DC Condom Rationing ALERT!

I've been a volunteer with Brother Help Thyself for over 13 years and our organization has had a condom distribution/safe sex education program since before I got involved with the organization. For the last several years, I've been actively involved in the ordering and distribution of condoms for Brother Help Thyself. That involved me ordering 30 cases every 2-4 months. We bought them in bulk and distributed them at cost to the bars and clubs in the city where men go to meet men for sex. Once the District announced that they would provide them free of cost, none of the businesses wanted to pay for them, so I am trying to get them from the district.

Today, I was told that they are not prepared to deal with the volume of 6,000-8,000 condoms a week. I find this hard to believe. My organization, with an annual budget of maybe $150,000 and no paid staff managed for years to fulfill the community needs and never say "we have no condoms." And yet the the DC government with paid staff and much greater resources advertises free condom distribution and can't fulfill its commitment. Is rationing condoms any way to prevent HIV?

Report Faults District's HIV/AIDS Awareness

Kaiser Daily offers this summary of a Washington Post Article

The District government improved its performance in battling HIV/AIDS, but the mayor needs to strengthen DC's public awareness campaign to combat the epidemic, according to DC Appleseed's HIV/AIDS in the Nation's Capital (Report Card No. 4: January 2008 to September 2008). Appleseed portrays a government that's just beginning to grapple with the scope of the crisis. It credits the District for making progress in needle exchange programs, expanded testing, and education efforts in schools. The government created a top leadership team at the DC HIV/AIDS Administration and expanded testing programs in city jails.

Appleseed urged Mayor Adrian Fenty to embark on a campaign -- in the African American and Latino faith-based communities -- to reduce the stigma associated with the disease. Most new AIDS cases in DC are found in older people who may have been spreading the disease for years. Appleseed is waiting for new statistics to determine whether past efforts had any impact.

Improvements since the third report card, which was issued in December 2007, include several grade changes: routine HIV testing went from a B-plus to an A-minus, syringe exchange services also went from B-plus to A-minus, substance abuse treatment went from C-plus to B, and AIDS education in DCPS went from D to C.

DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group Needs Volunteers

DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group is looking for volunteers to help guide HIV prevention in the District, including behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, evaluators, and individuals with experience in community mobilization. HPPG is also seeking individuals that can represent the perspectives of various risk groups, including men who have sex with men, injecting drug users, heterosexual men, and youth -- either because they identify with or work with these groups. They are also looking for representation of African and other immigrant groups. The application can be submitted until October 15th.

The application can be downloaded here: http://doh.dc.gov/hiv.

For more information contact donald.babb@dc.gov.

Songs for Life: December 1st, 2008

D.C.’s Different Drummers Present an innagural World AIDS Day event on 12/01/08, Songs for Life featuring the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and DC Swing!

Proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Whitman Walker Clinic, Us Helping Us, and Metro TeenAIDS. The performance will be held at the Sidney Harman Hall Center for the Arts, 610 F Street, NW (Gallery Place Metro) from 7:00- 9:00 PM.

For Tickets and Information, call 703-708-5008 or www.dcdd.org.

Update on DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group Meeting 9/11/2008

Continuing from the August CPG meeting....

The CPG bylaws were updated to increase the membership of the Operations Committee by two members; Ron Simmons and Cyndee Clay were voted onto the committee. It will be determined who will serve the 1-year and who will serve the 2-year term at the next CPG meeting.

HAA submitted the Interim Progress Report to the CDC on time along with a letter of concurrence from the CPG.

The membership committee announced that the CPG is recruiting for new members!! Although all interested persons are encouraged to apply, persons of specific interest include professionals (i.e., behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, etc), MSMs and IDUs. Community members (who are not employed with a HAA funded agency) and youth are also sought for membership on the committee. For more information and to apply, please click the link at the end of the post(MembershipApplication.doc).

Prioritization Update: HAA reports that the Resource Inventory tool is near completion and should be submitted to the CPG by the end of the week for review/questions/comments before being sent out to agencies. The RI is very comprehensive and will include information for prevention as well as care & treatment. The total resource inventory process is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. HAA has also requested that the Data Committee submit the the request for the data needed to complete prioritization to HAA as soon as possible; the data committee should have a survey instrument completed by the end of the month. The survey will be sent to CPG members, alternates, and community members for input on the populations that should be included in the prioritization.

The next meeting of the CPG will be held on November 13, 2008 at 5:30PM at 64 New York Avenue NE in the 5th floor conference room.
MembershipApplication.doc

Seeking 2009 Sponsors to 'Fight HIV in DC'

The website www.fighthivindc.org has become the leading online source of information about local efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia. I started this website over two years ago out of deep personal frustration about both the lack of awareness about HIV/AIDS in the District, as well as the lack of communication among those working to fight the disease. I’m proud of the website, our great volunteers, and all that we’ve accomplished, but I’m even more excited for what comes next.

