The least of these my brethren

by Daniel Baxter

Hector R., Rosa M., Yolanda J. These are the forgotten members of society - the homeless, the drug users, the poor - who are the most likely to come down with AIDS in today's America. These often invisible citizens with AIDS can nonetheless speak life-affirming messages of hope to all of us. The Least of These My Brethren is the AIDS story that no one has written about so far, told by the one who cares for these marginalized people in conditions that are symbolic of their station in life: the decrepit facilities of New York's largest designated AIDS center, the Spellman Center for HIV Related Disease in New York City's Hell's Kitchen. For three and a half years, Dr. Daniel Baxter served as attending physician of this facility and ran an under-supplied hospital ward, which was the last resort - and often the last stop - for these souls. In a matter-of-fact yet compelling tone, Dr. Baxter recounts in vivid detail a "typical" day on AIDS Unit 3A: the chaos, the squalor, the sorrow, yet al