DC Fights Back Update

The minutes from our last DC Fights Back conference call are now online click here to download the minutes. Also available on the DC Fights Back website is the final outcome document from the Speakout.

Our next meeting will be July 3rd at 6:00 PM. Our meeting will be at Our Place DC at 801 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Washington, DC 20003 Suite 460.

On the agenda for the meeting is really looking more closely at who we are as an organization and what we want to accomplish in the coming year.

Some of us are planning to go out to dinner after the meeting at a nearby restaurant. Please join us.

CAVE Meeting July 10th - at the Fab Lounge!

Please join us for the next meeting of the Capital Area Vaccine Effort (CAVE). Instead of our regular monthly meeting, we will be gathering at the FAB lounge on Tuesday, July 10th, for a social get together and a very brief update on activities. Please join us. We will meet at 6:30 PM at the Fab Lounge, 1805 Connecticut Ave, a Short Walk From The North DuPont Circle Metro Station.

CAVE is the community advisory board for both the Vaccine Research Center and the U.S. Military HIV Research Program.

Washington Post Article on 'New' Testing Initiative

On National HIV Testing Day Mayor Adrian Fenty and DOH head Greg Pane announced a new HIV testing plan without offering any additional information about the outcome of the last HIV testing plan.

The Washington Post reports:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and city health director Gregg A. Pane used National HIV Testing Day to announce the effort, which aims to boost by 25 percent the number of young people who know their HIV status. It will be one of several new undertakings, all of which target some of the city's most at-risk populations, and could force the often-criticized school system to implement a comprehensive, up-to-date HIV/AIDS curriculum.

While the focus on young people is encouraging, and the reference to comprehensive sexuality education is much needed, I still find myself wondering if we accomplished any of the goals we set with the last HIV testing plan. Where is the accountability? Even after the Washington Post filed a Freedom of Information Act Request to get this information, we are still in the dark.

The biggest challenge the HIV/AIDS Administration faces is not setting goals, it is meeting them. As I have been blogging this week, the challenge is getting from promises to performance. If there is no accountability for accomplishing the last plan, it's hard to imagine anyone will be held accountable for accomplishing this one.

While I would like to be optimistic, I can't help but wonder how this plan is any different from all the other plans that have fallen by the wayside.

Between Promise & Performance: Testing

Promise & Performance:
Leadership | Condom Distribution | HIV Testing | X-Pres

HIV Testing & Counseling

HIV testing is crucial in the District of Columbia. You can't treat HIV if you don't know you have it. One of the reasons DC has the highest HIV death rate, is that many folks don't get tested for HIV until years after they have become positive. They show up at a clinic or an emergency room and their HIV has progressed beyond the point at which current medications can be most effective.

The Promise: Former Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) Director Marsha Martin set the ambitious goal of having all DC residents tested for HIV between June 27th, 2006 and December 31st, 2006. This was based in part on the CDC's Revised Recommendations for HIV testing. Since that time HAA has failed to set any specific, measurable goals on HIV testing in the District.

The Performance: While HIV testing in the District did increase between June 27th, 2006 and December 31st, 2006, HAA did not come anywhere close to the ambitious goal of having everyone in DC know their HIV status. To make matters worse, many of the expensive HIV testing kits that were ordered had to be given away before their expiration or were simply thrown out.

Further, a number of experts are now challenging the revised CDC recommendations, the basis upon which this campaign is built, arguing that targetted HIV testing is much more effective than the CDC's 'mass testing' initiative.

I believe that in DC we need both a general testing campaign and smart, targetted HIV testing initiatives like the one conducted at DC Black Pride.

HAA's testing campaign failed to meet it's goal. Which means, quite frankly, that there are people out there in DC who won't find out their HIV status until it's too late. We will continue to have the highest HIV death rate until we can get our residents tested and into treatment sooner.

We desperately need leadership on this issue. HAA needs to set specific and measurable HIV testing goals and meet them.

