Stephen Joseph: New York vs San Francisco

Stephen Joseph was commissioner of health of New York City from 1986-1990. Already considered one of the most challenging public health jobs in the United States, Joseph took the position when New York City was at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis. While Joseph was supported by the Koch Administration, he faced opposition from the public and activists over issues such as disease reporting, contract tracing, education, and the needle exchange. In this podcast, Joseph discusses the differences between the New York and the San Francisco models and the political implications of estimating the numbers of people infected with the AIDS virus. Joseph details what he considers the pivotal moment in the rupture between the gay community and the Koch Administration.  

 

This oral history with Dr. Joseph was conducted by students at LaGuardia Community College as a part of the Koch Scholars program run by the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. You can read the transcript in its entirety here: 

http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/FILES_DOC/Koch_FILES/ORAL_HISTORY/08.100.0039V0039.PDF