Policies and Procedures

POLICY 5450C:
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME - AIDS

Western Wyoming College will not unlawfully discriminate against students, employees or their dependents with AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), ARC (Aids Related Complex) or positive antibody tests for the above. Western Wyoming College will follow the recommendations and guidelines issued by the American College Health Association which are based on the best currently available medical information and council of the Public Health Service and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Western Wyoming College will take positive action towards AIDS education.

Western Wyoming College will maintain strict confidentiality for students, employees and their dependents afflicted with AIDS, ARC or positive antibody tests.

Cross Reference 4440A
Adopted June 23, 1988

PROCEDURE 5450C:
ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME – AIDS

Purpose

In order to assist the College community in responding to the medical, legal and ethical questions posed by AIDS, the Western Wyoming College guidelines are developed to:

Maintain an active ongoing educational program that can provide accurate, up-to-date information to all members of the College community.

Establish guidelines which will minimize the risk of acquiring AIDS.

Protect individual rights of confidentiality and freedom from discrimination.

Establish an Advisory Board charged with

Developing and refining established guidelines as new information becomes available
Reviewing specific concerns of members of the College community.

General Procedures

Current medial information indicates that AIDS is not easily transmitted. It is not spread through casual contact but is transmitted through the exchange of body fluids or blood during intimate sexual activities, infected mother to infant, transfusion of infected blood or blood products, and shared use of intravenous needles contaminated by infected individuals (IV drug users).

There is no current evidence that individuals who are infected with AIDS, ARC, or have a positive HIV antibody test spread the infection by casual, ordinary contact. Current knowledge indicates that they do not pose a health risk to other students or employees in an academic setting.

The above facts, derived from the best epidemiologic data currently available, are the basis for the following guidelines:

Most college students who have AIDS, ARC, or positive HIV antibody test, whether they are symptomatic or not, will be allowed regular classroom attendance and employees infected with the virus will normally be allowed to perform their usual duties in an unrestricted manner as long as they are physically able. Exceptions will be decided on a case by case basis by the Advisory Board.

There is no current medical justification for restricting access of students or employees with AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test to student unions, theatres, restaurants, cafeterias, snack bars, gymnasiums, swimming pools, recreational facilities, or other common areas.

The College will not undertake programs required screening for students or employees for antibody HIV.

Consideration of the existence of AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test will not be part of the initial admission or employment decision for those applying to attend or work at the College.

In order for the institution to help insure proper medical care and education, students and employees are encouraged to voluntarily inform the Health Services Coordinator, or designee, if they have AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test. All information will be handled in a strictly confidential manner in accordance with procedures and requirements in effect in the institution.

Regular medical follow-up for those who have AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test is encouraged and appropriate assistance will be provided by Health Services in coordination with the personal physician. For employees, medical care will be coordinated with outside medical resources as requested.

Those who are known to be immunologically compromised will be excused from institutional requirements for certain vaccinations, since these may lead to serious consequences in individuals with poorly functioning immune systems.

The College must follow safety guide-lines as proposed by the Public Health Service for the handling of blood, body fluids and used needles/equipment. These safety guidelines apply not only to medical care in the Health Services area but to any other campus setting where blood or bodily fluids are handled. Since the identity is usually not known, safety procedures must be adopted and implemented wherever blood or body fluids are handled.

Guidelines concerning the handling of confidential medical information about students or employees with AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test follow the general standards for maintaining confidentiality, i. e. , no specific or detailed information concerning complaints or diagnosis will be provided to faculty, administrators (except the Vice President for Student Success Services), parents, or anyone else, except as required by law, without the expressed written permission of the patient in each case. This position with respect to health records is supported by Rights and Privacy Act of 1974. The duty of physicians and other health care providers to protect the confidentiality of information is superseded by the necessity to protect others only in very specific, threatening circumstances. The number of people in the institution who are aware of the existence and/or identity of students or employees who have AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV antibody test should be kept to an absolute minimum. A breach of confidentiality will result in disciplinary action, up to and including possible termination of employment.

Members of the College community should be prepared to respond without violating confidentiality to inquiries from parents and other members of the community about a known or suspected student or employee with AIDS, ARC, or a positive antibody test for HIV, and to expect questions form them or others about the institution's policy in this regard. Such individuals should be referred to the Vice President for Student Success Services for response.

The best currently available medical information does not support the existence of a risk to those sharing rooms with infected individuals. There may be, in some circumstances, reasonable concern for the health of any student with a weakened immune system, whether he/she has an AIDS-related disorder or another illness, who might be exposed to certain contagious diseases (e. g. , measles or chicken pox) in a close living situation. On a case-by-case basis, the Advisory Board, upon consultation with public health authorities, as needed, may recommend that a student with AIDS, ARC, or other immune deficient problems, seek special housing arrangements for his/her protection. There is no justification for excluding individuals with AIDS, ARC, or a positive HIV test from residential housing. Prevention of transmission is best accomplished through the education of students and employees regarding behaviors known to transmit the virus.

All individuals are urged to observe measures and practices to prevent possible transmission of the AIDS virus. Infected individuals must take responsibility to strictly observe such measures. Infected individuals should advise their medical, dental, and eye care professionals of their condition to prevent transmission when seeking regular health care. Any person with AIDS, ARC or a positive HIV antibody test whose personal behavior and/or medical condition poses imminent risk to the campus community shall be evaluated on an individual basis, consistent with established college policies, to determine if limitations in contacts, activities or continuation at the College are in the best interest of the student or employee and college community.

Responsibility of Student Health Services

Student Health Services, on behalf of the Division of Student Personnel Services, is charged with the responsibility for developing an ongoing educational program that can provide information to all levels of the campus community.

The Coordinator of Health Services, or designee, will be responsible to assume a managerial role in providing consistent and responsible analysis of circumstances of each individual case of AIDS and will be expected to confer with the College Advisory Board as appropriate.

Student Health will be available to provide counseling, referral for testing, and education about AIDS. Student Health will also be available to evaluate and consult on AIDS-related concerns of students and employees and to coordinate medical care and psychological support for persons with AIDS, ARC, and persons who test positive for antibodies to the AIDS virus.

The College guidelines must remain responsive and up-to-date. To accomplish this, a committee (the College Advisory Board) will be formed, composed of appropriate representatives of the campus community as identified by the President. The Advisory Board is charged with

Developing and refining these guidelines on AIDS as new scientific information becomes available and
Reviewing specific concerns about AIDS which might be brought to the committee by students, faculty, or staff.

Only the Vice President for Student Success Services will have access to specific information. Descriptive information only will be given to the Advisory Board.

Cross Reference 4440A
Approved June 23, 1988