Between Promise & Performance: X-Pres

Promise & Performance:
Leadership | Condom Distribution | HIV Testing | X-Pres

X-Pres

One of the most important things the DC Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) does is to make sure that the people living with HIV in DC get the services they need. In order to do that, HAA needs to make sure that the agencies and organizations they give money to actually provide the services they say they are providing. HAA is supposed to accomplish this through site visits, monthly reports, and by tracking the data entered into X-Pres. X-Pres is a computer program that (if it is working) allows organizations that receive HAA funds to enter information about their clients and the services they are providing.

The Promise: Over the years HAA has spent millions on a computer system that is supposed to accurately track the services being provided to people living with HIV/AIDS in the District.

The Performance: X-Pres is currently in a state of failure.

Last month I asked you to send me stories about your experience with X-pres and boy, did you. Here is what I learned.

• Agencies are not entering data into X-Pres because they have folks who have been waiting months to get trained. Those who have received training in the past year were very critical of the training they received.
• Agencies are not entering data into X-Pres because they have been waiting (in some cases six months or longer) for usable user-id's and passwords
• Most agencies that can enter data are not entering accurate information because they have one or more grant numbers that haven't been updated in the X-Pres system. So there is NO way that you can tell whether or not an agency is providing services under current HAA grants

The state of this system is shameful. What is more shameful, however, is that these problems have been brought to the attention of HAA time and time again; month after month; to no avail. I personally sent an e-mail back in May, hoping that the situation could be fixed and it wouldn't be necessary to blog about this. I'm still waiting to here back.

With so many problems with X-pres it is impossible to produce any useable data.

What are the demographics of people living with HIV who access services in the District? Which local AIDS Service Organizations did not meet their goals in providing service last month? Are women less likely than men to access health services in DC? How many people living with HIV accessed any services at all in the past three months?

If X-pres was working properly, getting this kind of data pulled would be a simple task, and it would be incredibly useful information for HAA and for our Ryan White Planning Council.

Once again, however, this is not the case.

July ACTION Newsletter Now Online

Just a quick note to let you know the ACTION July Newsletter is now online. See the June Newsletter as a PDF file right here.

And please be sure to join us for the July ACTION Lunch. We will preview the film "Talk to Kids About AIDS" produced by the Vineeta Foundation. The lunch takes place on July 12th and begins at 1:00 PM at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500.

click here to download the flyer for this event.

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

Between Promise & Performance: Condoms

Promise & Performance:
Leadership | Condom Distribution | HIV Testing | X-Pres

Condom Distribution

Condom distribution is an essential service health departments provide, but for some time now, the DC Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) has fallen short.

The Promise: On two separate occassions, HAA has pledged to distribute a million condoms. The first of these pledges was made by Marsha Martin at the Washington Times Citizens Forum on HIV/AIDS on October 14th, 2006. Then when Dr. Gregg Pane took over responsibility for HAA He repeated the plan to distribute condoms in an article in the Examiner.

So they've been talking about this for about eight months. Surely, they've distributed a million condoms by now, right? After all the New York City Department launched a similar campaign around the same time, and they distribute anywhere from three to five million condoms each month

The Performance: DC Department of Health has not come close to distributing a million condoms. But what is even worse than that, is that they are misrepresenting how many condoms have actually been distributed.

When I hear the word 'distributed', I assume that this means condoms are available to folks who need them. When HAA uses the word 'distributed' they mean that boxes of condoms (and responsibility) has been passed on to other people.

And that's exactly where we are. In February HAA 'distributed' the first 250,000 condoms, but the vast majority of these condoms are sitting in boxes in closets, and hallways, and basements, and will not be made available to anyone anytime soon. If you don't believe me I will gladly take a film crew to show you box after box of 'distributed' condoms sitting in less than optimal storage conditions.

The biggest flaw with the HAA plan is that they gave 120,00 of these condoms to LifeGuard DC, an almost entirely volunteer effort. LifeGuard is a great group of volunteers, to be sure, I volunteered with them myself. But they were in no way equipped to handle this number of condoms. Up to this point, Lifeguard had successfully distributed around 8,000 condoms through two distributions points.

HAA didn't ask Lifeguard to double their volunteer effort, or triple it even. HAA gave them fourteen-times that number of condoms (120,000) with no financial assistance and no additional support and conveniently handed off responsibility declaring these condoms had been 'distributed' to the community.

