February ACTION Newsletter Now Online

Just a quick note to let you know the ACTION March Newsletter is now online. See the March Newsletter as a PDF file right here. If you work for an HIV/AIDS service organization in DC, please print out copies to share with your clients.

Crystal Meth Town Hall Meeting: February 26th

The DC Crystal Meth Working Group is a coalition including representatives of the Center, The Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, the Youth Pride Alliance, Whitman Walker Clinic, Us Helping Us, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry, Prevention Works, Brother Help Thyself, the Lambda Center of Whitman Walker Clinic and Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive. It also has representation from the Metropolitan Police Department Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit, the HIV/AIDS Administration and the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration.

For more information, go to www.LetsTalkAboutMeth.org, the organization’s website, which is funded by and supported by the DC Center.

Monday, February 26th
"Let's Talk About Meth" Town Hall Meeting.
7:00 PM
HRC Building: 17th St and Rhode Island Ave

View Party 'n Pay PSA

HIV/AIDS Job Opportunities in DC

Is it time to look for a new job? There are several interesting opportunities at local and national HIV/AIDS organizations in DC. Here is a peak.

La Clinica Del Pueblo has three job openings for folks who are bilingual. They are looking for a Housing Case Manager. They're also looking for a Program Manager and a Program Coordinator to work on CDC funded prevention programs.

The Women's Collective is seeking a Policy Advocate to work on Microbicide Research Advocacy. Don't know what a microbicide is? Then click here.

The National AIDS Fund is seeking a Program Coordinator to provide leadership for special initiatives, primarily a new philanthropic initiative focused on HIV/AIDS and the criminal justice system.

AED is seeking a Program Manager who will be responsible for supporting the management and implementation of the NIH HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative (NHVREI).

Get working on those resumes!

CAVE Meeting on February 13th

Please join us for the next meeting of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort(CAVE)on February 13th at 6:30 PM. We'll be meeting at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500.

CAVE is the community advisory board for the Vaccine Research Center, and at this meeting we're going to be looking at a new VRC research protocol. We'll also be discussing plans for AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day.

Three Minutes to Say Whatever You Want

Frustrated with the state of HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world? Here's a chance to have your say. The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) will hold a meeting. This meeting is open to the public. The meeting takes place February 27, 2007, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and February 28, 2007, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Ave., SW., Room 705A, Washington, DC 20201.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to provide comments at the meeting. Public comment will be limited to three (3) minutes per speaker. Public attendance is limited to space available and pre-registration is required for both attendance and public comment. Any individual who wishes to participate should register at www.pacha.gov.

For further information contact: Dana Ceasar, Program Assistant, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, Department of Health and Human Services, Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 733E, Washington, DC 20201; (202) 690-2470.

Guess Who is Coming to DC?

My old friend Kirk Read is coming to town and he's bringing some interesting folks with him. Kirk is part of the Sex Workers Art Show, which is a collection of nine performers (who somehow fit into two vans) currently on a thirty-one city tour.

They will be performing in DC on February 14th at the Rock and Roll Hotel, so mark your calendars now. The performance that evening will benefit HIPS in DC.

The show is an eye-popping evening performance art created by people who work in the sex industry, to dispel the myth that they are anything short of artists, innovators, and geniuses! The show features burlesque, spoken word, music, and multimedia performance art. Intelligent and hot, disturbing and hilarious, the performances offer a wide range of perspectives on sex work, from celebration of prostitutes' rights and sex-positivity to views from the darker sides of the industry.

This year's incredible lineup of performers includes international burlesque sensation Miss Dirty Martini; acclaimed Whitney Biennial artist Julie Atlas Muz; author of Happy Baby and My Girlfriend Comes to the City and Beats Me Up Stephen Elliott; stripper historian and burlesque professor Jo Weldon; member of the internationally renowned Japanese performance collective Dumb Type, Cono Snatch Zubobinskaya; enigmatic operatic musician Reginald Lamar; feminist smut purveyor and queer film star Amber Dawn; filmmaker and performer Bridget Irish; tour founder and ringmaster Annie Oakley; and of course my friend and award-winning author of How I Learned to Snap Kirk Read.

Youth Pride Day: April 28th

Washington DC's Youth Pride Alliance hosts Youth Pride Day at Rock Creek Park, at the corner of P and 2rd Streets NW, followed by the Infatuation Youth Dance. Details will be posted shortly on the Youth Pride website: www.youthpridedc.org.

