| Contact Paul Ross, manager, AIDS Program Office, @CFO, or DTN 251-1418.
I got his name from the following LiveWire article:
Digital employees raise $23,000 for Mass. AIDS Action Committee
Digital employees raised $23,000 for the Massachusetts AIDS Action Committee
'Walk for Life' held in Boston on June 5th. That amount was matched through
the Corporate Gift Program for a total of $46,000. The funds raised will be
dispersed among 18 agencies within the greater Boston area.
Nearly 300 Digital employees participated in the walk, and the amount raised
was the largest single contribution ever given to a specific agency other than
the United Way, which is a formal campaign with the Company.
Digital is among the corporate sponsors for "walks" being conducted in San
Francisco, Orange County, CA., and Austin, Texas. For further information
about this and other related activities contact Paul Ross, manager, AIDS
Program Office, @CFO, or DTN 251-1418.
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| The following is from the Digital publication Personnel Perspectives,
Volume 4 Number 3, November 1987. Reprinted without permission.
Digital Adopts AIDS Guidelines and Education Communication Plan
---------------------------------------------------------------
In response to the AIDS epidemic that is confronting society as a
whole, Digital has developed a strategy and education plan to help
managers and employees become informed and better able to deal with its
possible impact. This strategy has been refined for the U.S., and its
international implementation will be determined by the appropriate
managers.
In a company Digital's size, managers and colleagues need to be
prepared to deal with cases of AIDS among employees, their families or
friends. Digital expects employees to treat each other with compassion
and to manage the workplace in keeping with medical facts and the
company's policy and philosophy.
Earlier this year, policies were reviewed in relation to AIDS, and the
company's "philosophy for employees with serious or disabling illnesses
or conditions" was developed. According to John Doherty, Corporate
Policies and Procedures manager, it is Digital's philosophy "to
recognise that employees with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart
disease, and AIDS, may wish to continue as many of their normal
activities as their condition allows, including work. As long as
these employees are able to meet acceptable performance standards, and
medical evidence indicates that their conditions do not pose problems
to them or others in doing their jobs, we want to be sure they are
treated consistently with other employees, and that their rights to
confidentiality are observed."
"The best medical information tells us that employees cannot contract
the AIDS (HIV) virus through work-related contacts with fellow
employees," says Dick Porter, Corporate Medical Director. "Therefore,
employees who have AIDS or ARC and are capable of performing or
returning to their job responsibilities will be allowed to work."
"The company will treat AIDS as any other medical problem," continues
Laurie Margolies, Corporate Employee Relations Programs manager. "This
means that all information about the patient is confidential and the
employee is entitled to receive medical, disability and life insurance
benefits in accordance with company policy."
As with any serious illness, situations may arise where both the
employee's physician and Health Services agree that the employee should
have either different duties and responsibilities or a reduced work
schedule. In accordance with Digital's U.S. Employee Privacy policy,
Health Services will inform the manager or supervisor of any employment
restrictions, but cannot reveal the employee's specific medical
condition. It is then the manager's responsibility to try and locate a
comparable position which would accommodate these restrictions.
If an individual applying for a position within the company indicates
he or she has AIDS, this condition is to be considered as any other
medical condition and does not exclude the individual from
consideration.
Education is Key:
Digital is undertaking a four-stage approach in the U.S. to delivering
and maintaining an educational program for managers and employees. The
strategy is cross-functional, and includes internal and external
resources, manager and employee education, and the establishment of an
AIDS Program Office.
Laurie Margolies, Erline Belton, Corporate Employee Relations manager,
and Donna Taylor, Engineering Valuing Differences manager, were
instrumental in developing the company's AIDS education program, along
with an AIDS Education Task Force, headed by Donna, with
cross-organisational representation. The first phase, training 5
people to be members of AIDS Education Teams (AETs), was completed in
September. An AIDS Program Office is currently being developed to
provide resources and referrals and program administration. It will be
part of Corporate Employee Relations. A manager's handbook, containing
medical facts, guidelines, and internal and external resources, is also
being developed.
In September through early Q2, the company's AIDS education strategy
was presented to senior line and Personnel staffs, followed by an
educational program. Education for "front-line" Personnel, line
managers, EAP and occupational health professionals will be conducted
through Q2 and Q3. A customised education process will be delivered to
sites and organisations as the fourth phase of the process.
