An Overwhelmed D.C. Agency Loses Count of AIDS Cases

From the Washington Post: In late August, barely a month into her new job, Marie Sansone of the District's AIDS agency was astounded by what she discovered: five boxes of unexamined HIV and AIDS cases that had not been touched in more than a year.

In the boxes were records of 2,000 to 3,000 cases that had yet to be entered in the city's database. The records are mostly from 2004 and 2005, some from 2003. Who's getting sicker, who needs treatment, who died. All boxed up.

"Oh, my goodness," Sansone, surveillance chief for the city's Administration for HIV Policy and Programs (AHPP), remembers saying.

"We were flabbergasted, just flabbergasted," adds Sansone's boss, AHPP Director Marsha Martin.

That information is critical to managing a spreading epidemic, now in its 25th year. Under guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AHPP is required to collect, maintain and distribute statistics on the disease, which dozens of community-based organizations depend on for their prevention and treatment programs.

City officials acknowledge that the District is behind in tracking new cases of HIV, as well as in reporting the number of deaths from AIDS complications.

Continue Reading this article in the Washington Post:

DC Young Poz Socials Event This Saturday

DC Young Poz Socials (DCYPS) is an informal social group geared for Washington, D.C. area HIV-positive guys in their 20s and 30s. Activities include parties, picnics, sporting events, hiking, theatre outings and other recreational and social events.

DCYPS hosts a semi-private Happy Hour at the Green Lantern on the last Saturday of every month. Join them this Saturday, December 30th from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Regular Lantern Happy Hour Specials apply.

Should Homophobic Churches Receive DC HIV/AIDS Funds?

A few months ago I included information about the The Union Temple Baptist Church Huggin’ HIV/AIDS Ministry & Akoma Project on this website. In the brochure which I republished, the Union Temple Baptist Church states: "For over thirty years, the Union Temple Baptist Church has provided unbiased and reassuring services to populations who have been rejected and ostracized by society."

After hearing excerpts from a sermon by Reverend Willie Wilson of the Union Temple Baptist Church I'm not so sure that that is true.

Rev. Wilson delivered what is hands down the most mean-spirited homophobic sermon I've ever heard in my life. Don't take my word for it, click here to listen to excerpts from the sermon and decide for yourself.

Which leads me to ask the obvious question. How is it that a homophobic minister can wind up with so much federal and DC HIV/AIDS Dollars?

We know that from our most recent figures (DC AHPP Surveilance and Epidemiology Division: March 2006) approximately 40% of DC residents living with HIV/AIDS are men who have sex with men, the majority of which are African American men who have sex with men. Nationally, one recent study, suggests that as many as 46% of black gay men are HIV positive.

It's important that churches that primarily serve the African American community in DC be part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, and many are deeply involved and contributing much.

In this case, however, I question whether it's appropriate to use federal and local HIV/AIDS resources to fund an agency which may not be safe or welcoming to gay men.

(If you can provide me with any additional information, please do so.)

Reflection

Monte Wolfe writes: With the month of December always comes an anniversary of sorts for me, a neverending series of thoughts. Triumphs, accomplishments, fears, happiness, blues, but above all else--- thoughts of joy, and affirmation of the fact that I am still here. This mainly because two years ago, I wasn't entirely sure I would even live this long.

December of 2004 brought along with it a new way of living for me. Being that I was diagnosed as HIV positive on November 30th 2004 (the last day of that month), the month of December that followed is always one that I will remember. It is from that place of reflection that I stem as I bring forth this piece.

Continue reading this article on the Brave Soul Collective Website

MW Profiles Wallace Corbett

THE UNSEASONABLY warm November afternoon suits Wallace Corbett's sunny disposition. The default look on his face is a smile -- not a toothy grin, but something more reminiscent of the Mona Lisa. And Wallace Corbett has reason to be happy.

''My numbers have remained the same for a very long time,'' says the 45-year-old D.C. native. Though Corbett's carried HIV for roughly two decades, the virus in his system has been as tame as it's been unwelcome.

''I tried a [medication] regimen, and it did not work for me at all. I couldn't work. It had me almost zombie-like, exhausted.'' So Corbett and his doctor came to an agreement: If regular monitoring showed his T-cell counts and viral loads hovering at acceptable levels without medication, he would simply not take any. Since that initial foray into pharmaceuticals, he's remained meds-free and healthy.

Corbett cannot point to any particular reason why his body has kept the virus in check, offering that he puts his faith in, well, faith.

''I'm practicing my belief in Christ. I enjoy volunteering.... My religious belief is that you should help anybody at anytime without asking for gratification. I volunteer the same way I go to my job. The way you treat people every day is God speaking. Treat people kindly. I practice what God tells us to do: Treat others with kindness and help without asking.''

One way Corbett has put his belief into practice is AIDS Rides. He's participated in seven D.C.-based rides.

''The rides taught me kindness, and to push yourself further than you can imagine pushing yourself. When you're on a bicycle, by yourself in an area where you've never been, told to just go in this direction and you can't see the one ahead of you or behind you, the question is: Am I going the right way? Can I make it? What if I fall? Can I push myself?

''Then you complete the event and you say to yourself, 'You know what? There's more to me than what I fear.'''

And there's more to Corbett than his pleasant disposition. Living in Chinatown with his two cocker spaniels, he is a widower who mourns the loss of his partner and best friend, Myron. He mourns for a generation, as well.

''The epidemic has taken some really great minds away -- wonderful designers, and artists, and singers, and people in sports and business. I sometimes wonder what the world would have been if they were still here. Some of the barriers for gay society would not be so difficult. We would not be so slow in reaching things like same-sex marriage, because a lot of those who have gone were truly amazing advocates. They were intelligent, articulate, compassionate advocates who had the skills to motivate others to move forward. Groups like ACT-UP knew how to get the issues on the front page.''

Corbett's sadness over what has been lost is matched in equal parts by his frustration over a lack of kindness, a lack of leadership and ongoing stigma when it comes to HIV. For example, while his church, the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C., meets his expectations, other churches have fallen short.

''Where is the volunteerism? Churches are there to help the sick, the homeless, the less fortunate. There are churches on every block -- they're like liquor stores. So why are there homeless on these streets?''

Before joining MCC, Corbett attended an African-American church.

''They had cultural issues that are falsely based on their history. You can't say you don't respect homosexuality when your choir, your deacon, about two-thirds of your members are [homosexual]. Those are the things that continue a stigma that continues to affect and erode black culture.''

Moving from the spiritual to the political, Corbett says he wishes the city's leadership -- particularly during this post-election, transitional period -- would lead on HIV by example, lining up to get tested publicly, and encouraging their constituents to do the same.

From his post at the front desk of the George Washington University Hospital's radiology department, however, Corbett says he is constantly reminded to keep things in proportion -- despite the scope of the HIV pandemic, regardless of his good health, no matter the misplaced stigma.

''Life is such a short thing. You have to decide whether to value it or not. Each day, I value it.''

Enjoying each day as if it were the last helps Corbett ''walk in faith and not fear.''

''We will live, and this epidemic will pass, whether I'm on earth or not. We're all on a journey. The question is, in the time that you have, have you made the best choices? Have you done something?''

Read the Complete Article at the Metro Weekly Website

Condom Week Part 5: Say it with a Condom

The condom graphics I made this week were all generated using a very cool and completely free graphic design tool from Advocates for Youth. The organization is sponsoring their 'Respect Yourself. Protect Yourself. Condom Campaign'. Students can quickly download the free software and come up with their own unique condom designs to enter in the competition. Need some inspiration? Check out these condom postcards that have already been submitted.

Condom Week Part 4: Be a Condom Safe Site!

