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 immune ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. 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 affiliated with the
Archdiocese of New York
The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroug ...
and Columbia University. From the late 1980s through 2005, foster children at the center 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 immune ...
/AIDS were enrolled on clinical trials of antiretroviral, antiretroviral medication, which was successful in reducing the death rate from AIDS.
In 2005, the center was the focus of "Guinea Pig Kids", a BBC documentary alleging ethical violations in these clinical trials.
The allegations prompted an investigation by the Vera Institute of Justice, 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 HIV/AIDS denialism, AIDS denialists.
References
External links
Incarnation Children's Center website
{{Washington Heights, Manhattan
Children's charities based in the United States
Charities based in New York City
HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States