Campaign to End AIDS Meeting on Monday

C2EA-MetroDC will meet Monday, January 29, 2007 at 6pm. We will meet at the Whitman-Walker Clinic’s Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center (1701 R Street, NW) in Conference Room 1, which is on the second floor of the building. Just let the doorperson know you are there for the C2EA Meeting and they will gladly let you in.

You can see minutes from our last meeting right here

Sister Circle: Now Twice Each Month

Sister Circle, a support group for HIV positive women, is now meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at the Planned Parenthood Freestyle Center starting at Noon.

For more information, please download this flyer and be sure to share it with other people in your neighborhood who may be interested.

HIV in DC: Around the Blogosphere

Drowsy Grad Student admits he obsessed with reading the Craigslist personal ads, although he adds "Oft times, I'm disgusted by the unsafe sex that it seems like most of the people in the DC metro area seem to be wanting" Read More Here

Sprite is in desperate need of some motivation to finish knitting a scarf for Food & Friends annual scarf drive. Read More Here

West finds himself frustrated with the issue of condom availability in prisons, writing: "It saddens me when people allow religion, homophobia, or residual ignorance to trump the value and potential of human life." Read More Here

Northern Virginia National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Event

The Alexandria Health Department along with Whitman-Walker of Arlington, K. I. Services, NOVAM, Positive Livin' and INOVA Juniper will host an education/information event which will include opportunities for testing and counseling, in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event will be held Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street in the "Olde Towne" section of Alexandria, VA. For more info, please e-mail dakween2@yahoo.com.

For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, click here.

Twenty Days and Counting

It has been 20 days since Mayor Fenty declined to reappoint Marsha Martin as Director of AHPP and still no word on a replacement. Nada. Zip.

It makes me wonder whether or not the plan to restructure the Department of Health (as mentioned in Fenty's 100 Day Plan) includes eliminating the position all-together.

Does that leave us with Gregg Pane (pictured left) as our new AIDS Czar/DOH head? I'm not convinced that Gregg Pane is focusing on HIV/AIDS. And I'm definitely not convinced that we are better off now (without a director) than we were when Marsha Martin was in office.

Mayor Fenty, I thought HIV/AIDS was a top priority for your administration. What's going on?

Twenty Days and counting. I suggested at the last Campaign to End AIDS Metro DC meeting that if the silence continues for 99 more days, we should plan a protest on day 100. I hope something happens soon, but if not, you know where I'll be on April 13th.

Washington Times Op Ed

The following op-ed appeared in the Washington Times.

Dr. Gregg Pane, the director of the D.C. Department of Health, has named himself the interim director of the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs and has named Marie Sansone (currently in charge of HIV surveillance) as his chief of staff. Dr. Pane told the Washington Blade recently that his decision to take on the temporary role stemmed from wanting to "get to the bottom of the problems" the AIDS administration has seen in the past. We hope that Dr. Pane's 20-plus years of experience in the public health sector will revamp the AIDS agency, as the staggering infection rates in the District warrant urgent action.

In what appears to be a step in that direction, the Washington Free Clinic closed its doors yesterday after nearly 40 years and will move its 12-person staff to the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Elizabeth Taylor facility so that comprehensive health care for the underserved continues. Health-care and insurance policies continue to undergo significant changes, and it has become increasingly difficult for small clinics "to stay viable," Gardiner Lapham of the Washington Free Clinic said.

Whitman-Walker, no stranger to financial struggle, had been looking to incorporate primary care into its current operations to the homosexual community with a focus on HIV/AIDS care. The goal is to retain that mission, but to also expand its capacity. Both clinics have done tremendous work in the District. Advocates hope that, by joining forces, they will be better equipped to reach more people and provide more comprehensive health care.

In terms of policy, it is long past the time for the city to stare down the atrocious HIV rate: 1 in 20 residents. Mayor Adrian Fenty has not yet articulated his administration's overall health-care policies, but we do support his decision to replace the Williams administration HIV/AIDS administrator. The District has to do far more than "blanket" the city with condoms to reverse the current HIV/AIDS crisis.

Kim Mills, director of communications for Whitman-Walker, said she is confident that the Fenty administration will continue to spread the message of testing and prevention. We are reserving comment until we see the mayor's concrete plans.

Going forward, the city and nonprofit groups need to take a head-on approach to HIV prevention and work diligently to ensure policies and public dollars are spent on practices that work. New directors and a new direction, coupled with the growing efforts at Whitman-Walker, are good first steps.

