Survival of AIM Health Clinic is Doubtful

[Snowman]

I saw this today on Ava Rose's Twitter.

AvaRosexxx RT can u please help me raise $1 from everyone of our fans Aim Healthcare is going out of business if we don't help!! (via @Alexis_Texas)

In case you don't know, AIM is the clinic that provides low cost, rapid testing to adult industry performers for HIV and other STDs.

I checked it out on the AIM website and what Ava wrote is true! AIM is in serious financial distress. This notice was posted on their website yesterday:

AIM'S PLAN OF ACTION FOR CONTINUED DONATIONS TO STAY AFLOAT Phase One: We have taken a considerate and thorough accounting from our Data Base List of Companies who donate on a monthly basis. Since AIM does not need the entire balance at one time, (and we are down to about $180,000.00 from $250,000.00) so we clearly are making progress.... back to the plan; We are creating a sliding scale pertinent to the size of each production company. The amounts that AIM will be suggesting for donations from each, could be donated over a 2-3 month period of time! This way no one gets too big of a sting, and it is fair, as we did protect the Data Base and the Industry in it's entirety, not just patient O, or just one production company or patient. Phase Two: Since AIM has not raised the price of testing since January of 2006, we have no choice right now to raise the price by a small increment, which does add up at the end of each month. Phase Three: There are two Fundraisers are scheduled. LATATA on November 11th. Belladonna is diligently working on an Event to be scheduled in early December. BY NO MEANS DOES THIS PROGRESS REPORT MEAN THAT AIM IS OUT OF HOT WATER!!!! THIS IS AN URGENT PLAN OF ACTION, AND THE BEST WAY WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE TO REMAIN OPEN! AIM has been receiving donations from talent, and general public alike. We are greatly appreciative for this. We wish to thank everyone who has stepped up to help us during this time of our most crucial need. There are some days where we feel as if we are sweeping the ocean back with a broom, and often this is a thankless job. Your actions and reactions of generosity, has truly warmed the cockles of our heart. AIM is very grateful to see folks not being intimidated by this important undertaking. THANK YOU! This makes us feel as if we indeed did do the right thing by throwing our money, our time and literally AIM on the OSHA grenade. Thus winning a small battle in the fight for Independence in the Adult Industry.

Wow, that would be something if AIM folds. Many performers (who do not have health insurance) would be in a real bind!

[Snowman]

To make matters worse, now CAL-OSHA is on their asses. This bulletin was posted on the AIM site yesterday as well:

INDUSTRY CAL-OSHA ALERT Recently AIM Healthcare Foundation has been the target of aggressive attacks by the Los Angeles County Department of Health and California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA). Motivated by LA County Health's desire to get new funding and power to oversee all adult entertainment production, the governmental effort has focused on AIM because of the central nature of AIM to adult talent. GOVERNMENT WANTS TO FORCE AIM TO TRACK YOUR PRODUCTIONS It would be extremely difficult for any government agency to track your company's individual productions and monitor them. Instead, government is trying to claim that AIM Healthcare is an "employer" of talent in order to force AIM to get information about your productions and then reveal this information to the government. This is information that they cannot legally get any other way. GOVERNMENT WANTS TO BLAME YOU FOR ALL TALENT STDs Both Cal-OSHA and LA County Health have violated state law by trying to force AIM to reveal private information about performers' private health history. More importantly for you, they are trying to get information about what performers have worked for which companies and when. They want to force your company to take the blame if a performer in one of your movies contracts an STD, such as chlamydia, or gonorrhea, without any evidence that the illness was acquired on your set. GOVERNMENT WANTS TO MANDATE CONDOMS AND HOSPITAL STANDARDS ON YOUR SETS If they can force AIM to reveal personal health information and employment histories, two things are likely. One is that your company will be subject to enormous financial burdens, such as dramatically increased medical payments, including for performers who contracted STDs in their private life, but happened to work on one of your movies. Second, this is part of an agenda to force hospital standards (especially mandatory condom use on all sets, under all circumstances) on the adult production industry because of the exchange of bodily fluids.

[Snowman]

I saw this on Kita's Twitter:

KitaZen AIM Health Care needs donations 4 their legal fund! Please attend their Red Carpet fundraiser @ Les Deux Nightclub in Hollywood on Nov 11th

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Here's additional information about the event from the LA Direct Models blog.

A fundraiser for the Licensed Adult Talent Agency Trade Association (L.A.T.A.T.A.) and the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation (A.I.M. Healthcare) is going to be held on Wednesday, November 11th 2009 @ Les Deux Nightclub in Hollywood, Ca at 9pm. Recently, the A.I.M. Healthcare Foundation has been the target of aggressive attacks by the Los Angeles County Department of Health and California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal-OSHA). Motivated by LA County Health’s desire to get new funding and power to oversee all adult entertainment production, the governmental effort has focused on A.I.M. Healthcare because of the central nature of A.I.M. Healthcare to adult talent. As a result, A.I.M. Healthcare has been embattled in a number of tedious and expensive law suits that may threaten to shut down its facilities. Time to fight back! This fundraiser will help the adult industry in it’s fight against the very people that threaten to shut down A.I.M. Healthcare and, in effect, the progress of the adult industry in general! Awareness and support for this event is crucial and these proposed governmental obstructions would effect everyone in the industry from the production companies, agencies, talent, and studios etc. Eight agencies have joined forces to help create extra money for this cause: L.A. Direct Models, GoldStar Modeling, Adult Talent Managers, Lisa Ann’s Talent Management, Spiegler Girls, Type 9 Models, World Modeling, A-List Talent, and Foxxx Modeling This is a red carpet event that will be hosted by representatives from each of the adult agencies. A star studded, who’s who of adult industry performers will be on hand to help raise proceeds. Les Deux Nightclub is located at 1638 N. Las Palmas Ave. Hollywood, Ca. 90028. Red Carpet at 9pm. To R.S.V.P., Access media credentials, or for more information please email ryan@kingryanevents.com