From the Great American Condom Campaign: We have heard just about every excuse in the book as to why people will not get condoms. Some steeped in genuine logistical barriers such as stores that are closed - or too far away - for when ‘the moment comes,' and others that are influenced by highly stigmatized social perceptions. Let's face it, buying condoms isn't as easy as buying a candy bar. Interestingly, although it should not come as much of a surprise, condoms are often the most stolen items in retail - forcing many stores to simply keep them locked up or behind the sales counter; adding another complex perceived barrier for individuals to deal with should they want to buy condoms.

SafeSites is a new method of condom distribution relying on peer-to-peer networking technology and direct social-access points.

Here's how Safesites works:

1. Individuals and/or Organizations register to become a Safesite.

2. Once officially registered, 100 ONE brand condoms in our special packaging are delivered to the individual on a monthly basis.

3. Upon receipt of condoms, the SafeSite decal is put on their door, in plain public view. It is then up to the individual to determine what is the best distribution strategy for their unique community.

That's it. That's all you have to do.

Register to be a safe site now!.

Condom Week Part 3: AHPP Distributes Condoms Online

The Administration for HIV Policy & Programs (AHPP) is moving closer to it's goal of distributing a million condoms in the District of Columbia. AHPP has launched an online condom distribution program. Their website states:This program is intended to promote, facilitate and simplify the way that condoms are distributed.Any organization can request condoms through this program. Once the online form is completed, arrangements will be made for a representative from your organization to pick up the condoms for distribution.

It's a good start, but it's not really what I expected when AHPP announced the plan back in October. For starters, they are not really distributing the condoms, but rather they are making them available for organizations to pick up. Also, since this effort relies on local organizations to do the distribution, it's quite possible there are some parts of town that will have condoms available, and other parts of town that won't. Finally, the website says 'any organization' but doesn't make it clear whether or not businesses like restaurants, clubs, and bars can also request condoms to make available to their patrons. We'll see how this program develops.

In the meantime, if you work for a local organization, make sure to Order condoms at the AHPP website today.

Condom Week Part 2: CVS Revises Condom Policy

Trey Watkins is modest. The second-year, gay grad student at George Washington University's School of Public Health is quick to point out that he's not solely responsible for pushing CVS/pharmacy to modify its policy of locking condoms in cabinets or behind the counter in almost half of its stores in Washington's lower-income neighborhoods to avoid theft.

"We looked at this and said it's obviously an issue," Watkins says. "Condoms are continuously being locked up and are not ... readily available, and people have to ask for them. Rather than ask [for them because] of embarrassment, they are going home and having unprotected sex."

continue reading this article at Metroweekly

Condom Week Part 1: The BHT Condom Collective

The Brother Help Thyself Condom Cooperative has the ability to make bulk purchases of condoms and other at volume discount rates which individual non-profits and businesses usually cannot negotiate.

Current members of the Cooperative include HIV/AIDS Education and Service Providers, bars, and adult-oriented businesses in the metro Baltimore / Washington DC area. The BHT Condom Cooperative offers condoms, lube, and HIV educational materials. The goal of the program is to make it economically viable for all businesses to express their care for their customers by distributing condoms free of cost. Behavioral studies definitely conclude that people are more likely to engage in safe sex behavior when condoms and lubricate are easily available at businesses where people meet their sexual partners.

For more information, visit http://www.brotherhelpthyself.com/content/view/32/39/.

Washington Post Living HIV Quilt

This World AIDS Day, the Washington Post launched The Living Quilt, which features the pictures and stories of individuals living with HIV in the District of Columbia. If you would like to be added to the quilt, or you know someone who does, please e-mail Jose Vargas.

FYI, Jose is doing a series of articles for the Washington Post on HIV/AIDS. Two more articles will run before the end of the year, so keep a look out for them.

Blade Article on Ryan White Care Act Authorization

Today's Washington Blade has a story entitled: Ryan White approval spares D.C. $4 million cut in AIDS budget.

What the story got right: This version is better for DC because it phases in named based reporting, and doesn't penalize places like DC that haven't yet gotten named base reporting up and running.

What the story got wrong: When Lou writes "The district’s total AIDS budget for fiscal year 2007 comes to $82 million" he doesn't tell you that a hefty chunk of that money goes right back out to other states. The money we get from Ryan White Title I is for our EMA, or Eligible Metropolitan Area, which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and even West Virginia. So this may be AHPP's budget, but the amount that actually get's spent in the district is far less.

What the story didn't tell you: It's nice that we will be able to avoid a $4 million dollar cut, but let's be honest. There have been many years when we haven't been able to spend all the money we receive for HIV/AIDS in the District. I don't think anybody would be suprised if AHPP had a couple million dollars left over at the end of this year. Ours is not a problem of money, ours is a problem of accountability. Four million dollars does not amount to a hill of beans if we don't spend it wisely.

ACTION Lunch Forum on HIV, Hep C, & African Americans

Today we had the 5th ACTION (AIDS Clinical Trials Information & Orientation) Lunch event. These free, informational lunch events are held the second Thursday of each month at the DC CARE Consortium.

Monica Lattimore-Mcleod PA-C (pictured left) gave a presentation on HIV, Heptatis C, and African Americans.

The hepatitis C virus is transmitted through infected blood. Hepatitis C spreads easily when drug users share equipment. It can also be spread through sexual activity. A small percentage of people clear the Hep C virus with no problems. Most folks will develop a chronic infection, which left untreated can cause serious liver damage and even liver failure and death. While there is a vaccine to prevent the spread of Hep A, and Hep B, there is no vaccine to prevent the spread of Hepatitis C.

About 30% of folks in the United States folks living with HIV are also infected with Hep C. We don't know the exact percentage in DC, but I personally believe it's a lot higher than 30%. If you'd like to learn more about this topic, I encourage you to start right here at www.thebody.com.

Be sure to join us for the ACTION lunch next month, details are right here.

Oh, and pictures from todays event are available on the Flickr Fight HIV in DC Photo Stream.

HIV/AIDS: Between Promises & Performance

The following commentary was written by Raymond Blank and was submitted to the Adrian Fenty Transition Blog. Be sure to share your thoughts on HIV/AIDS with Mayor Elect Fenty. Post your comments here.

Promises of action made by Mayor Williams more than a year ago to bolster the battle against HIV have not been realized. The fact remains that the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the District remains both disturbing and depressing. The rate of infection in Washington remains ten times the national rate. African American women are 90% of all infected female residents and many thousands of residents do not know their status. Blacks are 60% of the District’s population but represent more than 80% of AIDS cases and nearly 20,000 residents are living with HIV. Recent tests indicate that among the 16,700 persons tested, 580 tested positive, a new increase of nearly 4%. Dr. John Hogan of Unity Health Care recently observed that this deadly virus strikes where “lives of quiet desperation” are experienced.

The size of this epidemic, however, requires adequate scope of services to meet current and increasing demands. Despite the mayor’s promises, real progress still eludes the Administration for HIV Policies and Programs. This deadly health crisis is still growing while the city’s ability to combat this disease with effective prevention and treatment services have not increased accordingly.

The City Council last year appropriated a half-million dollars to establish HIV services in Ward 7 where no services are provided although it has the second highest rate of infection in the city. Today, there are still no services in that ward although a local consulting firm was hired to assist in developing new services. More distressing, nearly 25% of the Council’s award was spent illegally in other sectors of the city and for other purposes. Regretfully, adequate prevention and treatment services have not been expanded to residents most in need and who engaged in high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex or shared needles.