DC Black Pride: May 25-27th

A range of parties and events are planned each year for the Black Pride Festival. Visit: www.dcblackpride.org for more information.

Damien Ministries Retreat: February 12-15

Damien Ministries will be hosting a retreat for people living with HIV/AIDS from February 12th to 15th. They invite you to: "Discover the meaning of God and spirituality for yourself within the HIV/AIDS experience; focus on spiritual growth that encourages learning, healing, relaxation, and fun, surround yourself in a time, place, and commmunity of grace and care."

More information is available on the Damien Ministries Website. The application deadline is January 29th.

Kudos to Donald Blanchon

You have to respect a guy who is willing to make a difficult, even unpopular decision if he believes it's the right thing to do. Such is the case this week with Donald Blanchon, Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic. This week he announced that the clinic is cutting ties with the AIDS Marathon Training Program.

Judging by the comments on The DCist, it's not a popular decision, but it is the right thing to do.

Whitman-Walker has made a historic commitment to reduce or end their participation in any event that has a disproportionately high administrative cost-to-fund-raising ratio (i.e., 50 percent or greater).

Those who participate in the AIDS Marathon in recent years have enjoyed running in exotic destinations like Florence, Dublin, and Honolulu. Much of the money raised goes to support the extensive training program, staff, and trips. The donors are the ones getting duped. When your friend asks you to make that online donation, you probably don't realize that less than half of the money is going to help people living with HIV/AIDS, and the rest is supporting your friend's marathon/vacation.

Simply put, there is a code for ethical fundraising. Organizations that stand the test of time like the United Way or the Red Cross adhere to those guidelines. I'm glad to see Whitman-Walker moving in that direction as well.

Of course the obvious challenge for the Clinic will be the annual AIDS Walk. In years where participation in the walk has been high, they have fallen well below the 50% mark. However, in years where participation has not been as strong, the cost-to-fundraising ratio for this event has been questionable as well.

The most shocking example was in 2001 when the AIDS Walk grossed $485,000 but expenses came to $481,000. That year less than a penny of every dollar donated actually went to help people living with HIV/AIDS, while the rest went to overhead.

In recent years the AIDS Walk has fared much better. Personally, I plan to participate in the AIDS Walk this year to show my support for the clinic and their strengthened commitment to ethical fundraising.

These Cowboys Can Dance

You don't have to know how to two-step to have a blast at Remingtons this Friday night. Washington's very own DC Cowboys will be hosting a hoe down on January 19 starting at 10:00 pm. Print out this coupon to bring with you, and as an added bonus, you won't even have to pay the cover charge for the night.

Metro Weekly magazine has described the Cowboys’ style as a “trademark combo of Broadway-caliber verve, sizzling sex appeal, and rugged good looks.”

And these cowboys have a heart, too. They perform regularly at events that raise money to provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS as well as for AIDS prevention programs. (Maybe I can get them to perform at the AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day Reception this year).

In addition to some great numbers from the DC Cowboys, you can enjoy a night of dancing, free give aways, and a live auction. And if you play your cards right you might just be the lucky person who get's to rip the tank-top right off the cowboy of your choice and have a dance with him shirtless.

And on a personal note, this will be the very first performance for the newest member of the DC Cowboys Dan O'Neill, who just happens to be a friend of mine. If the rest of the cowboys are half as nice as Dan, it's going to be a very fun night.

Out of Control: AIDS in Black America

The Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association and DC Fights Back will sponsor a screening of Out of Control: AIDS in Black America. Join them for the film, food, and discussion. The event takes place this Saturday, January 20 from noon til 2:30pm at the Washington Highlands Library.

For more information, download the flier here

Gregg Pane off to a Rocky Start

When Adrian Fenty announced that he would not reappoint Marsha Martin to head AHPP, I was left with the impression that DOH chief Greg Payne was going to be closely working with AHPP until a new Director is hired. In fact the Blade went so far as to run the headline Health chief assumes control of AIDS office.

We got two indications last week however, that Greg Payne is not going to be quite as "hands on" as expected.

First, he was a no-show at last week's HIV Community Planning Group Meeting. The previous month, Marsha Martin had come on board as the co-chair of this planning body. Personally, I think his presence at the meeting would have left a strong signal that we are not going to be left hanging in the wind while there is no director in at AHPP. And who did they choose to replace Marsha Martin? Marie Sansone. The woman who is already so swamped with work that she can't keep track of AIDS cases in the District. I don't mean to be unkind to Sansone. I just believe giving her additional responsibilities means it's going to take even longer to get those AIDS cases counted.