Fast forward a few months later and it's no suprise that with no money and no support, the overworked and underappreciated LifeGuard volunteers haven't distributed anywhere near 120,000 condoms. Back in February, I wrote this post specifically to warn that relying too heavily on volunteers for this plan was a bad idea. Clearly, that was true. Lifeguard is not expected to continue distributing any condoms after August. The vast majority of these condoms are sitting in the basement of one of the volunteers.

Still the message HAA is giving the mainstream press is very, very different. HAA told the Washington post that 250,00 Condoms had been deployed in February of 2007. HAA continued to give exaggerated numbers at the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Best Practices Coalition Meeting. We know better.

You can see the breakdown of where the first 250,000 condoms were 'distributed' here. A second batch of condoms arrived at HAA in March, but it's not clear where those were 'distributed'.

Bottom line, HAA has not reached this goal. To distribute a million condoms, HAA is going to need to come up with a plan that is more substantive that simply passing the buck to the Lifeguard volunteers.

New York City Department of Health successfully distributes between three and five million condoms each and every month through an effective network of hundreds of distribution points. Compare that to DC. Lifeguard has two distribution points. If you look at all the agencies that received condoms, HAA had maybe 20 distribution points total for this effort.

Distributing a million condoms in DC is a realistic and achievable goal. It is crucial to our efforts to prevent HIV in DC. But it is a goal that HAA has not yet met.

Spotlight: Ryan White Planning Council

DC Department of Health
Community Planning Group
Ryan White Planning Council Website

The mission of the Metropolitan Washington Regional Health Services Planning Council is to plan for the comprehensive delivery of HIV/AIDS services and allocation of resources for the Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA), as mandated by the Ryan White Title I legislation.

The Washington, DC Eligible Metropolitan Area (DC EMA) covers more than 6,000 square miles. In order to assure input from all segments of the population, a series of meetings is held within each of the four jurisdictions of the EMA (District of Columbia, two counties in West Virginia, northern Virginia, and suburban Maryland). The full Council meets in Washington, DC at 64 New York Avenue. Meetings are open to the public. Members of the Council are comprised of government officials, community providers, advocates, and people living with HIV (PLWH). The Council has standing committees on program topics, data, finance, and a separate committee of PLWHs. Council members identify and rank order service priorities and determine allocations. The Council deliberates and sets its final priorities and allocations thus compiling input from each local jurisdiction and each of the PLWHs who are involved in the process.

DC Black Pride: a Good Place for HIV Testing & Counseling

The following article from Kaiser Daily shows the benefits of HIV testing at Black Pride and Latino Pride events, including our own DC Black Pride:

Gay pride events provide opportunities outside of health care settings to identify new HIV cases among men who have sex with men, particularly among MSM in racial and ethnic minorities, according to a study published in the June 22 edition of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 6/21).

For the report, Teri Dowling of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and colleagues between 2004 and 2006 conducted behavioral assessments of MSM and provided access to rapid HIV tests at 11 mostly black and Hispanic gay pride events in Baltimore; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Oakland, Calif.; San Francisco; St. Louis; and Washington, D.C. CDC provided funding to community-based organizations and health departments, as well as on-site technical assistance, help with assessment questionnaires, training for interviewers, and coordination of HIV testing and questionnaire administration.

According to the study, of the 627 male participants who self-identified as being MSM or from a racial or ethnic minority group, 543 reported that they were HIV-negative or did not know their status (Dowling et al., MMWR, 6/22). About 133 people received a test during the events, and 6% tested HIV-positive. Four of the eight HIV-positive participants had received HIV-negative test results during the previous year (Reuters Health, 6/21). All of the HIV-positive cases were later confirmed by Western blot testing, researchers reported. Seven of the HIV-positive men were non-Hispanic blacks.

Researchers also reported data on health care-seeking behaviors from 2005 assessments. Of the 229 participants who reported being HIV-negative or unaware of their HIV status, 23 said they had been referred for HIV testing by a health care provider or outreach worker during the previous year, and 169 had visited a health care provider during the previous year. Seventy respondents said they had been offered an HIV test, researchers reported (Dowling et al., MMWR, 6/22).

