A child-advocacy group that works to prevent abductions has won city approval for a new line of work – distributing condoms as part of the city’s safe-sex program, The Post has learned.
The city awarded the Queens-based group, Car- ver Emery, up to $85,824 for HIV prevention – but then rescinded the pact, saying it was a mistake.
Carver Emery touts itself as an organization that helps to prevent child abduction. Its members provide parents protection kits that include children’s fingerprints and dental records, and they visit schools to talk to kids about the dangers of hooking up with strangers via the Internet.
But Carver recently registered as a city contractor to supply condoms, and it won one of the contracts.
“Keeping children safe is our major goal. And providing the city with contraceptives to be distributed at local events is just one of our many methods of insuring safety,” Carver director Todd Tolson said.
Under the plan, Carver was to provide the city program with 60,000 “non-latex” condoms, said group spokesman James Pitman.
But when contacted by The Post, city health officials said the condom contract was mistakenly awarded.
The Health Department has moved to rescind the contract because the additional condoms aren’t needed, a spokesman said.
In any event, the department said Carver would have supplied condoms to city health officials to distribute to HIV service providers, and not directly to young people.
The contract was awarded by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services on behalf of the Health Department.