Secondly, Greg Payne is holding up approval of the new HIV Community Planning Group Members. Without approval of the new member,s the CPG is barely able to function (they couldn't get a quorom until 20 minutes into the meeting). To fully understand the frustration, you have to understand these community volunteers first applied to serve on the CPG in August of 2006. They have been waiting more than six months now to be approved. This is completely unreasonable. Granted, not all the delay can be attributed to Payne. But the delays make waiting an extra month or two for his approval all the more frustrating.

We either need Greg Payne to step up, or we need a new Director of AHPP as soon as possible. Since hiring a new Director of AHPP was not included in Fenty's 100 Day Plan, I can't help but be concerned.

NIGHT STOP: Youth AIDS Team Film Series

This Thursday, please come join the Youth AIDS Team for a film on HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, followed by a panel discussion. The film "Night Stop", produced by Mozambican director Licinio Azevedo, describes the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic along a long-distance trucking route in Mozambique called the Corridor of Death. It showcases the lives of the prostitutes who attempt to make a living by catering to truckers who stop at an overnight truck stop.

The film will be followed by a panel discussion with HIV/AIDS experts from the World Bank and representatives from local DC organization HIPS - Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive.

Thursday, January 18th
12:30pm-2:00pm
701 18th St., NW
Room J1-050

RSVP to Emily Horgan: ehorgan@ifc.org

Farewell to the Washington Free Clinic

In November 1973, the Gay Men’s VD Clinic, part of the Washington Free Clinic, began operating in the basement of the Georgetown Lutheran Church. This was the birth of what was to become Whitman-Walker Clinic.

Today, the Washington Free Clinic prepares to close it's doors. The staff and programs of the Clinic will now become part of the Whitman Walker Clinic, the very organization it gave birth to over 30 years ago. Here are the plans:

1. Washington Free Clinic staff will join the Whitman-Walker Clinic staff in the next two weeks;

2. Whitman-Walker Clinic will integrate the Washington Free Clinic’s primary care expertise into its 14th Street Northwest operations so that Whitman-Walker Clinic can offer comprehensive primary care services to the District’s medically underserved; the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community; and people living with HIV/AIDS;

3. Clients of the Washington Free Clinic can obtain their medical care at Whitman-Walker Clinic beginning Jan. 29.

The Washington Post reports:

"Changing times now are responsible for its passing. Financial struggles and what board Chair Gardiner Lapham calls 'today's administratively burdensome health-care environment' repeatedly threatened the clinic's viability in recent years. In mid-2005, it nearly shut down after a sudden, major loss of federal HIV-AIDS funding. The crisis ebbed when donors stepped up, but it initiated a board-led soul-searching that culminated last week."

Today’s announcement is another step toward expanding primary health care at Whitman-Walker Clinic. That objective was approved by Whitman-Walker’s board of directors in 2005 to ensure the Clinic’s long-term viability and meet the Clinic’s historic commitment of caring for the LGBT community and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Donald Blanchon, Whitman-Walker’s chief executive officer stated in a press release. “This important development allows us to realize our strategic objective to become the highest quality community health center in the metropolitan Washington area serving the medically underserved; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; and people living with HIV/AIDS.”

The jury is still out, however, on whether or not Whitman-Walker's new objective is too broad to maintain a cohesive organization. Since Donald Blanchon was hired as the first straight Executive Director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, there have been questions raised about the clinic's commitment to the LGBT community. The gay men's health and wellness program, for example, has failed to engage gay men in the district and has struggled over the years with a small staff and high staff turnover rate.

As Whitman-Walker clinic moves to broaden it's commitment to include primary health care for all, it must also clearly define it's commitment to LGBT health.

DC World AIDS Day 2007: December 1st

December 1st is World AIDS Day. Established by the World Health Organization in 1988, World AIDS Day serves to focus global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

World AIDS Day Events

Wednesday November 28th – HIV Town Hall. 6:30 PM at the Armour J. Blackburn Center’s East Ballroom at Howard University (HU). The Blackburn Center is
located at: 2397 Sixth St., N.W., Washington, DC 20059. This event is sponsored by Us Helping Us People Into Living, Inc (UHU), and the Vaccine Research Center (VRC).