According to the study, people found to be HIV-positive at such events can be directly linked to care and prevention services. Researchers also note that 50% of the HIV-positive MSM in the U.S. are black or Hispanic. They add that their study shows the feasibility of national programs to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in HIV prevalence, Reuters Health reports (Reuters Health, 6/21).

The study is available online.

Hoop'N for HIV: Five on Five

Metro TeenAIDS is organizing a 5 on 5 Youth Basketball Tournament and Awareness Raising Event on Saturday, June 30, 2007 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM at the #10 Boys & Girls Club which is located at 2500 14th St, NW, Washington DC. A shuttle will be provided from the Columbia Heights Metro Station.

In addition to the Five on Five Tournamnet, there will also be a Half Court Shot Contest, a 3-Point Contest, and a Blindfold Shot Contest. To register your team click here to download the registration form or contact Lamar at 202-543-9355 or by e-mail

June is National HIV Testing Month. In addition a Community Health Fair will take place and youth will be encouraged to get tested for HIV as well as visit other community organization's booths. If you would like to set up a booth at the health fair, click here to download the registration form. Youth are treated to an entire day of entertainment, food, and most importantly, access to health and wellness information.

To download a flyer for this event, click here.

Pride of Pets

Metro Weekly has a great article and plenty of pictures of this year's Pride of Pets Dog show. This annual Dupont Circle Event benefits Pets DC. Pets DC makes it possible for people living with HIV and other debilitating illnesses to take care of their pets and keep them in their life.

To read the article and see the pictures from last Saturday's event, click here

Knitting for Our Neighbors July 11th

Food & Friends is offering free knit & crochet classes, taught by volunteer instructors, to create scarves or hats to be delivered to Food & Friends clients this coming winter. Classes are held the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 6:30-8:30pm at Food & Friends, 219 Riggs Road, NE. The next class is July 11th.

Instruction is Free. Please bring $5.00 for materials, or your own worsted weight yarn and knitting needles or crochet hook.

If you would like to sign up for knitting lessons, or need more information, please contact knitting networker, Michelle Strange, at michelle64@hotmail.com, or join the yahoo group, Knitting Neighbors for more information.

Donations of knit goods and supplies are also accepted.

Texas Hold 'Em with DC Young Poz Socials this Friday

Put on your best poker face and join the boys for a night of friendly Texas Hold 'Em. Two tables, free munchies and soft drinks (bring your own liquor), and of course another night of laughter and fun with the DC Young Poz Socials boys. Beginners welcome and encouraged! Never played or not really sure, this is your night to learn.

DC Young Poz Socials is an informal social group geared for Washington, D.C. area HIV-positive guys in their 20s and 30s.

Poker not your game? Not to worry! Board games and video games also available. If you have a game console and/or any type of games, please feel free to bring those to share. Everyone is sure to have a fun night!

Friday, June 22, 2007 starting at 6:30. To find out more, visit the Young Poz Socials site or e-mail info@dcynpozsocials.com.

Spotlight: DC Community Planning Group

Recent Community Planning Group Blog Posts


DC Department of Health
Community Planning Group
CPG Website

The HPCPG is the group that guides HIV prevention in the District of Columbia, along with the DC Department of Health's HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA).

Members of the HPCPG include residents of the District who are interested in HIV prevention, researchers and academics, healthcare providers, and staff from community-based organizations. CPG members reflect the diversity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the District.

The HPCPG is responsible for determining which populations are in greatest need of HIV prevention services, as well as deciding what are the best ways to meet those needs. HAA, in turn, is responsible for implementing and funding programs and services that match the HPCPG’s recommendations.

Transgender Shelter Access Training

The Community Partnership for the Prevention of Homelessness with the support of several community and advocacy groups, is coordinating a Transgender Shelter Access Training on July 11th, 2007 from 9:30am-12:00pm. The training will take place at the Saint Elizabeth Campus, 801 East Building, 2700 MLK Ave SE.

This will be an opportunity for individuals working in shelters to build on those skills necessary to address the needs of transgender clients and effectively implement the policy. To read the Transgender Policy document, click here.

For more information or to attend the training, please contact Cornell Chappelle.

