BBS in Rockville, MD. Additionally, AEGIS provides gateways to a number of AIDS-related conferences or "electronic town-halls" in English, Dutch, German, and Spanish, where users can seek and share information. AEGIS is the cornerstone of the Global Electronic Network for AIDS, an international consortium of electronic bulletin boards, and regularly uploads information to more than 150 BBSs in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. While there are no formal agreements or obligations between AEGIS and its affiliates, AEGIS asks and expects affiliates to share the information it provides without charge. Who can use AEGIS? Anyone with a computer and a modem can use AEGIS at any time from almost any place in the world. Typically, users include persons with HIV/AIDS and their friends and families, health care providers and AIDS service organizations, educators and researchers, and affiliated bulletin board systems that download AEGIS files for toll-free use by their members. AEGIS is as user-friendly as it is powerful. AEGIS screens are straightforward and easy to understand even by computer novices. AEGIS is "keyword searchable", so topics can be found by typing in a few simple instructions. Ease of use will be further enhanced in 1995, when AEGIS introduces a point-and-click graphical user interface. Is AEGIS a free service? Since 1990, AEGIS has been free to the user and has depended entirely upon donations to operate. A serious system crash in December of 1994, demonstrated the danger of trying to operate a service as important as AEGIS on an annual budget well under $20,000. In 1995, AEGIS is reorganizing to establish the fiscal strength it needs to secure the service and continue its growth. AEGIS will institute user fees designed to cover half its operating costs. However, it is integral to its mission "to find and operate AEGIS in ways that minimize economic barriers to its use." As a matter of policy, AEGIS will continue to make free access available to people with HIV/AIDS and the organizations that support them. What is the purpose of AEGIS? 1) To develop, maintain, and enhance a global online network where people can confer, seek, and exchange information on HIV and AIDS. 2) To develop, maintain, and enhance a comprehensive, up-to-date database of information related to HIV and AIDS. 3) To increase local, national, and global awareness of the AEGIS among persons with HIV and AIDS, researchers, health care providers, educators and others affected by HIV/AIDS. 4) To fund and operate AEGIS in ways that do not create economic barriers to its use. Why is AEGIS needed? - As of July, 1994, there have been 3,430 persons with AIDS in Orange County, 72,433 in California, and 388,365 in the United States. A quarter million Americans have been lost to this epidemic. - In some parts of the world, new infections have soared ten-fold in four years. - 17 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus. By the year 2,000, between 40 and 110 million people will be HIV-infected. - The 'magic bullet' to cure or prevent HIV disease has not been found, and AIDS cannot yet be considered a manageable chronic disease. - People with or affected by HIV/AIDS often are isolated by cultural, geographic, and economic barriers. In these times, the question is how must we fight AIDS and relieve the human suffering it causes? We believe the answer will be found in the transformation of information into knowledge. For that to happen, information must be freely available, easily accessed, and widely disseminated. It must be used. AEGIS employs the latest telecommunications tools to make information about HIV/AIDS available to anyone who needs it. In this way, we seek to relieve some of the suffering and isolation caused by HIV/AIDS, and foster the understanding and knowledge that will lead to better care, prevention, and a cure. What is the history of AEGIS? AEGIS is a classic grassroots success story. In the mid-1980s, Orange County resident Jamie Jemison saw the potential of an online bulletin board service devoted to HIV/AIDS. The BBS he called AEGIS, however, was ahead of its time. The cost and limitations of computers and modems at that time for both a BBS and individuals were substantial barriers to their use. AEGIS remained a dream until he and Sister Mary Elizabeth connected in mid-1991. In 1990, she had launched the "HIV/AIDS Info BBS", motivated by a stay in a small Midwest farm community where she met several persons living with AIDS. They were profoundly isolated by illness, small town fears, and geography. In their need, she saw a way to put her technical skills to a spiritual use. Sr. Mary Elizabeth suggested joining forces with Mr. Jemison. However, he had gone on to other pursuits and ceded the use of the name AEGIS to Mary Elizabeth. Ever since, she has made AEGIS her life's work, building AEGIS into a service the Centers for Disease Control calls "the best of its kind." Is AEGIS a religious organization? Since 1990, AEGIS has been a service of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth, a 501c(3) religious community. As such, AEGIS is spiritually motivated. But it has no religious agenda and makes no religious statement beyond the belief that "a virus has no morals." The community was organized in accordance with the precepts of the Episcopal Church, but it has not met the requirements for formal recognition at this time. AEGIS is now the primary community service activity of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth, and is operated solely by its founder. AEGIS is now in the process of reorganizing as a 501(c)3 charitable and educational nonprofit organization, with bylaws and a Board of Directors. This step is intended to clarify the mission of AEGIS, and to involve more people in protecting and enhancing its viability and effectiveness. How well known is AEGIS? AEGIS is widely recognized by those involved in AIDS/HIV issues and familiar with bulletin board services. Feature articles have been written about AEGIS in the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Examiner, and the Computer Shopper, as well as several AIDS service organization newsletters. However, AEGIS needs to become better known in the HIV/AIDS community, particularly among AIDS service organizations and people with HIV/AIDS who are novice computers users. What are the barriers to using AEGIS? 