Thursday November 29th – Red Hot Night. Kimpton Hotels hosts a World AIDS Day fundraiser at Urbana Restaurant & Wine Bar at Hotel Palomar, 2121 P St., NW, at 6:00 pm. $10.00 cover includes two drink tickets and hors d'ouevres. All proceeds will benefit Whitman-Walker Clinic. For more info, click here

Thursday November 29th –Children's National Medical Center Health Fair. The The HIV Services Department at Children's National Medical Center (CNMC) will commemorate World AIDS Day in the hospital on November 29th. Children's National Medical Center will hold a service provider fair in the atrium of the hospital to share information on ways to keep young people healthy. The fair will run from 10 AM to 1 PM. For more info, click here

Friday November 30th – Rally and Protest at the White House. Friday Nov. 30th, at 1:00pm at Lafayette Square in front of the White House. Read about last year's action here. For more information on this event, click here.

Friday November 30th – WWC Candlelight Vigil. Whitman-Walker's annual candlelight vigil will be Friday, Nov. 30, at 5:30 pm at Dupont Circle.

Friday November 30th – Free HIV Testing. Free HIV testing will be available on Friday, Nov. 30, at the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St., NW, from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm; at the Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE, from 9:30 am - 4:00 pm; and at Whitman-Walker Clinic of Northern Virginia, 5232 Lee Highway in Arlington, from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Friday November 30th - Concert for Life 7:30, Friday, November 30 at the Kenmore Auditorium, 200 S. Carlin Springs Drive, Arington, VA 22204. For more info on this event, click here.

Saturday, December 1st - 2nd Annual 'Everyone's Birthday Friends for a Cause in partnership with Us Helping Us presents a 2007 World AIDS Day benefit featuring 'The Godmother' Lil' Mo and American Idol's Frenchie Davis. For more info on this event, click here.

Saturday, December 1st - MCC NOVA World AIDS Day Event The Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia (MCC-NOVA) is working with Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM), area MCC congregations, Little River UCC, and many others to host a community health fair on the theme of Body, Mind, and Spirit. For more info on this event, click here.

Sunday, December 2nd - Our Lady Queen of Peace World AID Day Event Our Lady Queen of Peace AIDS Ministry & DC Catholic AIDS Network invite you to "STOP AIDS: Keep the Promise – Leadership”, a World AIDS Day Program. The event takes place Sunday, December 2, 2007 at At 4:00 PM at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 3800 Ely Place, SE. Fo more details: click here.

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Observance of this day provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against HIV/AIDS.

With an estimated 38.6 million people worldwide living with HIV at the end of 2005, and more than 25 million people having died of AIDS since 1981, December 1st serves to remind everyone that action makes a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Americans should be reminded that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. With an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 HIV- positive individuals living in the U.S., and approximately 40,000 new infections occurring every year, the U.S., like other nations around the world is deeply affected by HIV/AIDS.

Adrian Fenty's First 100 Days

Adrian Fenty has released his plan for his first 100 days in office. The plan, which includes 200 action items, can be downloaded from the DC Government Website.

There are a few things I find interesting. First, among the action items are plans to hire several permanent staff members (Director of Dep of Human Services, Director of the Office on Aging, Director for the Department of Disability Services, Director of the Department of Disability Services). The plan does not state, however, whether or not Fenty will hire a new Director for the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs in his first 100 days. This is one action item which is urgently needed.

Also, the plan includes a cryptic goal, "Reorganize DOH to consolidate administrations and improve public health functions" which Fenty plans to do in the next 30 days." I can't help but wonder, what administrations are going to be consolidated in the next 30 days, and why didn't he just come out and tell us? I would think it's unlikely he's referring to the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs, but you never know.

Regarding the other goals on HIV/AIDS, most of the action items are items DC is either already working on, or the action item is worded so broadly (i.e. "exploring") that you don't know if there will be an actual outcome.

Here are some snippets from the plan, but you really should read the whole thing for yourself.

"Preventing of sexually transmitted diseases through exploring implementation of needle exchange programs and broader condom accesibility (100 days)"

"support mental health and wellness as well as offer HIV/AIDS prevention services through DMH provider agencies (100 days)"

"Coordinate with medical service providers, especially those part of the Medicaid/Alliance safety net, to implement routine HIV testing for patients ages 14+ and up (100 days)." (isn't that what AHPP's been doing for the past year?)