Another Op-Ed Supports Needle Exchange in DC

From Kaiser Daily Reports: Washington, D.C., should be allowed to fund needle-exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV among injection drug users in the city, Steve Chapman, a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board, writes in a Tribune perspective piece. The House this week is expected to vote on a bill that would allow the district to "decide for itself whether to spend its own dollars to hand out" clean needles and syringes, according to Chapman (Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 6/17).

The House Appropriations Committee recently approved a $21.4 billion appropriations bill that would lift a ban on city funding for needle-exchange programs in the district. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government earlier this month voted to remove language from the bill that prevents the district from financing the programs. The ban was first imposed under a federal law signed by former President Clinton in 1998 that prohibits the district government from using local tax money to fund any organization that operates a needle-exchange program. The House has added the ban each year to the district's appropriations bill.

Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), chair of the subcommittee, recently said he would make it a priority to push for removal of the language. District Mayor Adrian Fenty has said that he will provide funds for needle-exchange programs as soon as Congress removes the language.

Injection drug use is the second most common mode of HIV transmission among men in the district and the most common mode among women in the city. Prevention Works!, the district's only needle-exchange program, is financed through private donations and reaches about one-third of the estimated 9,700 injection drug users in the city (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/13).

Although the federal government "spends some $15 billion a year on health care and financial assistance for AIDS patients," it "refuses to lay out one thin dime for" needle-exchange programs, Chapman writes. He adds that although there are studies that "fail to vindicate" the programs, they are "rare and unrepresentative." In addition, the "strong consensus" among experts is that exchange programs have "proven their value beyond dispute."

Funding bans on needle-exchange programs are "not the only impediment," according to Chapman. Scott Burris, a law professor at Temple University, says that 23 states have laws that deter or prohibit pharmacies from selling syringes without a prescription, Chapman writes. Some district HIV/AIDS advocates say the city is "guilty of the same mistake," Chapman adds. While the district is "asking for help from Congress on needle exchange, it could help itself by deregulating" over-the-counter sales of clean needles, according to Chapman. "Restrictions on the sale and possession of injecting equipment, like the funding bans, make it harder for drug users to take basic self-preservation measures," Chapman writes, concluding, "If you like throwing away money, preventing addicts from getting access to sterile syringes is an excellent strategy. If you like squandering lives, it's even better" (Chicago Tribune, 6/17).

Last Thursday's ACTION Lunch

We had one of the biggest turn-outs ever for last Thursday's ACTION lunch, where the topic was Transgender Community Involvement in HIV/AIDS Research. As many of you know, the DC Area HIV/AIDS Community Advisory has been working on changing the way the NIH collects data on sex and gender, and I think the lunch took us one-step closer (in a very long process) towards that goal.

There were great presentations by Ben Singer, Karin Klingman, and Jessica Xavier (pictured left). To see more pictures from the event, click here.

Jessica Xavier is a transgender health researcher who has worked in the HIV/AIDS epidemic since 1984. She earned her Master of Public Health degree at the University of Maryland, and her current interests are transgender epidemiology methods and program evaluation of interventions targeting transgender persons at risk.

From 1998 to 2000, she was Principal Investigator for the bilingual Washington, DC Transgender Needs Assessment Survey. Currently she is a co-investigator of the Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study, a statewide qualitative/quantitative survey of the transgender population of Virginia, implemented by the Community Health Research Initiative of Virginia Commonwealth University for the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia HIV Community Planning Committee.

click here to download Jessica's presentation

Ben Singer is a PhD Candidate in English at Rutgers University working on an ethnographic dissertation: “On the Medical Margins: Transgender Risk Reduction in Public Health.” Since 1993, he has worked as a consultant and trainer in the public health sector, specializing in reducing health disparities through improving access to culturally competent care.

He has consulted on local, state and national levels with the CDC, HRSA, Philadelphia Department of Health, AIDS Activities Coordinating Office, and other health and human service organizations. Ben has applied his knowledge to the successful design and implementation of government-funded projects that includes co-founding the Trans-health Information Project (TIP), a program of Prevention Point Philadelphia and the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, with funding by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From 2002-2004 he served as Director of TIP. In addition to presenting on transgender issues to government and community-based organizations across the country, Ben most recently taught “Transgender Queries in Medicine, Law, Politics and Culture” at Barnard College in New York City.

click here to download Ben's presentation.

