esn't ease guard fear ByDarl tep Capital News Service LA SI G - An inmate orking in a prison orkshop ccidentally his hand and bqpns to bleed. A upervisor orders another guard to get fir t- . d kit. The guard refuses, saying the prisoner is junkie" and may carry th AIDS virus. o y.I'm no touching any blood," he say . "And you shouldn't, either. Let medical handle it --- it' their job.· So begins "AIDS: Key F as for Correction I St ff,· a videotape that is own to state p . d trainees. The tape, produced by the Federal Bore uoff'risons.i designedto inform corrections officers bout Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and ease their fears bout contracting the disease on the job. . It does not ease the fear , howev r, of the director of the state prison guard union. Fred Parks, executive direc­ tor 0 .th� Michigan Corrections Organization, said the tape is o enough. It is obviously not adequate," Parks said. "It's a good film; it's just that that's the end of it," Parks has called. for routine testing of all inmates upon icar­ ceration. For those inm tes who test positive for the AIDS virus, he recommends medical isola­ tion. He also has called for more exensive training to teach . guards how to deal with infected inmates. UTHORITIES IMIZE D GER However, Gail Light, Cor­ rections Department pokesperson, said AIDS in the prison system is a "non-story." In fall 1986, the department tested every inmate who went through the Reception and Guidance Center inJ ackson. All ate prisoners go through the recep . on center before starting their prison terms. Five out of the 600 to 700 prisoners tested had the AIDS virus, Light said. Statistically, AIDS is no more prevalent among prisoner than among the general population, she said. The recent death in J on of a Southern Michigan Prison inmate --- who had been posed to AIDS before he entered the rpison system -­ brought to nine the number of AIDS-infected inmates ho have died since 1984, Light said. Guards should not be con­ cerned about contracting the disease because it is difficult to transmit by casual contact, she said. AIDS is thought to be transmitted by an exchange of body fluids, especially blood. "If they have a cut on their hand and have to go deal with a prisoner who had a cut onhis hand also, they, would have the option of putting. on gloves," Light aid. "They're not sup­ posed to put their bare hands on somebody else's cut." DELIBERATE CONTACf A WORRY But Parks said the guards are more concerned about the in­ mates who might intentionally tty to infect them. "Some (inmates) think noth­ ing of slicing themselves with a razor and daring you to come near them," Parks said. "It's not the casual contact we're worried about; it's the deliberate con­ tact." In February, Rep. Robert Bender (R-Middleville) intro­ duced a bill that would require AIDS testing of all new inmaes in state prisons. The bill is await­ ing a hearing before the House Corrections Committee. "It, long with the other AIDS bills, is just not moving," Bender id, "It's a controversial issue. And I think, in fairness, there . interes in a broader o rall policy on AIDS." Sen. J ck Welborn (R­ P chment) said he hopes to see changes in the Corrections Departmen AIDS policy, but he does not think it i the Legislature's job to make the changes. -We do nt need to change the law,· he said. "The department has it within it authority to change policy." UNDERMINES DISCIPLINE When prison guards do not know whether they are dealing with AIDS-infected prisoners, they may be reluctant to break up fights or put themselves in risky situations, Welborn said. "The problem is it under­ mines discipline," he said, ad­ ding that inmates carrying the AIDS virus should be isolated from other prisoners. At the conclusion of the training videotape, the super­ visor convinces the worried guard to obtain help for the in­ jured prisoner. "Ob, yeah, and bring some disinfectant so you can clean up this area," he tells the guard. The final scene shows a rub­ ber-gloved guard spraying disin­ fectant on a pool of blood while mopping it up with paper towel. n 3 ental healt pros p ead for public understanding 8yBalTy'I Capital News Service LANSING - In the aftermath of Mental Health Awareness Week, mental illness organiza­ tions hope the focus on learning about schizophrenia will con­ tinue in Michigan. Organizations such as the ational Alliance for the Men­ tally Ill (NAMI), are working with Michigan groups to ensure that the facts of mental illness are known and publicized, and that more people will seek help for the ailment. Gerald Rees, of the Wash­ tena (County) Alliance for Mentally Ill, said there is a lac of public understanding that it is a disease." The fact of schizophrenia are that there are over 500,000 people in Michigan living with families with it, dover 300,000 in foster homes, as well as in nursing homes, jails and hospi­ tals. FLICfS 1 OUT OF 100 Schizophrenia is so common that it affects about 1 percent of the population, which is about one out of every 100 people. It's also a misunderstood dis­ ease because it is a brain disor­ der, not mental retardation. People of normal intelligence can't functin as it impairs think­ ing and brings on delusions, hal­ lucinations, and changes in emo­ tions. Mental illness can affect people in early adulthood or adolescence, or evenin late adul life as well. There are many misconcep­ tions about mental health that the NAMI is trying to dispell as well. One fact, though,is that most mentally ill people are not violent and are often victim of crimes. Actually mental illness also is not restricted to a certain social class or race, it can affect anyone. ANYWHERE Bur HERE But one the biggest problems facing mental ill people, said Rees, is "nimby"