"Develop an East-of-the-River HIV/AIDS response capacity-building initiative (1st year)"

"Increase community messages on testing and prevention of HIV/AIDS and explore establishing a medical home for low income residents testing positive (1st year)"

Today's ACTION Lunch

Today I hosted another ACTION Lunch. This month's topic was 'Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Research'. We had an excellent panel of four folks who discussed from a personal perspective why they got involved in HIV/AIDS research community advisory boards, their experiences and challenges, and the changes they've seen over the years.

There were folks here from: The Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT), and the Vaccine Research Center.

It is my hope that some of the 20+ folks who attended today are inspired to join a local community advisory board. If you'd like to find out more about local Community Advisory Boards drop me a line and let's talk about it.

And please join us next month for a presentation by Christine Grady on the Ethics of Clinical Research. Understanding the basic principles of what makes HIV/AIDS research ethical is a key part of being an effective Community Advisory Board Member.

Christine Grady currently heads the section on human subject research in the NIH Department of Clinical Bioethics. We could not possibly have a better speaker on this topic. She will take us through the history of clinical studies in the United States (including Tuskegee, Willowbrook, etc ..) and the evolution of research ethics (and protections for volunteers) over the years.

Download the flyer for this event here, and please print out copies of the flyer and share it with others who may be interested.

Don't Know Your Future if You Don't Know Your Past

The Rainbow History Project has put together a history of HIV/AIDS activism in DC. Be sure to check it out.

C2EA-Metro DC Meeting on Monday January 15th

The next Campaign to End AIDS Metro DC Meeting will take place from 6 pm to 7pm on January 15, 2007 at the offices of Housing Works, 925 15th Street NW, 2nd Floor (at McPhereson Square).

We are just getting started, but I'm very excited at this new wave of local HIV/AIDS activism in the District. Read the minutes from the last meeting here, then be sure to come out and join us on Monday.

Oh, and if you haven't already, Be sure to join the C2EA-MetroDC Yahoo Group

DC HIV Prevention Plan Falls Short / Meeting this Thursday

The new District of Columbia HIV Prevention Plan for 2006-2007 has been posted on the web? click here to see the plan. The purpose of the plan is to identify the HIV prevention needs of DC residents and to prioritize the populations most in need of these services, and to identify the best possible prevention strategies for these populations.

Sadly, the DC report simply does not measure up when compared to what other Community Planning Groups across the country. We simply don't have the the accurate data we so desperately need in order to make the best decisions about where HIV prevention dollars should be going.

You can make a difference by getting involved in the Community Planning Group. There is an application process for new members but you don't have to be a member to attend the monthly meetings or participate on committees.

The next meeting is this thursday January 11th at 6:00 PM at the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs, 64 New York Ave., NE, 1st Floor. Parking is available at M and 1st Street available for $5.00 The building is also accessible by metro. The closest station is the New York Av on the redlinee. Station.

There's also a code for getting into the building - if you're planning on coming shoot me an e-mail and I will get you all the details.

Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance Reception: April 19

The Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance (GLAA), an all volunteer, non-partisian, non-profit political organization that works to advance equality rights for gay men and lesbians in Washington, celebrates 36 years of advocacy with its anniversary reception.

GLAA has been a leader on numerous local HIV/AIDS issues in the District of Columbia and deserve much credit for this work. Find out more about GLAA at www.glaa.org.

Details about the 36th Anniversary Reception will be posted on the website in the near future.

Fenty May Strengthen Smoke Free Workplace Law

Over at The DCist there has been a lot of discussion about a news report that Adrian Fenty may want to strengthen the Smoke Free Workplace Law. Currently, businesses that show a 5% drop in business can apply for an exemption. Fenty has suggested raising that standard to 15% to be more in line with other cities that have these laws, like New York.

A while back I wrote a post on Why the DC Smoke-Free Workplace Legislation is Good News for HIV Positive Workers, so I won't repeat what I said in that post. I will say, however, that I think the proposed change is a good idea for the safety of HIV positive workers, and of course all workers in the District.

Raymond Blanks Opinion Piece in the Post

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C., "remains disturbing and depressing," and the district's "rate of infection remains 10 times the national rate," Raymond Blanks, a member of the Community HIV Planning Group, writes in a Post opinion piece. According to Blanks, "many thousands of residents with HIV do not know their status" and "[n]early 20,000 of the city's residents are living with HIV."