Karin Klingman has been a Medical Officer in the Therapeutics Research Program in the Division of AIDS since 2000. Karin’s work includes protocol development and oversight. Her work has been primarily with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), but has also included the CPCRA, the HPTN, and the PACTG which is now known as IMPAACT.

This topic will be addressed at an upcoming Community Partners meeting, and I hope the Community Partners will submit a recommendation to the NIH so that we can continue to move forward.

Do you Google Calendar?

(non-techies, feel free to disregard this post) As you can tell, I've been making some changes to the site lately. One of those is experimenting with Google Calendar, which I've added to the site. If you already have a @fighthivindc.org google e-mail address at http://mail.fighthivindc.org, you can use the same user login and password to access the calendar at http://calendar.fighthivindc.org, or you can create your own customized start page that contains your google-powered calendar, e-mail, and more at http://start.fighthivindc.org.

There is extra time, energy, and money involved in providing these services and incorporating the calendar links to all of the event posts on this page. I'm happy to do it if people are using it, but obviously I don't want to spend time if nobody is using it.

So please drop me an e-mail or post a comment below, and let me know what you think about these new features.

Oh, and if you want a free google-powered @fighthivindc.org e-mail address, just let me know and I'll set it up for you.

Brother Help Thyself Grant Deadline Approaches

Brother Help Thyself (BHT) is taking applications for grants from organizations that serve the GLBT and HIV/AIDS communities in the Washington/Baltimore area.

This marks the 30th year of grant making for BHT, which in 2006 reached $2 million in total donations to local non-profits. Grant applications are due July 11, at 3 p.m. Guidelines, applications and instructions can be found at www.brotherhelpthyself.org.

HIV Prevention Community Planning Group Update 6/15/2007 Meeting

At the June meeting of the CPG we discussed HAA’s request for CDC funding in clinical settings for African-American men and women. The application is for $1.5 million to be used toward partner counseling, testing and referral and will mostly be distributed to contract sites. 20% of this funding can be applied to non-clinical settings, but HAA plans to use 100% of the award in clinical settings. HAA will continue its work with the Bureau of STDs. In order to complete the application, which is due by 7/16/2007, HAA will need to also submit a letter of support from the CPG.

Brenda Kelly, Chief of the new Capacity Building and Community Outreach Bureau at HAA, met with the CPG at last nights meeting to introduce herself and exchange ideas for the development of the role of this new bureau. Kelly plans to provide internal training to HAA staff and to provide assistance with other programs at HAA. She is also currently changing HAA’s 90 Day Progress Report to a 120 Day Progress Report. This office is responsible for the online resource guide (which can be found here)- information for obtaining a hard copy of the document is listed within the first few pages.

The letter addressed to Eleanor Holmes Norton to encourage her to request DC’s fair share of $45 million in additional prevention funding to be released by the CDC has been sent out. To date, there has been no response from her office.

Currently there are some issues pertaining to the Planning Council end of the logistical support contract which provides services for the CPG and Planning Council. The specifics of these issues have not been detailed, but they have resulted in the contractor ceasing all activities for both groups. At the time the contract is to be re-negotiated, the wording will specifically indicate the contractor’s responsibilities for both groups. This should prevent the activities of the Planning Council affecting the assistance provided to the CPG and vice versa.

The Bureau of Surveillance is putting their carry over dollars to use for a research contract with George Washington University. The contractor will collect ethnographic data on youth and transgender populations. This will ensure that these populations are properly represented in the next epidemiologic profile and will be prioritized accordingly.

The next meeting of the CPG will take place on July 12, 2007 time TBA (the CPG is considering changing the time of the meeting).

November ACTION Lunch: DC 2001-2006 HIV Surveillance Report

This event was originally scheduled for October 11th. Due to a delay in the release of the surveillance data by the HIV/AIDS Administration, this lunch has been rescheduled for November 15th

Please join us for the NOVEMBER ACTION Lunch. Tiffany West-Ojo, MPH, MSPH, will be presenting the DC 2001-2006 HIV Surveillance Report. Tiffany serves as the Interim Bureau Chief, Bureau of Surveillance and Epidemiology at the HIV/AIDS Administration.

