European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 30, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday May 30, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 9 Heidelberg nurse zeroes in on aids condom lady not shy about talking to gis b writer Heidelberg West Germany Pat Rehburg was walking across the parking lot of the Heidelberg main Exchange when a Soldier walked up and asked Aren t you the condom lady the Heidelberg Community health nurse smiles at the description she s earned Over the past year delivering More than 200 aids education presentations. But. She said shrugging you can t talk about aids without discussing Rehburg not Only discusses condoms she dispenses them. Wherever she Speaks a Large bowl of condoms invariably sits nearby. Those who attend Are free to take them. Rehburg has even taken to wearing condoms albeit pinned to her dress. During the May convention of the european Congress of american parents teachers and students she attached red. Blue and yellow condoms to the front of her Delegate s badge. The decoration Drew a gasp from Caits president Linda Resch. Wearing that May not bother Rysch said. Bui it sure bothers Rehberg. 36, says honesty and self awareness Are crucial to anyone on the aids education circuit. I m very comfortable in my own sexuality. To talk before 200 to 300soldiers men and talk about anal sex and Oral sex. You have to be Rehberg has had five cars to feel at ease with such subjects. She can still recall the a in 19s4 when her Boss col. Marie o Neil told Rehburg another army Community health nurses that aids education was now a part of their duties and that they would be working with patients infected with the disease. Since then Rehburg has worked inthe main Wiesbaden Darmstadt and Heidelberg military communities serving As a combined teacher Counselor and reference source for those infected with the aids virus or interested in the disease. She started a support group for aids victims in the Heidelberg area about a year ago and discovered that the task was too much for one person. I was the Only one in their lives who was giving them support Rehberg said. I needed other people to support me. I would go Home mentally and emotionally drained. I was going through All these emotional things they were going through. I had to Back of for a bit kind of regroup and jump Back a social worker and a psychiatrist have now joined the group whose members Hope to meet other infected adults in the Frankfurt area. Rehburg s education efforts reached into the schools during the past year when Eca pts officials asked her to head their aids education program. Rehburg was eager to accept the Volunteer position. "1 think our kids arc at High risk for becoming his positive she said. Kids arc into drugs. Kids Are int experimenting with sex. Adults have been Given the information on aids and we can make that decision that we Community health nurse Pat Rethi re talks about some of the anti aids paraphernalia decorating her office. Sir Lynda w Sparks will change our Behaviours. But a lot of kids Don t think it is Ever going to happen to Ochberg s move into the schools forced her to Deal with the question of How to introduce the subject of condoms into a wider discussion about aids. One High school principal forbid her i think our kids Are at High risk for becoming his Pat Rehberg to even mention them while discussing the disease. She is careful to include information about sexual abstinence and monogamous relationships in her presentations but virtually every session deals with condoms in detail. I put one on my Finger and Tell them thai is not where it should be she said. I try to make it humorous. "1 have a film that shows a Man putting a condom on a banana. And he says now put the condom on your banana i m not going to Call it a Rehberg encountered the condoms for teens Issue dec. I. Which was designated world aids she and a colleague had set up a display at Campbell Barracks which is within walking distance of Heidelberg High school. The display included a bowl of condoms and one visitor did t think much of the idea. What if some of the teen agers from the High school came through the Man asked. Would you give them to them Rehberg said she would. She was t always so inclined. Last Vear a group of 12 and 13-year-Oldboys asked her for some while she stood near an aids education display at the Patrick Henry Village officer club. Rehberg refused telling them you re too but when a colleague advised her to move away and let the Public take the condoms Rehberg changed her mind vowing then to provide condoms to anyone who is having sexual i be had a lot of parents who Tell me they Don t like the fact i promote the use of condoms with the kids she said. That does t Shock me. That irritates Rehberg is usually accompanied during her presentations by a woman she introduces As Mishall a 28-year old with the aids virus who talks about her ordeal in graphic tearful terms. It s easier for us to talk about the use of condoms with Mishall there Rehburg said. We have a person who has the aids virus a walking example of what will happen if you Don t use condoms. After our audiences have heard Mishall speak i think they arc pretty in their joint presentation Rehburg begins by giving an overview of the disease. Using slides and pamphlets she discusses the disease and prevention. Mishall then takes Over recounting How she became infected from her husband a bisexual. The couple have a 2-Ycar-old boy who has not contracted the aids virus. The child has bonded Mishall and Rehburg together beyond their working relationship and Rehburg and her husband have agreed to adopt the boy should Mishall and her husband become incapable of caring for him. For the future Rehburg wants to continue her schedule of presentations especially those targeting school age audiences and Hopes Shell be Able to reach schools outside the Karlsruhe Heidelberg District beginning in the fall. She has received tentative invitations to speak before school audiences in Turkey and Italy. Still the condom lady has some lingering doubts about her effectiveness. I think our kids know How aids is transmitted she said. They know that if you use a condom it will prevent the spread. But i m not sure How Many of them use the