The "size of this epidemic requires an adequate scope of services to meet current and increasing demands," Blanks writes, adding that despite pledges from Williams, "real progress still eludes the Administration for HIV Policies and Programs." The "deadly health crisis" in the district is "still growing, while the city's ability to combat this disease with effective prevention and treatment services has not increased accordingly," according to Blanks. A report released last year by the DC Appleseed Center "asserted that the city was 15 years behind the scope and quality of services and management necessary to meet this growing health challenge," Blanks writes, concluding, "No appreciable improvements have been attained lately, while this disease continues to grow where people are most vulnerable. It's time for the district to truly deliver on its promises"

Going the Extra Mile: March 14th

The Whitman Walker Clinic 'Going the Extra Mile' reception benefits the Whitman Walker Clinic Legal Services Program, which offers pro bono legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The event takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the residence of the French ambassador, 2221 Kalorama Rd. NW. For more information contact Mike Wilkinson by e-mail or at 202 797 3543.

Meet Christopher Bates

Christopher Bates has served as Acting Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, Department of Health and Human Services, since August 2002. He is a Senior Health Program Analyst, who also served as the National Director for a departmental initiative known as the Rapid Assessment Response and Evaluation (RARE). Before joining OHAP Mr. Bates worked as a consultant with the John Snow, Inc., conducting a feasibility study on the integration of STD, HIV, and drug abuse services for a proposed national demonstration project. From 1997 through 1998 he served as interim Director of the city of Philadelphia HIV Commission. From 1991 through 1997, Mr. Bates was the Executive Director of the DC CARE Consortium.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. Bates has served on numerous national and local Boards and Commissions. He is a founding member of the DC Primary Care Association. He also served as a member of the Board of the Washington Consortium of Agencies, a six-year member of the Executive Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Ryan White Title Planning Council, a member of the Mayor’s Health Policy Advisory Committee and a past Chair of the Mayor’s AIDS Advisory Committee. He is an acknowledged national advocate for AIDS, as well as a provocative civic, gay/lesbian activist in the District of Columbia. He’s a graduate of the University of Michigan, and holds a MPA from Southeastern University in Washington, D.C.

Arts in Action: January 23

Helen Hayes Award Winner Sheri Edelen will be the featured performer at this year's Art in Action. This annual Champagne Reception & Benefit raises money for Food & Friends, Us Helping Us, Whitman Walker Clinic & MetroTeen AIDS.

Arts in Action will take place Tuesday, January 23 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the home of Dr. James D'Orta: 3032 N Street, NW (the Harriman Mansion).

For more information about this event, visit the Food and Friends website or call (202) 232-1682.

Dining Out for Life: March 8th

The Food & Friends annual Dining Out for Life takes place on March 8, 2007. 150 restaurants in the area will donate a portion of their sales to Food & Friends. So, mark your calendar NOW as you'll want to make sure you don't miss out on this chance to leave dinner (or lunch) having made a difference in the lives of our neighbors facing some of life's most difficult challenges!

Look for additional details to be posted on the Food & Friends Website in the future.

2006: The Year in Pictures

Here's some pictures from the first 5 months of www.fighthivindc.org. All these pics are also available on the Fight HIV in DC Flickr Page. If you have any pictures you'd like to see included here, just let me know.

ACTION January Newsletter Now Online

Just a quick note to let you know the ACTION January Newsletter is now online. See the January Newsletter as a PDF file right here. If you work for an HIV/AIDS service organization in DC, please print out copies to share with your clients.

And please be sure to join us for January ACTION Lunch. The free lunch forum is entitled 'Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Research' and takes place on January 11th, 2007. The presentation begins at 1:00 PM at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500.

How do we assure that HIV/AIDS research in DC is ethical and reflects the needs of DC residents? How can we make sure that all DC residents have equal access to clinical trials? Join us for this free Lunch forum learn more about the important role of the community in HIV/AIDS research.

Lunch Provided. RSVP Required. To RSVP, click here.

Adrian Fenty's Inaugural Address

Adrian Fenty's inaugural address is now available online. Unfortunately, the speech includes what is only a passing reference to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in DC. Fenty writes:

"We also say, to our neighbors who are frail, that this Administration joins the residents of this city in decrying miserable health statistics in HIV/AIDS, heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes that are worse here than in many impoverished nations throughout the globe. If we are serious about being an example to the rest of the world, District of Columbia residents must have access to medicine and physicians and insurance, no matter where we live in the city, nor what our income."