A year ago, the Office of the Inspector General audited AHPP and found substantial deficits in its management practices especially related to grant awards to community service providers. This year, the IG’s Office conducted a similar audit and found no evidence of progress in the effective management of public resources. One organization secured a grant of a quarter of a million but the audit found no evidence of services provided to the public. AHPP personnel never once monitored the use of public funds awarded to the agency. Epidemiological data is still neither complete or easily available and the agency’s surveillance remains below standards of competence.

A major campaign, “Know Your Status,” was kicked off in June with the goal of testing 400,000 residents between 14 and 84 by December. HIV testing is an effective prevention practice endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control. More than $1.2 million dollars was budgeted to support this massive testing initiative that has achieved less than 5% of its campaign target. Two highly publicized testing events were held on Freedom Plaza at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars. But less than 200 people submitted to the test in either event. No special testing events were organized east of the river area during where the majority of people infected live. Fortunately, nearly a third of all residents recently tested are inmates at the DC Jail. However, 6% or nearly 250 more people tested positive but community providers lack the capacity to absorb this increased cohort needing follow-up health services in the community once released from jail.

Perhaps the most important failure in the last year of the Williams Administration is the consistent absence of any adequate effort to really engage community residents regarding this health crisis that effects one of every 20 residents. A health challenge of this magnitude requires the involvement of citizens to also help to reverse alarming trends. Walter Smith, the president of the DC Appleseed, emphasized recently the necessity for a community dialogue to better alert and engage residents, to promote practices of prevention, distribute materials that foster harm reduction and circulate information on treatment services and locations. The absence of residents from such a dialogue prohibits collaborations by the city with its citizens, depresses a necessary synergy and diminishes the community’s capacity to contribute in combating HIV.

Last year, the DC Appleseed Report on HIV and AIDS in the District asserted that the city was 15 years behind the scope and quality of services and management necessary to meet this growing health challenge. No appreciable improvements have been attained lately while this disease continues to grow where people are most vulnerable and lack adequate and competent services. It’s time for the District to truly deliver on its promises.

Raymond S. Blanks is a member of the District’s Community HIV Planning Group.

Us Helping Us Noir Reflections Retreat '06

Tim'm West Reflects on the 2006 Noir Reflections Retreat: we came to hills where cometh our strength, riding the wave of whatever change was awaiting permission to be sparked. we brought our burdens there: full hearts and blues boxes with songs from the key of life and salt. we came committed to be the change we dream: living in our fullness where others filled their emptiness with next cocktails, cocks or tails. sober, we understood the necessity of feeling with the clarity of vultures sighting sustinence. holding one another close, we understood that expressions of intimacy don't require nakedness, risk, or self-sacrifice. we held one another so closely that it hurt to let go. in the after... we will have to call on the memory of such protectedness.

Continue reading this article on the Brave Souls Collective Website

Howard University Receives $25,000 HIV/AIDS Grant

The Tom Joyner Foundation, founded by the nationally syndicated radio personality and philanthropist, announced on World AIDS Day that they have distributed $25,000 each to eight historically black colleges and universities to promote awareness on HIV/AIDS.

The Foundation received the grant from McFarland and Associates and the Program Coordinating Center (PCC) for the Substance Abuse Mental health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's (SAMHSA/CSAP) Minority Education Institution (MEI) Initiative. The institution will be responsible for conducting the HIV projects.

Read the article at: http://www.blacknews.com/pr/tomjoynerfoundation101.html

Rapper Ludacris urges wider HIV testing

Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges urged students at George Washington University to "save some lives" by getting tested for HIV on World AIDS Day, Friday Dec. 1.
The 29-year-old Grammy-winning rapper said the topic is of particular importance in the nation's capital, where the rate of AIDS is the highest of any U.S. city. About 3 percent of D.C. residents have tested positive for the virus, according to the District's HIV campaign.

Ludacris described his recent trip to South Africa and said that children with AIDS there touched his heart. He said the experience made him want to alert the public of the pandemic, which is commonly spread through sexual intercourse.

continue reading this article

MW Profiles Chris Rothermel

CHRIS ROTHERMEL started off 2005 with a goal of helping in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In January of last year, he was being trained in his hometown, New Orleans, to offer counseling and HIV testing.

But when he decided to get tested himself as he went through training, he didn't expect to be on the other side of the equation. He remembers the day he got his results: Jan. 25, 2005.

''It was a huge surprise. I always used condoms -- that I knew of. But I also had a history of drug and alcohol abuse.'' Only 21 at the time, Rothermel wasn't starting just the year as HIV-positive, but his adult life.

''Luckily, I was working at a really supportive [HIV-related] organization, so I kind of had the gist of what was going on with my body. There was a wonderful network of support. And I was living with someone, a roommate, who had HIV and he knew the ins and outs of living with the virus.''

His coworkers in New Orleans walked him through the process of what he needed to do to stay healthy. Rothermel says it took him about six months to come to terms with his HIV status, to get to a point where he was comfortable discussing it -- just in time for his world to be turned upside down again. Hurricane Katrina barreled into New Orleans in August 2005. He headed to Houston, the only city outside of his hometown where he had friends.

''Before Katrina hit, I was organizing a caravan for the Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) that was traveling up to D.C. for Four Days of Action -- rallies, civil disobedience, things like that. Once Katrina hit, I started organizing from Houston. I didn't have anything else to do, and I didn't want to sit in front of the TV all day watching horrible stories.''

Arriving in D.C. after the month-long caravan from Texas, he found a far more welcoming community than the one he'd left in Houston, which was inundated with Katrina evacuees. Whereas his welcome was worn in Texas, he found Washingtonians to be wonderfully friendly by comparison. So much so that he ended up relocating, and today works at Whitman-Walker Clinic providing outreach to young men who have sex with men. He's also a client.

He hasn't begun a drug regimen yet, though he says his comfort level with his doctor is such that, ''I would be comfortable taking meds if she told me to.'' With his T-cells going up and his health being monitored, ''There's no real reason I should be on meds, unless my T-cell count goes down.''

While his health today is good, Rothermel follows the history of his mental health -- and the seeds that grew into the drug and alcohol abuse that he says likely led to a lapse in his safer-sex practices -- back to his school days.

''I went to an all-boys Catholic school. That sort of relates to my HIV status. We took a whole semester in eighth grade to learn that if you jerk-off, you're going to hell; [that] condoms are not effective in preventing HIV or STDs; [that] gay people are going to hell. All that good stuff. I'm sure it had a negative effect on me.''

Having experienced that sort of indoctrination, followed by substance abuse and his subsequent sero-conversion, Rothermel points to comprehensive sexual education as the most important tool in the fight against HIV.

''One person says a gay person is bad, then gay people cause AIDS. That's the thinking in some people's minds. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. It matters if you're having unprotected sex, regardless of how you identify.''

In addition to fighting stigma, he says sexual education needs to include communication skills.

''I don't think young people know how to properly negotiate condoms with their partners. It's really important that we teach them the skills to communicate throughout sex.''

Though Rothermel says he's generally optimistic about the fight, he adds that getting to that point where everyone is educated about sex is still a long way off.

''We know what can prevent HIV. All we have to do is make it happen.''

Read the Complete Article at the Metro Weekly Website

UMC Quality of Life Retreats for People with HIV/AIDS

The next retreat takes places February 5th-8th at the Washington DC Retreat House

The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty-two retreats have been conducted.

The retreats are a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS. It is a chance to get away, to get together, to interact and to learn the techniques and attitudes that are effective in dealing with the issues of long-term survival.

The program includes workshops that focus on self-acceptance, spiritual empowerment, stigmas, mental health, and maintaining quality of life. There will be workshops, entertainment, singing, prayer, and a healing services. Participants support each other through a Prayer-Buddy System. The group may also design a Talent Show. The retreat is limited to 40 participants and is offered to persons living with HIV/AIDS. The program is ecumenical and opent to individuals of all faiths, religions, and beliefs.