Tiffany will provide us with detailed look at this important new information about HIV and AIDS cases in the District of Columbia, and you'll have the opportunity to ask questions.

This lunch takes place Thursday November 15th at 1:00 PM at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th St, NW Suite 500. To RSVP for this presenation click here.

To download the flyer for this event, click here.

August ACTION Lunch: National HIV Behavioral Surveillance

Join us for the August ACTION Lunch. Dr. Magnus Manya from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, will give a presentation on National HIV Behavioral Surveillance (NHBS). The current NHBS study is known locally as Word Up, Washington Outreach Research Drive to Understand Prevention.

National HIV Behavioral Surveillance gathers information about individuals at high risk for HIV . This year, the Word Up study looks at heterosexuals at high risk for HIV. Other populations will be looked at in future studies. Join us to learn more. DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500.

The lunch takes place Thursday, August 9th at 1:00 PM at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500. To RSVP online, click here.

This is one lunch in a three-part series entitled 'Understanding the HIV Epidemic in DC'. To download the flyer for this series, click here.

July ACTION Lunch: Talk to Kids About AIDS

Join us for the July ACTION Lunch, where we will preview the film "Talk to Kids About AIDS" produced by the Vineeta Foundation.

In the donor-fatigued, jargon-laden, taboo-filled world of HIV/AIDS, two innocent and innovative voices revive our understanding and compassion. By asking questions (“that only a child could ask”), two young girls get basic, honest, and fresh answers about the pandemic that defines our times. The result is a refreshing and thought-provoking documentary about our inability to make the epidemic understandable to all people because of our discomfort with issues of sex and sexuality. The fact that two kids can get to the bottom of it at the International AIDS Conference -- talking to experts, sex workers, cross-dressers and people living with AIDS-- is hilarious, hopeful and a little bit haunting . . . why have so many died because we can't talk about these subjects in an open and honest way?

The lunch takes place Thursday, July 12th at 1:00 PM at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 500. To RSVP online, click here.

To download the flyer for this event, click here.

Be the Generation

The Vaccine Research Center is currently looking for healthy, HIV negative individuals to volunteer for local HIV vaccine research studies. If you've ever thought about volunteering for an HIV Vaccine Trial, now is a great time. Call 1-866-833-LIFE (5433) or e-mail VRCforlife@mail.nih.gov to find out more.

And check out the great video above, which was includes footage from our own local HIV Vaccine Awareness Day events, and the work of Us Helping Us.

September 13th ACTION Lunch: The DC Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Join us for the Septmber ACTION Lunch when we will learn more about the Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey helps us better understand young people in the District of Columbia and what behaviors may put them at risk for HIV. Join us for a preliminary look at the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey information, including never before asked questions about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth in our city.

Our presenter will be Marc D. Clark, Ph.D., Director of Health Operations for DC Public Schools.

This event takes place Thursday, September 13th at the DC CARE Consortium, 1156 15th Street NW #6

To RSVP online for this event: click here.

This is one lunch in a three-part series entitled 'Understanding the HIV Epidemic in DC'. To download the flyer for this series, click here.

Speakout Reports: Substance Use Breakout Group

Several organizations co-sponsored a DC HIV/AIDS Speakout on May 17th, 2007. I will be posting the reports from each of the breakout groups throughout the next week. The final outcome document from the Speakout will be published on the DC Fights Back Website. If you'd like to get involved, please be sure to join this yahoo group.

The Substance Use Breakout group covered a lot of territory during their discussion. At the top of the list of their priorities, of course, is a city funded needle exchange program. Progress is being made on the hill that may in fact make this possible. Other recommendations included providing substance use training to HIV providers, creating a 12-step support group specifically for HIV positive individuals, and creating a mentor program or peer hotline.

click here to see the flip-chart notes from the substance use breakout group.

DC HIV Community Planning Group to Meet this Thursday

Please join us for the next HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (CPG) Full Committee Meeting is Thursday, June 14th, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The meeting will be held at at 64 New York Avenue, NE - 5th Floor Conference Room.

To read Zenovia's summary of last month's meeting, click here.

