or even think about. However for the children of the South Bronx, AIDS is a major issue. With one-quarter of the pregnant women in this neighborhood testing positive for AIDS, pediatric AIDS takes a high toll. The numbers of children who have had one or both parents die of AIDS in the South Bronx and surrounding areas is the highest among the nation. "if the city continues with its present policy of channeling its sickest and most troublesome families, often addicted and quite frequently infected, into housing in this area, it is likely that entire blocks will soon be home to mourning orphans, many of whom will follow their own parents to an early grave." (p. 194) The city's decision to place a waste burner in the middle of the neighborhood only contributes to the residents' view that they are being "thrown away". Many of the residents believe that the incinerator is to blame for their health problems. Considering that it burns "red-bag" products from 14 hospitals (amputated limbs, syringes, fetal tissue, etc.), it would be a tough claim for the City to disprove. Many of the children in this community are only able to breathe with the use of inhalers because their asthma has gotten so bad, presumably from the incinerators' fumes. This brings some questions to the reader's mind such as, why would the city place an incinerator in this area? Did the city planning board even consider the residents of the area? What did the residents have to say about this? Unfortunately we can only answer the last question with no doubt. The residents do not have much say in city or state political matters. Wealthier and more powerful people who most likely have no first hand knowledge of what life is like in these low-income "ghetto" communities hold positions in the government. Is there a solution to this? The solution is to change the whole community, no easy task, which involves more than just direct practice with individuals. Dealing ...
