Since the fall of 2010, GAC has been involved in several testing events.  GAC was there at Pride Week-end in early October at Piedmont Park where almost 500 persons were tested and in December at a theatrical performance at the 14th Street Playhouse where patrons attending a play about the impact of HIV/AIDS on the African-American community were offered free HIV tests.

Since the beginning of 2011, GAC has sponsored three testing events; two at Perimeter College campuses (Clarkston and Decatur) and at the health department headquarters.  As future events are finalized, they will be added to this website.

“This study’s message is clear:  HIV exacts a devastating toll on men who have sex with men in America’s major cities, and yet far too many of those who are infected don’t know it,”  said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.  “We need to increase access to HIV testing so that more MSM know their status, and we all must bring new energy, new approaches, and new champions to the fight against HIV among men who have sex with men.”

The study’s results bolster key themes in the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States.  The recently released strategy states that “the United States cannot reduce the number of HIV infections nationally without better addressing HIV among gay and bisexual men,” and MSM are listed among a few priority populations to focus HIV prevention efforts.  The President’s strategy also sets targets for reducing the number of individuals living with HIV who are unaware of their HIV status.

The CDC study tested 8,153 MSM in 21 cities participating in the 2008 National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System (NHBS), and examined HIV prevalence and awareness of HIV status among this group.  NHBS monitors HIV testing, risk behaviors, and access to prevention services among at-risk populations in cities with high numbers of persons living with AIDS.

While MSM of all races and ethnicities were severely affected, black MSM were particularly impacted:  28 percent of black MSM were HIV-infected, compared to 18 percent of Hispanic and 16 percent of white MSM.

The study also found a strong link between socioeconomic status and HIV among MSM: prevalence increased as education and income decreased, and awareness of HIV status was higher among MSM with greater education and income.  These findings echo similar disparities found in recent NHBS research among heterosexuals.

Low awareness of HIV infection a major concern, particularly for younger men

The study provided additional insight into the populations of MSM most in need of HIV testing and prevention:

• Among racial/ethnic groups, black MSM with HIV were least likely to be aware of their infection (59 percent unaware, vs. 46 percent for Hispanic MSM and 26 percent for white MSM).
• While young MSM (under age 30) had lower HIV prevalence than older men, they were far more likely to be unaware of their HIV infection.  Among MSM aged 18-29 who had HIV, nearly two-thirds (63 percent) were unaware, versus 37 percent for men age 30 and older.
• Among young MSM, young MSM of color were less likely than whites to know they were HIV-infected.  Among HIV-infected black MSM under age 30, 71 percent were unaware of their infection; among HIV-infected Hispanic MSM under age 30, 63 percent were unaware.  This compares to 40 percent of HIV-infected white MSM under age 30.

CDC officials note that low awareness of HIV status among young MSM likely reflects several factors:  they may have been infected more recently, may underestimate their personal risk, may have had fewer opportunities to get tested, or may believe that advances in HIV treatment minimize the threat of HIV.  For young MSM of color, discrimination and socioeconomic factors – such as poverty, homophobia, stigma, and limited health-care access – may be especially acute and pose particular challenges.

“For young men who have sex with men – including young men of color who are least likely to know they may be infected – the future is truly on the line,” said Jonathan Mermin, M.D., director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention.  “It is critical that we reach these young men early in their lives with HIV prevention and testing services and continue to make these vital services available as they become older.” 

CDC estimates that the majority of new sexually transmitted infections are transmitted by individuals who are unaware of their infection, and studies show that once people learn they are HIV-infected, most take steps to protect their partners.  Therefore, because undiagnosed infection likely plays a major role in HIV transmission, reaching younger MSM with regular HIV testing is critical.

CDC recommends that MSM of all ages get tested for HIV at least annually, or more often (every three to six months) if they are at increased risk (e.g., those with multiple or anonymous sex partners, or who use drugs during sex).  Notably, only 45 percent of HIV-infected MSM who were unaware of their infection had been tested in the past year, underscoring the importance of more frequent testing among those at highest risk. 