For further information on AIDS, contact Dr. Richard Porter, DTN
251-1314. For further information on the AIDS education and
communication strategy, contact Laurie Margolies, DTN 251-1370.
What is AIDS?
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the HIV virus
(Human Immuno-deficiency Virus), which attacks the body's immune
system. As a result, the body is susceptible to infections by a
variety of bacteria and viruses usually harmless to healthy
individuals.
Since the syndrome was first recognised in 1981, the number of AIDS
cases in the U.S. has doubled every 12-18 months. At that rate, by
1991 some 300,000 AIDS cases will have occurred, resulting in
approximately 180,000 deaths. No cure is available nor expected to be
found in the immediate future. Also, the development of a safe,
effective vaccine is likely to take several years. One drug
azothymidine (also called AZT or "Retrovir"(tm)) has been found to
prolong life expectancy and quality of life in persons with AIDS.
Infection occurs in one of three ways---sexual contact with an infected
person, blood-to-blood transmission from needle sharing by IV drug
users, and from an infected mother to new born during pregnancy or
delivery. The AIDS virus does not discriminate---it has been found in
all sectors of the population.
The illness itself varies in degree. At one end of the spectrum are
individuals with the severe, highly fatal form of AIDS. At the other
extreme are individuals who have been exposed, have the virus in their
bodies, but have no symptoms or physical abnormalities. Although they
have no evidence of illness, these "carriers" can transmit the virus to
others.
Intermediate forms of the disease have been called ARC (AIDS Related
Complex), a term that will be used less frequently now that the nature
and behaviour of the causative virus is better understood. A certain
percentage of carriers and individuals with ARC will progress to fully
developed AIDS.
Digital Guidelines on AIDS in the workplace:
Testing for AIDS antibodies: Digital does not request or use the
results of AIDS blood tests as conditions for hiring or continued
employment. In fact, such use is illegal in Massachusetts and some
other states. In addition, Digital will not make such testing a
prerequisite for medical, disability or life insurance coverage. The
company will not ask for the results of any prior testing of the
employee or prospective employee. The only exception would be Digital
nurses and/or physicians who may require this information to determine
medical qualifications for job placement. Such information would be
privileged and not shared with management. (See Employee Privacy
policy below.)
Employee privacy and medical records: The only persons who are
entitled to know the contents of an employee's medical records are
outlines in the Employee Privacy policy (U.S. Policies and Procedures
Manual, Policy 6.18). Because of the extreme sensitivity of
information concerning AIDS or ARC, any Digital employee who has access
to such information regardless of source, should exercise extreme
caution in using an dissemination it. Questions or conflict about any
person's right of access to information in an employee's medical record
shall be resolved by Corporate Health Services and the Law Department.
AIDS and hiring: A prospective employee who indicates he or she has
AIDS, ARC, or a positive test for the virus, will not be prohibited
form employment at Digital if otherwise qualified to perform the job.
Customer sites: Employees who are concerned about contact with AIDS at
a customer site (for example, a laboratory where blood products are
utilised) should talk with their managers. If required, a site
evaluation will be done by Digital management in consultation with
qualified health, industrial hygiene, and safety specialists.
Benefits for employees with AIDS: Any employee suffering from AIDS or
ARC is entitled to medical, disability and life insurance coverage on
the same basis as an employee suffering from any other disease. There
are no exclusions for pre-existing conditions in Digital's medical,
disability, and life insurance polices.
Employees who choose medical protection from a Health Maintenance
Organisation (HMO), rather than through the John Hancock medical plan,
are advised to contact their HMO to learn about any coverage
limitations that may apply to them (e.g., service area or doctors).
Medical Case Management: John Hancock offers this confidential program
to assist employees and their families in exploring benefit coverage
for special treatment options. If this program is appropriate for an
AIDS or ARC patient, a consultant from John Hancock will be assigned to
help a patient deal effectively with health care organisations and
community programs by acting as a liaison between all parties,
providing ongoing information on care alternative for all concerned
and helping to ease the transition between out-patient, chronic and
acute care.
Protection of medical personnel and emergency procedures: Corporate
Health Services will provide its health professionals, Security, and
emergency responders with current scientific information on the
transmission of AIDS and will provide training in infection control
procedures, primarily in the handling of blood.
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