The retreats have four objects:

• To provide a safe, loving environment in which participants can be fully themselves, free of fears and inhibitions, and can deal openly with their deeest concerns.
• To offer spiritual, practical, educational and health resources to those whose lives have been, are and will be affected personally by HIV infection.
• To listen to what HIV infected persons have to say about their journeys.
• To offer and develop a viable model of how the religious community can make a compassionate and effective response to this crisis.

The ultimate goal is to provide retreats that will be a connecting and coping experience for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

The next retreat will take place February 5th-8th at the Washington DC Retreat House, which is operated by the Sisters of the Franciscan Order.

For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

MW Profiles: Mark Fischer

IT WAS 1980 in New York City and Mark Fischer was walking into the legendary nightclub, The Saint, on opening night. Having moved to D.C. from North Carolina two years earlier, when STDs were the scariest health concern in the gay community, life was good for this young man.

''I went to visit some friends and they took me as a surprise. I thought I'd died and went to heaven. It was overwhelming, all encompassing. It was a place you went with friends, and just sort of lost yourself in the music and danced.''

Trips to The Saint were the ''carrot at the end of the stick'' that got Fischer through whatever toil he faced during the workweek.

''It was like going to church. In some ways, it was this spiritual communion.''

The Saint remained a constant bright spot in Fischer's life, from the day it opened until its closing in 1988. In those years, Fischer transformed from a young gay man celebrating an unprecedented era of liberation, to someone living with HIV in the opening years of a global pandemic. In a sense, the party was over. But Fischer managed to hold onto a pragmatic sense of calm.

''I was diagnosed in '86. I assume that I was infected probably before that. I limited my activities severely, because I wasn't sure. It was a very stifling kind of thing.''

Fischer says there initially wasn't much reason to get tested for HIV, as there wasn't any treatment on offer. But by the time he and his partner, whom he'd met in 1984, were tested, it was just a matter of confirming what they'd already assumed. The security of his relationship and the dawning of HIV medications, he says, made the test results quite a bit easier to swallow.

Fischer can't say the same for some of those medicines he's ingested over the years, a root-beer-flavored syrup in particular.

''The worst part was that it would repeat. It would keep coming back. And it tasted like, I don't know, rancid fish. Then I got capsules, but they still had a tendency to do a little bit of that.''

That may have contributed to Fischer's admitted problem with taking his medications regularly -- until recently he had been ''sloppy compliant'' with his regimens, taking frequent ''drug holidays.''

The primary reasons, he explains, were complicated schedules for dosing his myriad medications, and side effects, such as ongoing nausea, bloating and severe gastrointestinal discomfort. But when an HIV-positive friend went blind and deaf, he found the motivation to stick to the medications that would keep cytomegalovirus, which can attack a compromised immune system, at bay.

Still, Fischer's difficulties with his medications -- and other contributing factors -- led to his being hospitalized with pneumocystis pneumonia in November 2002. It was one of many hardships Fischer has faced in recent years, including losing a job and the death of his partner.

Today Fischer, 57, is regaining solid footing.

''I'm getting over the feeling that I'd really fucked my life up for good because so many negative things hit. I kept thinking, 'If only....' But I had this realization that doing the best I could, this is where I wound up. The void in my life -- the job, the partner -- is an opportunity to rebuild parts of my life that very few people get to rebuild. I can be selective of what I put in there. Now I'm looking at life differently. It's the same thing with the HIV. It all goes together. Now I see challenges as opportunities.''

Fischer is also on a new drug regimen that has him taking four medications, but all at the same time every morning, with few side effects. He's supplementing the pharmaceuticals by seeing a nutritionist, an acupuncturist and a massage therapist.

''The feedback I've gotten has reinforced to me that I'm healthy, all things considered.''

Professionally, he's managing an organization he founded, Values in Action (VIA), with the aim of strengthening ties between the business and non-profit communities. He also expects to be partnered again, at some point.

He says HIV and other hardships have taught him not to defer life.

''I find myself sharing experiences with my parents, having far more in common with them than I would ever expect to. It's the experience of having your friends, peers, die away in large numbers. It's looking for things in your environment, your community, that you once had that you can't find.

''Dealing with the disease has caused me to approach life differently. For the most part, I'd say I've been able to find a positive outcome. I've been reminded of what is important, how I should spend my time, not to think so much about the future.... You need to withdraw some of your savings, literally and figuratively. You need to withdraw and spend now, because there's no guarantee.''

Read the Complete Article at the Metro Weekly Website

D.C. falls short of goal in testing for HIV

From the Washington Blade: The city will fall far short of meeting its ambitious goal of screening all residents for HIV between the ages of 14 and 84 — about 400,000 people — between June 27 and Dec. 31, District health officials said. Gregg Pane, director of the D.C. Department of Health, said the city’s widely publicized HIV testing initiative resulted in about 20,000 people being tested during a five-month period as of Dec. 1. The figure represents more than twice the number of tests normally administered in the District in a full year, according to Pane. “We certainly set a stretched goal, which was really to make the test available to anyone who wanted it between the ages of 14 and 84,” Pane said. “It was pretty ambitious.” Marsha Martin, director of the Administration for HIV Policy & Planning, an arm of the health department, set the 400,000-test goal. Martin has said her aim was to reverse the city’s status of having the nation’s highest rate of new HIV infections each year. Martin said the city purchased 80,000 rapid HIV test kits and initiated an aggressive public education campaign to promote the testing initiative. She said an undetermined but significant amount of HIV tests have been administered in private doctors’ offices and clinics in addition to the 20,000 known tests conducted through city public health programs. She said she was confident the city would make “good progress” toward reaching the testing goal in the coming months. AIDS administration spokesperson Michael Kharfen said the HIV testing initiative has a budget of $1.3 million, with $800,000 going to the purchase of “rapid” HIV test kits and $500,000 going to a public outreach campaign to encourage people to get tested.

Hepatitis C, HIV, & African Americans

Reminder: Please RSVP by Tuesday!!! Join us December 14th at 1:00 PM for the monthly ACTION lunch presentation at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street, Suite 500, Washington DC. DC CARE is located at the corner of 15th and M Streets, and is closest to the McPherson Metro Stop.

Monica Lattimore-McLeod will help us better understand how the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) impacts African Americans. We will look at prevalence rates of Hepatitis C in the African American Community and learn more about why there are racial and ethnic disparities in treatment of HCV. We'll also look at unique issues for those who are HIV positive and also have HCV. Register for this event online by clicking here, or by calling 202 223-9550 ext 15.

MW Profiles Danielle Pleasant

AT FIRST GLANCE, Danielle Pleasant seems like a million other mothers. A 40-year-old D.C. native who lives in Southwest with four of her five children -- the eldest, 19, has already moved out -- she seems like a proud mom with common concerns. Pleasant jokes that one of the most important things she's had to learn about parenting is how to be strict. It's an expected challenge from a woman who does a good job living up to her last name.

Look a little closer, however, and it's obvious Pleasant and her family carry some uncommon burdens. And supportive as she's been of her kids, they've been as supportive of her through some difficult times.

''They've been with me through my addiction. They've been taken away from me, and we've been reunited. We're pretty close,'' she says. ''They know all about me being HIV-positive. They get concerned if I'm not feeling well, if I'm sick. But children are just really resilient. They've kept me going.... My kids are my rock. They're the reason why I do what I do.''

Addicted to crack and six months pregnant with her fourth child, Pleasant learned of her HIV status while seeking prenatal care at Walter Reed Hospital in 1993. Her addiction was controlling her life. Though still married to her estranged husband, the father of her eldest child, Pleasant says she doesn't know who is the father of the child she carried in 1993.