While HIV prevention for MSM remains a top CDC priority, agency officials note that a renewed national commitment to HIV prevention is needed to reduce the toll of HIV on MSM and increase access to prevention. 

For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/hiv or www.actagainstaids.org

Effective July 1, 2010, all persons applying for enrollment into the GA ADAP will be placed on a waiting list.  You will not be affected if you are currently enrolled, pick up your medications at scheduled times and have no changes in your eligibility status.   

If you fail to pick up your medications within 60 days or do not recertify on time, your status will automatically be changed to inactive and your case manager will be notified.  When you apply to be re-enrolled in the ADAP you will be placed on the waiting list until we are able to enroll new clients.  If you are placed on the waiting list, your case manager will provide you with information on other programs which provide drug assistance. 

It is our aim to continue to provide you with life saving medications, quality services and committed staff to enable you to sustain your current quality of life.   

If you have questions, please contact your case manager. 

[Source: Georgia Department of Community Health]

PCIP will be operative in all 50 states and the District of Columbia but likely will vary from state-to-state.  Under the Affordable Care Act, states have the option to operate their own high-risk pool (including any pool that pre-dates the new law) or elect to have HHS administer the high-risk plan.  Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C. have decided to operate their own plans.  Among the 29 states are California, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington State.  Twenty-one states have opted to have HHS operate the plan.  These states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

A brochure on PCIP can be found at www.Healthcare.gov/center/brochures/pcip.pdf. 

 State-specific information can be found on the new Web site, www.HealthCare.gov.

According to HHS’s press release, the new Web site is designed to be “a one-stop-shop for information about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as well as other health care resources,” and will help consumers to “take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips.”

Among the site’s Web pages are “Find Insurance Options,” “Learn About Prevention,” and “Information for You,” which has sub-categories for families with children, people with disabilities, senior citizens, and young adults.  The Home Page also includes a “Top 5 Things to Know” section.  Several of the pages have a feedback mechanism to gauge whether the page was helpful.

HHS promises that the HealthCare.gov will evolve and grow as health care reform is implemented and as the health care market changes.  Price estimates for health insurance plans are scheduled to be added in October, 2010.

The above information is posted by permission of AIDS Action.  While this information comes from a reliable source, GAC does not warrant its accuracy or application to individual cases.

1) How Planning Councils can best support consumer members to ensure that these members are not marginalized in the planning council process and that their voices are not just present, but meaningful.

2) How Consumers can be more effective members on Planning Councils and do not marginalize themselves and engage in the council’s work in a productive and meaningful way.

We invite PLWHA who would like to help develop these best practices to join our conference calls.  Our May conference call is scheduled for Wednesday May 12, 2010 at Noon Eastern, 11 AM  CT, 10 AM MT, 9 AM ET.  Please email me at rallgaier@shanti.org if you wish to participate so I can send you the call in information.

Randy Allgaier
Co-Chair, CAEAR PLWHA Caucus

Director, San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council
730 Polk Street 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94109
Direct Phone- 415-674-4761
Fax: 415.674.0373

You can read, print, and share the brochure at www.immigrationequality.org/HIVban

Please share these materials widely, and please don’t hesitate to request print copies of the brochure by contacting Immigration Equality at publications@immigrationequality.org

• The repeal is good news for many people who abandoned past green card applications because they – or the family member they hoped to sponsor – couldn’t qualify for a waiver to the HIV ban. 
• It is great news for tourists, students, and businesspeople living with HIV/AIDS, who were not able to visit the U.S. until now. 
• It also provides an opportunity to encourage immigrants to seek testing and treatment, which some may have been afraid to do before. 
• Most importantly, the repeal is proof that it is possible to end discriminatory immigration laws, and that some vestiges of AIDS-stigma are finally ending.

We hope you will find these materials useful and will share them with others inside and outside the US who may be affected by the repeal of the ban.

