FSC Issues Important Update on Performer Testing, Treatment

The following press released was received from Free Speech Coalition: CANOGA PARK, Calif.—This is an important update on syphilis treatment and testing for adult industry performers. Testing and treatment is now available at Cutting Edge Testing in Van Nuys. Treatment also is now being offered at their Fort Lauderdale, Florida location. VegasSTDTesting.com also is offering treatments starting Friday, August 24. Please contact these facilities to make sure they are able to provide you with treatment prior to your visit. For production businesses or groups of performers, we also have a concierge doctor’s service, which can be arranged through Dr. Darcy. Dr. Darcy will be available in San Francisco on August 23-24. And he is available to administer shots in San Diego as well. His contact information is (310) 351-8814; please, call for an appointment. If you are located outside of the areas of Los Angeles, San Francisco or Fort Lauderdale and you need assistance, please contact Joanne@freespeechcoalition.com. This recommended treatment is voluntary; APHSS advises all performers to check with producers they are working with for company policies, and also consult with a physician if they have concerns or reservations about treatment. Healthcare professionals will be available at Cutting Edge Testing and Vegas STD Testing to discuss treatment/testing options. Performer options for work availability are: 1) Get the shot/preventative treatment* from an APHSS clinic. 2) Get the shot/preventative treatment from another doctor and have them fill out the APHSS treatment form. 3) If not receiving preventive treatment from an APHSS-affiliated physician or an outside physician, wait 90 days and get a negative syphilis test (November 15). *For those allergic to penicillin and taking shots, reimbursements are available by sending a receipt for the medication together with patient contact information. The treatments that are being offered are as follows (to get details of each medication, click on the name): Bicillin LA, which is available as an one-time injection. For those allergic to penicillin: Doxycycline, 100 mg BID #28 (1 pill twice a day for 14 days). Azithromycin, 500mg (4 tablets all at one time). To clarify, the course of treatment offered by APHSS-recommended facilities was chosen due to several factors. First, while APHSS is aware of only two confirmed cases of performers that have tested positive for syphilis, various media have reported that Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has identified as many as nine cases. Neither Talent Testing Services (TTS) nor the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) is obligated (and indeed is prevented by HIPAA patient privacy regulations) to share confidential patient information with APHSS. But with patient permission, APHSS' doctors' network can initiate and implement a comprehensive partner notification process. FSC has reached out to both TTS and LACDPH. TTS has declined our offer and, as of yet, LACDPH has failed to respond. Therefore, APHSS is unable to contact these allegedly positive performers in order to initiate industry protocols. The performers that APHSS has confirmed came forward on their own, in order to cooperate with industry protocols and for help with treatment. Also, the regular test for syphilis, an RPR test, has a very large window period of 90 days, meaning that it may take 90 days for a new infection to be detected by the test. At that point, another confirmatory test must be administered in order to determine if the infection is active and at what levels of viral load. With no baseline of information for the identities of these cases reported by LACPH, it is impossible to determine when they may have been infected or if they may have been working during the time they were infected. For the safety of all performers, we would rather err on the side of caution and recommend testing and treatment for everyone, thus alleviating concerns about possible exposure. Each performer must decide which course of treatment is appropriate for him/herself. If you have questions or concerns, contact Joanne@freespeechcoalition.com. Contact info for the participating facilities is as follows: Cutting Edge Testing – Van Nuys, CA Location Dr. Peter Miao MD (818) 386-2132 5000 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite 202, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 Hours: 10:00am to 5pm Mon–Fri Cutting Edge Testing – Ft. Lauderdale, FL Location 2312 Wilton Dr. Wilton Manners, FL 33305 (954) 745-6888 Vegas STD Testing (Two Locations) Southeast Location 500 E. Windmill Lane Suite 115, Las Vegas, NV 89123 Las Vegas, NV 89123 (702) 870-1911 Monday – Friday: 9:00am to 5:30pm Saturday – Sunday: Closed Northwest Location 2051 N. Rainbow Blvd, Suite 100 Las Vegas, NV 89108 (702) 870-1911 Monday – Friday: 9:00am to 5:30pm Saturday – Sunday: Closed