And things were just getting worse.

''When I first found out, [HIV] was just another thing on the pile. I wasn't focused on that, because I was pregnant. I just automatically knew, 'My baby's going to be positive.' And he was.''

The difficulty of progressing to AIDS wasn't the only thing facing her newborn son -- encephalopathy, hypothyroidism and high blood pressure were also present. He later lost his ability to walk.

Her baby's medical problems compounded Pleasant's own. Feelings of guilt about her drug addiction and her child's resulting HIV-positive status evolved into a panic that she might be losing her mind: ''If I'd push the stroller and he wasn't in it, I would say to myself, 'I've lost my mind and my son has died, and I'm pushing the stroller as if he's still in it.'''

That pregnancy was followed two years later by another, forcing Pleasant to make hard choices about her addiction, her life and the life of the fetus she was carrying.

''I had to figure out whether I was going to have her or not. I was afraid of having her for fear that she'd be positive. I decided to leave it in God's hands, and I went into treatment. It wasn't to get clean, but to show Child Protective Services that I was doing something.''

Whatever her intentions, that last pregnancy became a crossroads for Pleasant. She got treatment for her addiction. She found a supportive, albeit temporary, home at the House of Ruth shelter. And she was offered a spot in a clinical AZT trial to prevent in utero transmission of the virus. Her youngest child was born, and remains, HIV-negative.

Today, as a mother, as a bisexual woman, as a recovering addict, and as an HIV-positive person, Pleasant is a surprising picture of strength, an affirmation for the force of will. But whether it's her work as an advocate for women and children, or as the dutiful mother of five who collects so many prescriptions for her family that the local pharmacist asked her if she was running a group home, beneath the strength there is vulnerability.

''As open as I am about it, I still go through the fear of being rejected,'' says Pleasant, offering that, romantically, reactions from men and women are dependent upon the individual, not the gender.

''If someone tries to approach me or date me, I go through a couple different stages: Do I tell them now? Do I wait?''

Pleasant says she initially didn't tell everyone due to fear of rejection. Then, when she began disclosing, she found herself not understanding why ''they liked me anyway.'' Then came the fear of dating someone positive who could ''die on me,'' and the fear of dating someone negative and wondering if they would ''contract the virus from me.''

''It's a really fine line for me.''

And considering that one of Pleasant's closest friends is a lesbian who believes she contracted HIV from another woman, Pleasant emphasizes that this stigma she's wrestled with is pointless, in that everyone is at risk for contracting HIV.

''If I hadn't worked on building my self-esteem, I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you I'm HIV-positive, because I don't know how you're going to look at me.''

Because transmission is often via social taboos – sex, drugs -- Pleasant says people have trouble talking openly about their own risks.

''It's usually something people don't want to deal with: drug abuse or sexual behavior. But everybody is at risk, and not everybody wants to believe that.''

Read the Complete Article at the Metro Weekly Website

DC World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil

''There is a killer on the loose.''

That was the message from Rev. Dyan Abena McCray at the World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil at Freedom Plaza on Friday, Dec 1.

''[No] police force, no criminal justice system, no squad control, [and] no special task force has been able to stop the killing,'' said McCray, pointing to the disregard AIDS has for education or location or money or fame. ''It simply wants your life. The only one who is able to stop this killer is you.''

McCray was the final speaker at the annual vigil, sponsored by Whitman-Walker Clinic. Other speakers included Whitman-Walker chief executive officer Donald Blanchon; Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D); Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1); Matthew Kavanagh, executive director of Global Justice and the national coordinator for the Student Global AIDS Campaign; Rabbi Binyamin Biber of Machar, the Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism; and Anthony Johnson, a client of the Whitman-Walker Clinic who has been living with HIV for the past four years

continue reading this article at Metro Weekly

World AIDS Day White House Protest

Hundreds of protesters marked World AIDS Day in Washington DC on Friday by staging a demonstration in front of The White House, where several were eventually arrested.

Activists from a number of grassroots organisations, including the Student Global AIDS campaign, ACT-UP, and University Coalitions for Global Health, gathered for a rally at Layfayette Park, located across the street from The White House.

They're calling on President George W Bush and the US Congress to secure universal access to AIDS treatments by the year 2010.

Bush's AIDS initiative, which he announced in 2003, is the largest international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.

It targets 15 countries that are home to about half of the world's 39 million people who are HIV-positive.

But Amy Rinner, a medical student at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, said the United States should do more.

"If you talk about how much money we commit to third world countries in terms of per capita, we give well below what the United Nations wishes us to give and I think that as a country that has the ability to do more and has a lot of the leading pharmaceutical agencies, we could give a lot more than we do," she said.

A few demonstrators broke away from the main crowd and sat down on the sidewalk just outside The White House gate.

After issuing a verbal warning, police moved in and made several arrests. (AP)

See more pictures from this event right here

The First Four Months: The Next Four Months

As www.fighthivindc.org hits the four-month mark today, I would like to give you a quick update on where we are, and where we're going.

First off, in this short period of time, this website has become the definitive source for online information about HIV in DC. As you can see from our web statistics, the blog continues to grow, with numbers steadily increasing each month. I'd like to add that this has been accomplished without a single dollar changing hands.

We owe our success to many folks in the DC blog community. Our posts appear daily on DC Blogs Live. Other blogs that have linked to this site include: Stop, Blog and Roll (Ward 5), OC Girl, In Shaw, Sour and Sweet, and many others. Of course, the most traffic has been sent our way from Wonkette. Thank You!

The Next Four Months

Of course it goes without saying that I expect our web traffic to keep steadily increasing as we reach more and more folks in DC. Here are a few other things I'm hoping to accomplish in the next four months.

1. Add new Bloggers: We've had some great blog posts from Julie Davids and Wayne Turner. I'd like to build on that success and recruit more folks to become contributors to the blog. If you'd like to become a blogger on this site, just post a comment below and let me know!

2. Move the site from blogger to a hosted server. This means the entire site will be at www.fighthivindc.org, and you won't see the .blogspot.com stuff anymore. It also means I can get rid of that grey blogger box above, and customize the site a little bit more with non-blog content.

3. Add a download center. I hope to create a download center where you can download current fliers, newsletters, and materials from local AIDS Service organizations to print out. The downside of being web-based is that not everyone has access. This will allow folks who visit the site to quickly print out fliers and announcements to share with the offline world.

4. Translate Awareness into Action. We have an HIV/AIDS crisis in DC, and we need more people to be actively engaged. That could mean everything from volunteering with SERVE to submitting comments on Mayor Elect Fenty's HIV/AIDS Plan. I'm particularly interested, however, in seeing local advocacy efforts grow. As you may see, our humble Campaign to End AIDS Y!Group (C2EA-MetroDC) has just 15 members. In the next four months, we should get that up to at least 100. And I hope I can use this site to help all of us involved in C2EA-MetroDC to work towards our goal of "engaging ourselves and our communities in every aspect of HIV advocacy to ensure the best possible treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS; and the best possible science-based HIV prevention.”

5. Incorporate Google Ads. So how am I going to pay for this? Well, right now I'm leaning towards incorporating Google Advertisements on the website. I use google ads quite succesfully with a number of other websites I operate including www.temenos.net. If you strongly object to seeing advertisements on this site, speak now or forever hold your peace.

Beyond the next four months

Okay, I have a few other things I'd like to work on. Including a user survey exploring the tech needs of local DC ASO's (many of whom haven't updated their websites in months. I'd also like to explore if the Critpath Model would work in DC.

Let me know what you think

Interested? Have a suggestion? Want to help? Drop me a line and let's talk soon.