Fenty fails to mention that we must not only treat HIV, but we must also prevent it. Mayor Fenty could create the best health care system any city in the United States has ever had, but it will be stretched to it's capacity with one in twenty DC residents being HIV positive, and it will surely break if our HIV rates continue to increase.

I'm a fan of Adrian Fenty and I'm keeping an open mind. I hope to see some serious action on HIV/AIDS in the coming weeks.

YOU@fighthivindc.org powered by Google Mail

I'm steadily working away on the four month plan to take fighthivindc.org to the next level.

On the activism front, I'm pleased to report that since last month the Campaign to End AIDS Metro DC Yahoo Group has doubled in size from 15 to 30. Also, several of you have posted or e-mailed your commentson HIV/AIDS to Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty's transition team. Thank you for taking action.

On the site development front, we have moved to an independent server, and the site is now available at www.fighthivindc.org as well as the blogspot site.

I'm also pleased to report that I can also offer all you DC HIV/AIDS advocates with your very own yourname@fighthivindc.org e-mail address. The e-mail service which can be accessed at http://mail.fighthivindc.org and it operates exactly like Google Mail. That's because it is google mail, only with a different domain name.

If you would like your own you@fighthivindc.org e-mail address, just send me an e-mail and let me know. Please include your full name, a number where you can be reached, and the e-mail address you would like. I will set it up and send you a temporary password that you can change at your convenience.

Marsha Martin to leave DC Administration for HIV Policy & Programs

Marsha Martin, Director of the DC The Administration for HIV Policy and Programs, will be leaving that position. In a farewell e-mail, Martin wrote "As a Williams appointee, it is my time to leave the government and I do so with great respect and admiration for this agency. Together, you have changed and re-ignited the conversation about the HIV epidemic in Washington, DC."

Is anyone else out there as suprised as I am at this news?

During her tenure, AHPP launched an ambitious HIV screening program for the district. The program fell far short of it's goals, and of the 80,000 rapid HIV test kits that were purchased, the majority were either given away or expired without being used. Still, 20,000 were tested for HIV in a five month period which is a significant increase (twice that of an average year).

AHPP appeared to be steadily improving under Martin, and new staff members brought on board by Martin (some very recently) offer a lot of hope for the future. Unfortunately, some problems that plagued the office did continue. HIV/AIDS Surveilance continues to be a major problem. And a recent audit criticized AHPP's monitoring of local HIV/AIDS service organizations.

Yes, there are still many things that need to be fixed at AHPP. That said, I'm sad to see Marsha Martin leave. I felt like under her leadership we were moving in the right direction.

Finding a new Director of AHPP could take several weeks, or it could take several months. Once we do find a new director, there is no guarantee that the staff members Marsha Martin brought on board will want to remain under new leadership.

The thought of going several weeks or several months without a strong leader at AHPP terrifies me. We simply don't have that much time to spare.

Update: Losing Track of AIDS Cases in DC

A number of folks on the web are talking about the latest article by Jose Vargas for the Post, An Overwhelmed D.C. Agency Loses Count of AIDS Cases.

Blogger Infinite Present writes: "So how can we justify the fact that the nation's capital, the leader in HIV rates, continues to be completely incompetent in assessing the spread of infection through its various populations? I am scared to live in a world where so little is being done to control a 25-year old epidemic that is ravaging a segregated and at-risk population, a negligence rife with racial, sexual, and homophobic implications."

The article was also picked up on The Circumlocutor and Frozen Tropics.

Take Action: Call for a State of Emergency

A number of local HIV/AIDS advocates are calling on Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty to declare an HIV/AIDS State of Emergency in the District of Columbia. I have signed on and I encourage you to sign on as well. Both individuals as well as organizations can participate.

1. Read the Letter to Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty. The letter is available online at: http://www.fighthivindc.org/docs/fentyletter.doc.

2. Contact jenna@communityeducationgroup.org if you or your organization would like to sign on. Please include your full organizational name (or individual name) as you would like for it to be listed on the letter, as well as a contact person who is authorizing the sign-on.

3. Send an email to amfenty@hotmail.com to letting him know you support a State of Emergency. (cc:jenna@communityeducationgroup.org or tyoung@communityeducationgroup.org)

4. Print or write your version of the letter and make it available for others to sign on to at your agency, church, school, etc... Fax those signed letters to the Community Education Group at 202 543-9146 and they will make sure they get to the Mayor Elect.

4. Email a copy of this letter to your friends, colleagues, and neighbors asking them to also take action.