Pennsylvania: AIDS Workers Won't Return to Parks After Dispute Over Condom

Workers with an AIDS prevention program will not be going back to parks in Monroe and Carbon counties, Pa., after officials from both counties said Monday that they did not want condoms distributed in such areas. They were responding to concerns parents raised after a worker gave a condom to a 13-year-old girl at a playground with younger children nearby.

The Carbon-Pike-Monroe Drug and Alcohol Commission has run its program in Monroe and Carbon counties for about three years. Commission Director Richard Mroczka said the outreach was designed to teach 13- to 18-year-olds about HIV/AIDS. He said the program mostly focuses on abstinence and avoiding risky behavior. "Condom distribution is a last resort, and it's very discreet," he said. But Monroe County Commissioner Robert Nothstein said, "I don't want you talking to my daughter in a park at all without my permission."

Carbon County Commissioner Thomas Gerhard, who brought up the issue during a meeting several weeks ago, said he thinks money spent on the AIDS outreach program would be better spent helping people with other diseases, such as cancer. Despite the criticism, some county officials said they think the program provides a valuable service for the community. "It's better that someone exposes them to a frank discussion about the world around them," Monroe County Commissioner James Cadue said.

Mroczka said the outreach program in the parks has been suspended indefinitely since the concerns were raised. But he said the program could be successful without going into areas such as parks. "I think we can do it without going into parks in either county," said Mroczka. He said workers could do their jobs in schools and malls.

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