AREA NURSE OFFERS PLACE IMMUNE TO HIV STIGMA.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Marjorie Richey has grown attached to the dozens of men and women who, over the past 10 years, have gathered in her living room twice each month.

Her cozy couch and welcoming lazy chairs have become a haven for many living with HIV or battling the AIDS virus, a place to meet with others who can share fears and foster courage among newfound friends.

``In an ideal world, there would be effective prevention and I wouldn't have any more people come to my support group. There wouldn't be any more people getting infected or putting themselves at risk,'' said Richey, a Los Robles Hospital nurse who since 1988 has dedicated her free time to the longest-running support group for people with HIV and AIDS in eastern Ventura County.

``But there are still a lot of people out there who are testing HIV-positive. We still have a problem,'' she said.

Across the country, communities have been celebrating the dramatic drop in the number of AIDS cases. This past week, the Public Health Department reported that a total of 44 people were living with AIDS in Ventura County in 1997 compared to 90 reported the year before.

But like HIV/AIDS specialists across the county, Richey is warning that the problem is far from gone and that supporting HIV-positive people and reaching out to others before they contract the virus should be the county's top health priority.

``The good news is that fewer people are dying of AIDS. But we still have a large base of persons with HIV who need support and treatment,'' said Teresita Pijuan, a registered nurse and the case manager who has managed the public health department's Simi Valley office since it opened in 1994.

The drop in the number of reported AIDS cases has been credited in large part to a new generation of medications that are effectively slowing the progression of HIV into AIDS. But that has left thousands who must still find the money and the strength to afford a rigid schedule of medications that can cost thousands of dollars each month and have a variety of harsh side effects.

Additionally, Pijuan said, too many HIV-positive people and those with AIDS still face a dilemma when having to decide who they can tell and who they can trust.

``For many, there is still a stigma to be overcome, and also there is a lot of depression because they may not want to tell many people,'' she said.

For the past decade, Richey's support group was the only one available to residents in the east county until the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley founded the second.

Doug Green, executive director of AIDS Care in Ventura, said that the sharp rise in the number of people living with HIV has increased the demand for social services and support groups throughout the county especially over the past year.

``We have seen a 21 percent increase in our client load because people are living longer. The bottom line is that the infection is continuing unabated even if it is not as quickly converting into the full-blown AIDS virus,'' he said.

County programs are stepping up their efforts to help those with HIV and AIDS afford the cost of medicines - especially in the east county, where residents have found fewer services than in the western county. And both public and private agencies are scrambling to get the funds to help those learning to live with the disease cope with their emotions.

AIDS Care, for instance, managed to raise about $170,000 last year to create and expand support services and prevention programs throughout the county. For their part, the county health department intends to expand its Moorpark clinic in the coming months to include a center for HIV-positive residents and those with AIDS.

And Pijuan, who stressed the importance of the familial environment support groups offer, added that she intends to start a bilingual support group in Simi Valley by the end of the summer.

For Richey, as for Pijuan and other public health officials, the top priority continues to be prevention and outreach education.

``Nothing is wrong with sex, but it has to be responsible sex, and it is risky at any age,'' Richey said.

In addition to continuing her support group, Richey also conducts outreach programs at high schools, local colleges, the teen center, adult education centers and athletic teams.

For more information, call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO (Color) Marjorie Richey

Runs support group