Hepatitis B and C affect 5 million people in the United States and cause 15,000 deaths per year. An estimated 25-30% of people with HIV also have hepatitis C.

Despite these stats, the response from the federal government has been highly inadequate. Viral hepatitis prevention programs at the CDC receive a mere $19.3 million per year. That is the only dedicated funding stream to deal with this massive crisis. The Institutes of Medicine recently released a report calling for greater leadership and increased federal funding.

Hepatitis advocates have decided that this is the year to be silent no more – therefore, we are taking it to the Capitol.

Those of us who work in HIV and hepatitis advocacy would like to ask for help from our HIV advocacy partners to make this rally a success. As we all know, a rally is only as good as the attention it gets from the media, the public, and key decision-makers. To help up reach this goal, we are asking you to consider helping in one or more of the following ways:

1.       Outreach and recruitment.  People can register to attend and get information about bus rides from various cities on the East Coast, lodging, and other details by going to NVHR’s website, www.nvhr.org. Please consider [contacting] your constituents, particularly those on the East Coast, and urge them to attend and to spread the word. We need a big turnout to attract attention.

2.       If you are in DC or near DC, please consider attending and bringing colleagues. A strong turnout from the DC-based HIV advocacy community would be greatly welcomed and appreciated. Go to www.nvhr.org to register and let us know how many people you can bring.

3.       Endorsements – we are asking organizations across the country to endorse this rally to demonstrate that this is a national movement with broad support. You can send your organization’s endorsement on the registration form at www.nvhr.org (you don’t need to register to endorse) or you can endorse by emailing the name of your organization to Mimi Schott at NVHR: mschott@nvhr.org.

4.       Donations. This is always the hardest ask – but these events cost money. We want it to be as professional as possible and that requires equipment, printed signs, etc. We are also renting buses and trying to provide other travel assistance as possible. We know that this is a tough time for all organizations, but ask that you consider making a small contribution to this effort. All donations are appreciated and any donation over $100 will be acknowledged in written materials and/or the NVHR website. If you can make a donation, please email me directly and I will get you the contact information.

Thanks for taking the time to read this over. If you have any questions, please let me know. NASTAD and Project Inform will be speaking more about this event and the viral hepatitis advocacy movement/agenda at the next FAPP meeting in April.

“The steps that President Obama outlined tonight are a great leap forward in addressing discrimination affecting LGBT patients and their families,” said Kevin Cathcart, Lambda Legal Executive Director. “These measures are intended to ensure that no family will have to experience what the Langbehn-Pond family did that night at Jackson Memorial Hospital. We are so proud of Janice and her family ­ she stood up and told her story and it made a difference.”

Last September, a federal district court rejected Lambda Legal’s lawsuit filed against Jackson Memorial Hospital on behalf of Janice Langbehn, ruling that no law required the hospital to allow her and their three children to see her partner. Langbehn and the children were kept apart from Pond by hospital staff for eight hours as Pond slipped into a coma and later died. After that Lambda Legal worked with other LGBT organizations and officials at Jackson Memorial Hospital to change hospital policies on visitation and respecting the wishes of same-sex couples and their families.

The President’s memorandum to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services includes the following: HHS should promulgate rules for hospitals that receive Medicaid or Medicare funds that require them to respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.  HHS should also take steps to ensure that such hospitals have adequate policies to respect the legal documents that some patients have designating who can make decisions for them if they are incapacitated.  Finally, the President directs HHS to report back to him in 180 days with additional recommendations about actions it can take to address hospital visitation, medical decision-making and other health care issues that affect LGBT patients and their families.

“It was very rewarding to hear ‘I’m sorry’ from the President because that’s what I have wanted to hear from Jackson Memorial since the night Lisa died, ” said Janice Langbehn. “I hope that taking these steps makes sure that no family ever has to experience the nightmare that my family has gone through.”

[Source: Lambda Legal. Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and those with HIV through impact litigation, education and public policy work.]