Incarnation Children's Center (ICC) is a nursing facility for children living with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. From 1989 until 2000 the center operated as a foster care boarding home; since then it has concentrated on providing medical care. The ICC is a

non-profit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation ma ...

affiliated with the

Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New York (state), State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York ...

and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. From the late 1980s through 2005, foster children at the center with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

were enrolled on clinical trials of

antiretroviral medication The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mul ...

, which was successful in reducing the death rate from AIDS. In 2005, the center was the focus of "Guinea Pig Kids", a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary alleging ethical violations in these clinical trials. The allegations prompted an investigation by the

Vera Institute of Justice The Vera Institute of Justice (originally the Vera Foundation) is a United States 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank focused on criminal justice reform. It was founded in 1961 in New York City. Founding Philanthropist Loui ...

, which concluded that no children had died as a result of the trials, but that the center had kept poor records and sometimes failed to follow its own enrollment policies. Subsequently, the BBC apologized for "very serious issues" in "Guinea Pig Kids", and conceded that the documentary made misleading allegations and was biased toward the views of

AIDS denialists HIV/AIDS denialism is the belief, despite conclusive evidence to the contrary, that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not cause acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Some of its proponents reject the existence of HIV, while othe ...

References

External links

{{Washington Heights, Manhattan Children's charities based in the United States Charities based in New York City HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States