We're #1 (again)

Kaiser Family Foundation has updated their www.statehealthfacts.org website with the most current data available. Here's the news:

DC has the highest AIDS rate. We come in at 128.4 AIDS cases per 100,000 people. Please note that these are only the folks that have been diagnosed with AIDS. This does not include people who are HIV positive or do not know their status. New York State comes in second at 32.7 cases per 100,000 people. here's the chart.

Fenty HIV/AIDS "Plan"

I had hoped Mayor-elect Fenty would inject some much-needed new life into the District's failed HIV prevention efforts. However, after reviewing the Fenty pre-transition team's HIV/AIDS paper, those hopes are quickly fading. What is Fenty's bold new approach to combat the epidemic that is devastating our community? Another meeting. Yes, Team Fenty is proposing a 'summit' of AIDS 'leaders' in his first 90 days in office. Note to Fenty - Tony Williams did the same thing six years ago as his big response to AIDS. Just to remind you of the stunning turn around that resulted from that meeting, uh, well, there was none. Tragically, the Fenty "plan" seems to be repeating the same do-nothing approach that has resulted in DC's continued status as the US AIDS Capital. I scanned the pre-transition document several times looking for one particular word. Condoms. There was no mention of condoms or water-based lubricants and their lack of availability in DC. I realize that having jars of free condoms and lube in DC's bars, nightclubs, clinics, and social service agencies is a radical notion. Whoever thought that condoms could help prevent HIV transmission? Given the current estimates of rising HIV infection rates in the District, the radical notion of condom distribution is long overdue.

The Last SOUND Meeting of the Year

SOUND will have it's final meeting of the year Wednesday, December 6th at 12:00 PM at Us Helping Us, 3636 Georgia Avenue, NW.

SOUND (Strategies for Outreatch, Unification, Networking, and Development) is a network of HIV/AIDS Outreach workers and other HIV/AIDS service providers from HIV/AIDS service organizations all across the Metro DC Area. If you work for an HIV/AIDS organization, it's a great opportunity to meet and network with folks from other organizations, and to discuss common concerns.

The meeting will feature a mini-workshop by Stephen McDonnell on handling stress on the job.

For more information contact Terry Handy at (202) 223-9550 extension 18 or by email. Please RSVP by COB today if at all possible.

Do Something for World AIDS Day Today.

Over past few weeks, I've listed dozens of World AIDS Day Events going on in the District. In addition to the events listed here, there are several other events listed in posts including Ludacris Speaking at GW Today.

Do something for World AIDS Day today. Obviously I can't go to all the events, but you may see me at a few of them. This afternoon I'll be speaking at a World AIDS Day event for the folks at City Year DC. I'll also be at the Candlelight Vigil at Freedom Plaza and immediately afterword, the Reception Honoring HIV/AIDS Trial Participants at the nearby Wilson Building.

However you mark World AIDS Day today, I encourage you to take a few pictures and send them my way so we can post them on the FightHIVinDC Flickr Page. If you'd like to write about your experience today and share it on your blog, please submit your blog entries to: davidmariner@fighthiv.blogger.com, and they will be posted ASAP.

DC World AIDS Day Reception Honors Local Volunteers

WASHINGTON, DC – Marking World AIDS Day in the Nation’s Capital, a reception will be held at the Wilson Building honoring HIV/AIDS trial participants in the DC Metropolitan Area. This event is sponsored by the Capital Area Vaccine Effort (CAVE), Family Connections, Georgetown University Medical Center Clinical Trials Unit, NIH Vaccine Research Center, US Military HIV Research Program, and the Washington VA Medical Center.

Capital Area Vaccine Effort (CAVE) member Zenovia Wright comments: “HIV/AIDS trial participants play an integral role in not only the discovery of new treatments for those living with HIV/AIDS, but also in the search for a vaccine or microbicide to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Hundreds of DC residents are currently participating in HIV/AIDS clinical trials across the city, but new volunteers are always needed. HIV Negative volunteers may be eligible to participate in trials investigating new prevention approaches including vaccines and microbicides. HIV positive volunteers may be eligible for trials investigating new medications or treatment strategies.

Information about current volunteer opportunities will be available at the reception. All interested DC residents are invited to participate in this event, which begins at 6:45 PM in the main hearing room of the Wilson Building (1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW). Those interested can RSVP online at www.aidsvaccine.org.

Wright continues: “For their time and invaluable contribution to humanity we thank them and hope to meet many more like them in the near future.”
Capitol Area Vaccine Effort is a volunteer panel of individuals from the general public and from the diverse communities affected by AIDS. CAVE is organized to assist and advise HIV Vaccine Research in the DC area. CAVE serves as the Community Advisory Board to the NIH Vaccine Research Center HIV Clinical Trials.

For more information about CAVE, visit: www.aidsvaccine.org

For more information on HIV preventive vaccine research, visit www.bethegeneration.org

Let's Talk About Meth

Today is Crystal Meth Awareness Day. Don't believe me? Check out the White House Press Release. It's a good a time as any to talk about Crystal Meth, which for many increases your risk for HIV both mentally, and physically. Here in the nation's capitol, the DC Crystal Meth Work Group is tackling this issue head-on. Learn more at their website: www.letstalkaboutmeth.org.

DC HIV/AIDS Housing Symposium

Today I'm at Gallaudet University blogging live from the DC HIV/AIDS Housing Symposium. The focus on the morning panel was 'thinking outside of the box'. The focus is on thinking creatively and exploring all the options available in DC to meet the needs of people living with HIV in need of housing.

Part of that is looking beyond HIV/AIDS housing programs (when those programs are maxed out) and looking for other housing programs individuals may be eligible for. This includes housing programs supporting people in recovery, those with mental health issues, re-entry programs for folks who have been recently incarcerated, programs for veterans. In short, exploring every possible option for every possible individual. With the number of different programs, agencies, and guidelines, this can be an incredibly daunting task.

Another way to think outside the box? DC CARE Consortium announced that they are in the process of developing a new program with the support of AHPP. The program would provide mortgage and utility assistance to people living with HIV and are at risk of losin their homes. It's exciting to see this new option that will help people living with HIV before they become homeless.

Another topic was the importance of moving people into permanent housing when possible. One of the panelists from the Department of Housing and Urban Development stated a long term goal of moving 80% of HOPWA (Housing for People with HIV/AIDS) clients into more permanent housing option, using programs like Home Investment Partnerships (The HOME program).

Sadly, however, several of the programs discussed today (Shelter Plus, Section 8-11 Supportive Housing, etc...) are maxed out. Which is probably why so many people are here to learn what options are still out there. From where I'm sitting though, it seems like the demand is ging to exceed the capacity for a long time to come.

To see more pictures from today's symposium, click here.

Adrian Fenty's Plan for Battling HIV in DC

Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty isn't wasting anytime in planning for his first term. Fenty has launched the website www.fentytransition.org, to prepare for his transition. The site includes policy papers on several of his priority issues as Mayor, and has an online forum for community input. You can read the HIV/AIDS Policy Paper, to learn more about Fenty's plans to Battle HIV in the District. I encourage you to check it out. Once you've read it, be sure to submit your comments here.

ACTION December Newsletter Now Online

The ACTION December 2006 Newsletter is now online. Click here to download the newsletter as a PDF file.

ACTION stands for the AIDS Clinical Trials Information & Orientation Network. The goal of ACTION is to provide information and resources to those interested in HIV/AIDS clinical trials and to support an active community voice in local HIV/AIDS research. ACTION is a project of the DC CARE Consortium.

Science & Technology in HIV Prevention

Approximately 40 million people are living with HIV throughout the world - and that number increases in every region every day.