Parking is available at this location after 5:30pm. To gain access through the security gate push 3# on the call box and mentioned that you are attending the CPG Meeting. It is also assessable by rail (red line NY Ave. Station) and by bus (90, 92, and 80 route).

Even if you are not a member of the DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group, you are welcome to come to this meeting. The CPG is comprised of people living with HIV/AIDS, those at high risk for HIV, and representatives of affected populations from the community, as well as epidemiologists, behavioral and social scientists, HIV/AIDS service providers, health department staff, and other representatives of organizations that serve persons with, or at risk for, HIV infection. All members work as a team to analyze the course of the HIV epidemic in the District of Columbia, assess and prioritize HIV prevention needs, identify HIV prevention interventions to meet those needs, and develop a comprehensive HIV prevention plan the District of Columbia. All members are provided opportunities for orientation and skills building, and have meaningful involvement in the process and an equal voice in voting and other decision-making activities.

Pride of Pets Dog Show This Saturday

Pets-DC will host their annual Pride of Pets Dog show on Saturay June 16th.

Pets-DC enables people living with HIV/AIDS to maintain and care for their pets. They provide public health education, exercise, pet food, veterinary care, grooming, foster care, and adoption services at no cost to individuals in the Metropolitan Washington area.

The show is always a lot of fun, so be sure to enter your dog in the competition. This is not your typical dog show. Some of the categories include, "Least Obedient", "Most Mysterious Heritage", and my personal favorite "Best Mirror Image" for dogs who most closely resemble their owner (or owners who most closely resemble their dog). For more details, click here.

Spotlight: DC Young Poz Socials

Recent Blog Posts

Yahoo Group

DC Young Poz Socials
www.dcyngpozsocials.com

DC Young Poz Socials 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. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, never check id’s or the like. ‘Young at heart’ is what is important. We hope you will join us soon, and make new friends, also. There is no cost to join.

Spotlight: Women's Collective

Recent Blog Posts

Recent Pictures

The Women's Collectve
1436 U Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 483-7003
www.womenscollective.org

The Mission of The Womens Collective is to meet the self-defined needs of women and their families living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS, reducing barriers to care and strengthening their network of support and services.

Spotlight: PETS-DC

Recent PETS-DC Blog Posts

PETS-DC
(202) 234-PETS
www.petsdc.org

PETS-Washington DC Inc. ("PETS-DC"), founded in October, 1990, is a non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and their companion animals. Many people with HIV/AIDS live alone and having a pet supports them living independently. A pet's love and affection are unconditional and everlasting. That love is a very important part of the emotional support network of persons living with HIV/AIDS; yet many of our clients experience financial and physical barriers making it difficult to care for their pets. We seek to fill in the gaps between other AIDS-service providers and animal-related organizations, and to address the particular health-related needs of pet owners with HIV/AIDS in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. Our mission is to assist by providing public health education, volunteer, financial and advocacy resources.

Spotlight: Joseph's House

Recent Joseph's House Blog Posts

Josephs House
1730 Lanier Place
NW Washington, DC 20009
(202) 265-7174
www.josephshouse.org

The mission of Joseph's House is to provide a home, nursing services, and community for formerly homeless men and women in metropolitan Washington DC who are terminally ill and in the last weeks or months of their illness. While our primary mission is to those with AIDS, as space is available we also welcome men and women with other terminal illnesses.

A continuum of care and support is available to each resident. Joseph's House provides nursing care, emotional support, and spiritual nourishment, including comprehensive case management, 24-hour nursing care, addiction recovery support, personal care services, transitional support for those who regain their health, and end-of-life care for those who progress through the final stages of life.

Above all, Joseph's House offers a caring human presence for men and women who would otherwise face a lonely, isolated death.

Spotlight: Prevention Works!

Recent Prevention Works! Blog Posts

Recent Prevention Works Photos

Prevention Works!
2831 15th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 462-4788
www.preventionworksdc.org

Prevention Works! is a harm reduction program that operates primarily via a mobile service vehicle. Our clients are served weekly at 12 needle exchange sites located near active drug strips. We also accept and service walk-in clients at our main office.

Prevent Works! strives to prevent the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases among injection and other drug users, their partners, and their newborn children.