Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 8, 1993 TAG: 9311080117
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Next to the cash register at the Hair Is beauty salon on Melrose Avenue Northwest stands a tall, clear jar.
At the bottom are a handful of packaged condoms.
Two weeks ago, the jar was full. But customers' frequent dips into the container have nearly emptied it.
Twice, salon owner Lisa Preston has filled the jar. It holds 88 condoms. She counted.
Some may find it shocking that a beauty salon makes condoms available to its customers.
But Preston has joined one Roanoke community action group's war against teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and the spread of HIV and AIDS.
For nearly 18 months, COHORT - an acronym for Caring Organization of Humans Offering Real Truth - has waged its war with informational pamphlets and educational programs. The group's battleground is an at-risk area of Roanoke - essentially, the core of Roanoke's inner city.
"We want to raise awareness in communities where there seem to be the most cases of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and where HIV and AIDS is growing faster than anywhere else in Roanoke," said Doug Leftwich, COHORT co-chairman.
The group has found allies in hair salons, barber shops, dry cleaners, service stations and convenience stores in the target area. Nearly 100 of them display pamphlets from COHORT.
Several months ago, COHORT volunteers followed up pamphlet drops by asking some businesses if they wanted condoms, too. A few businesses, including Hair Is, agreed.
"It worries me to see so many, so young, coming in here pregnant," Preston said. "I figured I'd help some of them."
Potential public outcry does not concern her; as yet, there has been none.
"I don't want to be one of those parents who says, `My kids don't do that,' " said Preston, who has a young son. "I'd rather they be safe than sorry. I'd rather they be protected."
Vanessa Moyer, owner of Vanessa's Beauty Boutique on 11th Street Northwest, says she has a lot of teen-age customers. When a COHORT volunteer approached her three months ago with condoms, she wondered whether making them available to customers was the right thing to do.
"I thought about it, and then I figured these teen-agers need help. Somebody's got to help them," Moyer said. "I think we have a big problem. This might help save someone."
Moyer said she distributes the condoms responsibly. She does not permit her young customers to walk in and simply grab a few.
"I'm not passing them out to every teen-ager who comes through the door," she said. "They get in here. We get to talking. I let them know they're available, and one or two will take them."
COHORT's members include public-health employees, business people and representatives of community service agencies.
Its target area is a turtle-shaped segment of the city bordered by Peters Creek Road, Interstate 581, the Roanoke River and railroad tracks. One COHORT member referred to it as "the southern part of the northwest section of Roanoke and the northern part of the southwest section."
Health Department statistics show those areas - predominantly low income - have the highest rate of teen pregnancy and reported cases of sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS.
"For pretty much everything, those areas are the highest," said Martha Lees, a program representative for the Roanoke and Alleghany Health District and COHORT volunteer. "We targeted those areas because of the high incidence."
COHORT has delivered its message through means other than neighborhood businesses. The group has conducted educational sessions at jails, schools and churches. It set up a booth at this year's Henry Street Festival, where volunteers distributed pamphlets and condoms.
Last weekend, volunteers delivered COHORT's message door-to-door at the Hurt Park public housing development. The group is scheduled to make similar visits to all of Roanoke's public housing neighborhoods before the end of the year, Leftwich, the COHORT co-chairman, said.
"We'll do a presentation to any audience that will listen to us," he said. "We want to raise the awareness level, especially among young people. Kids think they're immune to everything."
The group also wants to distribute condoms in drug-infested communities, one COHORT volunteer said.
The Health Department was able to track a correlation between the rise in popularity of crack cocaine in the target area and the sudden surge of reported cases of syphilis. In 1987, one case was reported in the target area. In 1988, the figure jumped to 57.
Cases peaked in 1989 with 99 reported cases.
"A lot of sexual activity goes along with crack," Lees said. "There is a lot of trading sex for drugs. When people have a drug habit, their priority is to get high, not taking care of their bodies."
The number of cases has since dropped. So far this year, there have been 10 reported cases. "We'd like to think that we're getting the message out, and people are more aware of HIV, and so they're practicing safer sex," Lees said.
That is where groups such as COHORT can help, she said. "The more you teach people, the more they're going to act better and practice what they learn."
Next on COHORT's agenda is fund raising to help the group broaden its efforts. The group has been sustained mostly by out-of-pocket money, Leftwich said.
Moreover, he wants the public to recognize the seriousness of COHORT's message and perhaps join its cause.
"Once people know who we are and what we're about, we'll get a lot more opportunity to educate folks - to do more to help," he said.
by CNB