In commemoration of World AIDS Day 2006, you are invited to join Family Health International for a forum discussing the scientific and technological advances we have made this year in the treatment and prevention of the pandemic. The speakers will also discuss their hopes and expectations for continued advancement in the coming year.

Moderator:
Nils Daulaire, Global Health Council

Panelists:
Ron Gray, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Franka De Vignes, Alliance for Microbicide Development
Chrispin Kambili, M.D., International AIDS Vaccine Initiative

Global Health Council
Science and Technology in HIV/AIDS Prevention: A Year in Review
1111 19th Street, NW - Suite 1120
Washington, D.C.
Friday, December 1st
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

To RSVP for this event, click here

Ludacris to speak at George Washington

Hip-hop star Ludacris is coming to the Marvin Center Dec. 1 as part of the YouthAIDS "Kick Me!" Campaign for World AIDS Day. GW is the last stop on the rapper's four-university tour across the country. He will also be speaking at UCLA, Northwestern University and NYU. The event, which is aimed at raising awareness about the virus, is sponsored by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. continue reading this article in the GW Hatchett

More World AIDS Day Events

World AID Day events keep coming in. Here are some events taking place at the World Bank.

• World Bank World AIDS Day Events - One Page Flyer
• World Bank World AIDS Day Events - Longer Flyer

For additional World AIDS Day events taking place around DC, click here.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving is a very special time of year at Food & Friends. Hundreds of volunteers fill the halls, all waiting to make someone else's holiday memorable. This Thanksgiving, Food & Friends will deliver 3,500 Thanksgiving meals to men, women and children battling HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses. As you can imagine, preparing and delivering this many meals takes a lot of work. Food & Friends is looking for volunteers to prepare and deliver meals in the days leading up to, and including, Thanksgiving Day. Find out how you can get involved by clicking here.

Grading Local Universities on Sexual Health

Yes, we all know that the Appleseed Center is grading the DC Government on their response to HIV/AIDS in the District. It's a worthwhile effort, but as Marsha Martin of the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs has asked, who is grading the rest of the city?

Well condom manufacturer Trojan has graded to local universities on sexual health, and the results indicate we could be doing a lot more on DC campuses. The survey graded on seven categories: Web site accessibility, condom availability, contraception availability, HIV and STD testing, sexual assault services, existence of an advice column and peer outreach programs.

Georgetown earned a "D", ranking 80th out of 100 universities. Contributing to the low grade is the fact that the school does not make condoms available on campus, due to it's Catholic associations.

George Washington, on the other hand, passed with a 2.7. George Washington earned points for condom availability. Recent improvements at GW are being driven largely by the students. The GW Health Dept recently spoke at the Come Together DC: Get Screened for HIV Rally, talking about their HIV testing program.

American University was not included in the Trojan Survey, and a recent student editorial says there is a debate on campus about what score AU would have earned. American University is working towards getting HIV testing at their health center, which is a good sign. As the article states though "some students say the Health Center does not do a good enough job making its services known or explaining all options to students, and some students cite difficulty with or bad handling of efforts to obtain contraception there."

The Trojan Survey is far from perfect, but the idea is a good one. We have a lot of work ahead in DC, and we need to regularly evaluate not just the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs, but every aspect of HIV/AIDS work in the district. Now if someone would just put out a report card comparing local DC HIV/AIDS service organizations .....

Catch the Brave Soul Collective - One Night Only!

Tonight the Brave Soul Collective will present it's first production, Brave Souls Unplugged: A Collage in Truth. The evening will consist of a combination of theatre, poetry, and music peformances. Featuring performances by BSC founders Monte J Wolfe & Tim'm T West, along with a host of fellow multi-talented artists. All proceeds from this event will go toward Brave Soul Collective acquiring its 501c 3 (non profit status) before this years end.

Date: Monday November 20th, 2006
Time: 7:30pm
Location: Warehouse Theater, 1021 7th Street NW
Metros: Mt. Vernon Sq/Convention Ctr. or Gallery Pl. METRO Stations

For more information:

Phone: 202 744 8823
Email: monte@bravesoulcollective.org or tim.m@bravesoulcollective.org
Cost: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Tickets will go on sale for this event Monday October 23rd, 2006. For more information, click here.

For Whom the Bell Tolls: World AIDS Day

the following was written by Healy Thompson, a policy analyst and outreach coordinator for the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE). It originally appeared here. For a complete list of Worlds AIDS Day 2006 Events in DC, click here

On December 1, a church bell in downtown Washington, DC will toll every 5 seconds as people head to work. For most of the people who hear that bell and see people gathered outside of the church with signs and banners, it will be their first exposure to World AIDS Day. Even though World AIDS Day was first declared by the World Health Organization and the UN General Assembly in 1988, most people around the world have no idea that it exists, much less what day it is - and this is despite the fact that 4.1 million people were newly infected with HIV and 3 million people died of AIDS in 2005 according to UNAIDS.

The fact that most people have no idea that World AIDS Day exists makes it particularly difficult to live up to the theme of this World AIDS Day: Accountability. In order to hold the U.S. accountable for its promises to treat 2 million people, prevent 7 million new HIV infections, and provide care to 10 million in fifteen focus countries by 2008 (promises made as a part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief--PEPFAR), we need people around the country to demand that the Bush Administration and the U.S. Congress implement the best prevention, treatment, and care strategies possible and make changes to the policy and legislation that stand in the way of this.

So, on December 1, advocates from the religious and secular community will gather in front of Foundry United Methodist Church to publicly (and loudly) call attention to the fact that there is much work to be done to hold the U.S. government accountable to its promises on HIV and AIDS. We will toll the church's bell every 5 seconds because, on average, every 5 seconds someone is infected with HIV or dies of AIDS. That's right, every 5 seconds of every hour of every day of the year. In fact, if you read at approximately the same speed that I do, 9 people were newly infected with HIV and 7 people died of AIDS in the time it took you to get to this point in the blog (and that's if you didn't click on any links).

People participating in this event - named For Whom the Bell Tolls: A Resounding Vigil - will be calling for the passage of the Protection Against Transmission of HIV for Women and Youth (PATHWAY) Act, which would remove the requirement that the U.S. spend 1/3 of its international HIV prevention dollars on abstinence-until-marriage programs. It would also require the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (which coordinates PEPFAR) to establish a comprehensive and integrated HIV prevention strategy to address the vulnerabilities of women and girls in each country receiving U.S. assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, including efforts to address such factors as sexual violence and coercion and early marriage as an integral component of prevention efforts.

The event in Washington, DC, which is also being replicated across the country, is titled For Whom the Bell Tolls because the fact of the matter is that when the U.S. government pursues bad HIV policy (usually the result of corporate influence - take for example the undermining of generic drugs in PEPFAR treatment regimens, religiously driven ideology, or the requirement that 1/3 of all U.S. international HIV prevention dollars be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs), real people are affected. Every time the bell tolls in Washington, DC on Dec. 1, it is representing an actual person who dies of AIDS or is newly infected with HIV. And that's what World AIDS Day is really about - having at least one day a year when people actually pay attention to what misguided policy and inaction allow to happen every day.

This World AIDS Day there will also be a treatment-focused demonstration in front of the White House, calling on the U.S. to take the steps necessary to guarantee universal access to treatment by 2010 - consistent with the promise made by the heads of state of United Nations countries to reach universal access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care by 2010.

To learn more about the For Whom the Bell Tolls event in Washington, DC or events around the country or to learn more about the PATHWAY Act and what needs to be done to hold the U.S. accountable for its promises on HIV and AIDS, visit www.pepfarwatch.org. The Washington, DC event is being co-sponsored by Advocates for Youth, Catholics for a Free Choice, Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), General Board of Church & Society of The United Methodist Church, Health GAP (Global Access Project), National Council of Jewish Women, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS), and Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.

