Tennessee Center to Help Soothe AIDS Stress

Inside the First Congregational Church's basement in Memphis, Tenn., the Positive Living Center offers people infected or affected by AIDS the chance to attend yoga classes, surf the Internet, play Ping-Pong, study creative writing, or attend a monthly healing service. "This is a center that will help people learn to live with AIDS," said Len Piechowski, center director. The center is open to everyone, but Piechowski said it is particularly geared toward those who are working despite their illness. Organizers hope it will serve at least 200 clients.

The center is a project of Friends for Life, a social service agency for those battling AIDS. Kim Moss, the agency's executive director, said it took about a year to open the facility. A United Way grant helped underwrite the cost. The latest state health statistics indicate that 3,086 Shelby County residents are diagnosed with AIDS and 4,641 are HIV-infected but haven't developed the infections and immune system changes that characterize the disease. Piechowski, who took a sabbatical from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine to serve as the center's first director, said the center expects to host a variety of support and therapy groups. It offers acupuncture and massage as well as lectures and educational events.

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