1) Lack of awareness is the biggest barrier. AEGIS has never had the resources to engage in any formal marketing and has relied on word-of-mouth and occasional articles to increase awareness. 2) Resistance to technology ("modem phobia") is another barrier. Even among computer users, there is the perception that modems are difficult to understand, install, and use. For the average computer user, e-mail, the Internet, cyberspace, etc. are still esoteric concepts, not practical tools. 3) Cost of equipment and/or phone carrier charges is a third factor. The cost of computers and modems drop each year, the equipment still represents a substantial investment for many individuals. Is AEGIS a start-up service? No! AEGIS is a mature, robust, fully operational service with a global network of users. Is AEGIS unique? The "Guide to Selected AIDS-Related Electronic Bulletin Boards and Internet Resources," published by the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse, contains information on dozens of computerized AIDS-related services. Only AEGIS is given a separate appendix, which contains an overview of AEGIS and a 10-page list of over 150 AEGIS affiliates in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It says of AEGIS: "This comprehensive information collection is current and easily accessible; simply stated, this is one of the best." There are few significant alternatives to AEGIS. One of the newest is the AIDS/HIV Forum, a product of HandsNet, a nonprofit company whose clients are human services agencies. Its AIDS/HIV forum has received a two-year establishing grant from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. AEGIS is different from HandsNet in three ways. HandsNet targets only AIDS service organizations in this country. AEGIS is available to anyone and any organization, and is global in reach. HandsNet has a graphical interface. AEGIS does not, although it is praised for its ease of use. HandsNet charges fees that will average about $400 a year per agency. AEGIS is free to the user and seeks contributions from those who believe in its mission. In California, CAIN--the Computerized AIDS Information Network--is sponsored by the State Office of AIDS. Like AEGIS, CAIN includes e-mail, an interactive bulletin board forum, and databases of AIDS information. CAIN is far less comprehensive and up-to-date than AEGIS. CAIN also resides on the Delphi network and is available by subscription only. What makes AEGIS unique is that it is a single, all-inclusive AIDS/HIV resource with a global reach that is free to the user. You can access AEGIS by having your computer dial 714.248.2836. Communications protocols are 8N1/Full Duplex. AEGIS supports v.34 (28,800 bps) on all lines. How does AEGIS operate? Since its inception, AEGIS has been managed by Sister Mary Elizabeth, its founder and system operator (sysop). Like many founders of grassroots organizations, she is a singular person doing the work of many people. AEGIS is now her life's work and she is on the job nearly every waking hour. Since 1990, Sister Mary Elizabeth has operated AEGIS on an annual budget considerably less than $20,000. AEGIS has received no government or foundation support, and has depended solely on contributions of money, equipment, and space from individuals who believe in its mission. In addition, its founder has worked as a consultant, with those fees going to maintain the service. In 1994, Sister Mary began to be more direct in asking users for contributions. This effort has had, at best, a modest success. A recent system crash, which kept AEGIS down from Sunday, December 4, to Wednesday, December 7, 1994, resulted in a number of donations and offers of assistance. If this was a "blessing in disguise", it was in demonstrating that AEGIS is not secure at the present level of funding. To protect AEGIS, the organization has entered a second evolutionary stage. As an initial step, AEGIS is reorganizing as a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational and charitable organization with a Board of Directors. A Business Plan is under development which will set goals and explore a variety of funding options, including foundation grants, government grants, and user fees. Some of the goals that have been identified are: - To have a salaried, full-time system operator (sysop)/coordinator. At this time, this position is being filled without pay by Sister Mary Elizabeth. - To train a half-time technical assistant in all aspects of maintaining the system, so that AEGIS is not fully dependent on its founder. This position is new and remains vacant. - To hire an executive director with primary responsibility for development and marketing. This position is new and currently is being filled by Christopher Quilter on a volunteer basis. - To become a node on the INTERNET. - To develop and maintain a more redundant and robust system better protected from crashes and better able to recover when they occur, and to acquire the technology that will augment the system's power and features. - To find and implement telecommunication options that make access to AEGIS easier and more affordable for the user. Christopher Quilter January 12, 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Question 8.9. Other USENET newsgroups. Questions about AIDS come up occasionally in sci.med and soc.motss. The newsgroup bionet.molbio.hiv may or may not be available at your site--it discusses technical issues related to the molecular biology of HIV. As with any newsgroup, including sci.med.aids, you should read these for a few days before posting, to see if your question has been answered already, and to get a feel for the tone of the group. Misc.health.aids, a new unmoderated newsgroups is available for open dialogue about AIDS and HIV, and often focuses on alternative treatments.