DC Walk for the Homeless

Thousands of walkers from the Washington metropolitan area converged on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., today, for the 19th Annual Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Walkathon. The annual Walkathon is the largest event of its kind in the nation geared to help prevent and end homelessness, and is the cornerstone of the Fannie Mae Foundation Help the Homeless Program.

The event benefits over 100 different organizations in the DC area including several HIV/AIDS organizations like DC CARE, Right Inc, and Building Futures.

With your help I was able to meet my goal and raise over $500 for the walk. Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, and everyone who participated in this important event.

World AIDS Day Reception honoring HIV/AIDS Research Trial Participants

Several organizations have teamed up to host a World AIDS Day Reception honoring our local HIV/AIDS Research Trial Participants. This event is open to all HIV/AIDS research trial participants, community advisory board members, research staff, and interested community members. It's an opportunity to recognize that we live in a city where some incredible and important HIV Research takes place every day, and that the scientific progress that has been made in the past, and will be made in the future is not possible without everyday people like you and me stepping up and volunteering to be trial participants.

Of course this event is open to everyone, so I hope you'll consider joining us.

Washington DC
World AIDS Day Reception
Honoring our local HIV/AIDS Research Trial Participants

Friday December 1st
6:45 PM
Wilson Building Main Hearing Room
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

• Download the PDF Flyer for this event: Click Here
• RSVP for this event online: Click Here
• For more World AIDS Day events in DC: Click Here


A World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil will take place at Freedom Plaza (14th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW) beginning at 5:45 PM. Join us immediately following the Candlelight Vigil.

This event is open to all HIV/AIDS research trial participants, community advisory board members, research staff, and interested community members.

This event is made possible with support from the NIH Vaccine Research Center and the US Military HIV Research Program.

Partners in this event include: Capital Area Vaccine Effort, Family Connections, Georgetown University Medical Center Clinical Trials Unit, NIH Vaccine Research Center, US Military HIV Research Program, and the Washington VA Medical Center.

A Night to Remember

First off, a big thank you to Wonkette. Every time Wonkette links to one of the posts on this site, our web traffic jumps up considerably. So yesterday, I was thrilled to see Wonketee had linked to yesterdays post about the HIPS event. I wouldn't be suprised at all if Wonkette is one of the reasons this was one of the best fundraisers HIPS has ever had.

Speaking of last night, it was amazing. I'll admit, they didn't raise a ton of money by DC standards, and it was crowded, and there were many unfamiliar faces. Still, the energy, passion, commitment, and sheer fun that was in that bar was contagious. The staff and volunteers of HIPS were amazing. These are people who care deeply about the work they do, and you can't help but walk away from an evening like that feeling inspired.

Oh, and the glass eating, hoola-hooping, burlesque artist? Un-f-n-believable.

Drag Kings, and Glass Eaters, and Burlesque Artists ... Oh My!

Join me tonight at the Palace of Wonders and show some love for HIPS. HIPS and Palace of Wonders present to you The Most Eclectic and Unique Show in DC.

For those of you who may not know, HIPS assists female, male, and transgendered individuals engaging in sex work in Washington, DC in leading healthy lives. Using a harm reduction model, HIPS’ programs strive to address the impact that HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, discrimination, poverty, violence and drug use have on the lives of individuals. A suggested donation $10-15 will benefit this important work.

The Most Eclectic and Unique Show in DC
NOV. 16th, Thurs, doors open at 7pm
Palace of Wonders ~ 1210 H St, NE
Drink specials! Raffle!

~Featuring~
Aerialist performance by Moira!
Burlesque by Thrill Kill Jill!
A straight jacket escape by Mab!
Drag king show by E-Cleff!
Glass eating and hula hooping burlesque by Miss Joule!
Drag queen performance by Alley Cat!
Lip sync performance by Dejavu!
Belly Dancing by Miasia!

Campaign to End AIDS Meeting December 4th

The minutes from our second Campaign to End AIDS Meeting are now online right here. We are still just getting started so now is the perfect time to get more involved. Our next meeting will be Monday, December 4th at Whitman Walker, 1407 S Street NW, starting at 6:30 PM. Please join us!

DC HIV/AIDS Housing Summit

The DC HIV/AIDS Housing Symposium will take place November 29th, 2006. Come join us to learn about local and National HIV/AIDS Housing programs available
to persons living with HIV/AIDS.

This event is sponsored by Sponsored by the DC CARE Consortium, DC Department of Health, Administration for HIV/AIDS Policy and Programs.

DC HIV/AIDS Housing Symposium
Wednesday November 29th, 2006
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Kellog Conference Center
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC

** Click here to download the flyer for this event **

To pre-register contact Keith by e-mail or at 202 223 9550 ext 10.

Local Efforts to Find an HIV Vaccine

The following article highlights the important work done in our area to find a vaccine to prevent the spread of HIV. We are still a long way from finding an AIDS Vaccine, but important work is being done right here in DC by folks like Barney Graham and everyone at the NIH Vaccine Research Center. You can play a vital role in this effort by volunteering for and HIV Vaccine Research Trial. Find out more at www.aidsvaccine.org.

Washington, D.C. - Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, FIDSA, and colleagues from the National Institutes of Health Vaccine Research Center in Maryland, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and GenVec Incorporated tested two possible HIV vaccines with the hope of producing an immune response in healthy, uninfected adults. One was a plasmid DNA-based vaccine expressing genes from three dominant HIV subtypes, and the second used recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) as a vector to deliver similar HIV strains.

"Both approaches operate by gene delivery of customized vaccine antigens that are produced by host cells to initiate an immune response. DNA is simple and does not have the problem of anti-vector immunity. However, DNA may be less potent than vector-based gene delivery strategies. Replication-defective rAd5 has the advantage of targeted, efficient gene delivery and high potency, but may be susceptible to anti-vector immunity," said Graham.
Both vaccines were tested in healthy uninfected adult volunteers. The DNA vaccine was found safe and well-tolerated. By week 12 following immunization, 97.5% of vaccinees experienced positive CD4 T cell responses and 40% experienced positive CD8 T cell responses.

The recombinant vector vaccine was also well-tolerated, but higher doses led to some adverse events such as pain and fever. By week 4 following immunization, 93.3% of vaccinees experienced positive CD4 T cell responses, and 60% experienced positive CD8 T cell responses.

"HIV-specific CD8 cell responses clear virus infected cells, and appear during the declining viremia following acute infection," explained Graham. "HIV-specific CD4 responses also peak early in infection; however this response diminishes soon after seroconversion. Maintenance of a functional HIV-specific CD4 T cell response correlates with long term non-progression of HIV disease."

Harriet L. Robinson, PhD, from Emory University and Kent J. Weinhold, PhD, from Duke University commented on the impact of these results in their accompanying editorial. "The DNA studies are a landmark for DNA-based vaccines in that they are the first to demonstrate a DNA vaccine successfully eliciting immune responses in essentially all vaccinated volunteers," they said. "The Ad5 recombinant HIV vaccine had both a higher percentage of responders and, overall, a higher magnitude of responses than the DNA vaccine."

The next step, according to Graham, is "to evaluate the combination of DNA priming and rAd5 boosting. Combining these distinct gene-delivery vaccination approaches has the potential to induce higher levels of T cell responses and a different quality of response than either approach by itself."

As Robinson and Weinhold add, the idea behind combining strategies is that "the vaccine uses DNA to prime the immune response and a replication defective recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 vector to boost responses."

Their findings are published in the December 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

source - Kanzas Infozine