On World AIDS Day, we plan to re-launch www.fighthivindc.org as a project of The DC Center. As many of you know, I became acting Executive Director of The DC Center this past April. Working on HIV/AIDS is a natural fit for The DC Center; and by joining forces, Fight HIV in DC will have access to more resources including The DC Center’s David Bohnett Cyber Center, which will soon expand to include digital video and media capabilities. It will also allow us to seek funding for Fight HIV in DC to support this important work and to expand our HIV/AIDS efforts to include online and offline activities.

As we move forward, I ask for your support to make this happen. I invite you to become a 2009 sponsor of the www.fighthivindc.org website. Sponsors will be announced when we re-launch the website, and featured prominently on the website from December 1st, 2008 to November 30th, 2009.

This is an opportunity for you to support the fight against HIV/AIDS in the District, but also this is a tremendous opportunity to reach a specific and important audience: the HIV/AIDS community in Washington, DC.

Please click here to download the sponsorship information and consider sponsoring www.fighthivindc.org in 2009. Your support is greatly appreciated.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day: May 18th, 2009

About HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
Scientists have been searching for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection since the virus was first identified in 1983. Each clinical trial brings us one step closer to finding an effective vaccine. More than 25,000 HIV-negative individuals have participated in both government- and privately sponsored HIV vaccine trials.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is a day to educate our communities about the efforts to find a preventive HIV vaccine and to recognize and thank the thousands of volunteers, health professionals and scientists who are conducting and participating in HIV vaccine research.

Sign up for this event on Facebook

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HIV/AIDS Over 50: October 5th

The DC Center Elder Think Tank is proud to present the second program in our fall series, HIV/AIDS Over 50. Please join us Sunday October 5th, at The DC Center, 1111 14th Street NW Suite 350, starting at 2:00 PM.

HIV is a virus that does not discriminate. Nearly one in 10 District residents aged 55 and older have HIV or AIDS. From 2001-2006, 245 new cases of HIV were reported among District residents aged 55 and older. There was an overall increase of 21% in newly report cases over that period of time.

• Dr. Shannon Hader, DC Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration, will discuss HIV prevention issues for those 50 and older.
• Dr. Linda Green, Prince George’s Hospital Center, will discuss HIV/AIDS treatment for those 50 and older.

These presentations will be followed by questions and discussion. Please join us and be part of this conversation. This event is free and open to the public.

download the flyer for this event

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009

March 10, 2009 marks the fourth annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day which seeks to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of women and girls.

Women and girls can take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS in a variety of ways such as getting tested for HIV, practicing safe methods to prevent HIV, deciding not to engage in high risk behaviors, talking about HIV prevention with family, friends and colleagues, empowering oneself, and providing support to those living with HIV/AIDS.

For more information click here.

Happy Hour Benefits Transgender Health Empowerment

The Cherry Fund will be hosting a happy hour on Wednesday, October 1st at Topaz Bar beginning at 6:30 PM. Topaz Bar is located at 1733 N Street, NW.

There is a $10 donation at the door, and all proceeds will benefit Transgender Health Empowerment. your donation includes 2 Complimentary Snow Queen inspired drinks, Complimentary appetizers, Cherry Tee and 2 Disc CD. The Cherry Fund will also be raffling off event & theater tickets. So come by and raise a glass in support of our community!

The mission of T.H.E. Inc. is to enhance the quality of life of the diverse transgender populations we serve by advocating for and supporting a continuum of health and social services. In fulfilling our mission, we seek to unify and empower the transgender, lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities.

Quality of Life Retreat December 1-4, 2008.

The next HIV/AIDS Quality of Life Retreat takes places December 1st through the 4th at the Washington DC Retreat House

The Quality of Life Retreat program began in 1988. Since then over sixty 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 December 1st through the 4th at the Washington DC Retreat House, which is operated by the Sisters of the Franciscan Order.

For more information visit www.qualityofliferetreatshiv.org

Sheryl Lee Ralph To Organize Protest at Lincoln Memorial

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, best known for her work in the musical Dreamgirls and the sitcom Moesha, has also been known for years for her commitment to fight HIV/AIDS.

Sheryl Lee Ralph has worked closely with the National Minority AIDS Council and organized numerous fundraisers including her well known annual event, Divas Simply Singing. She has performed her one woman show about HIV/AIDS, Sometimes I Cry, here in DC and around the country.

Ralph will take her activism to new territory on September 27th, however, as she stages a sit-in to call the federal government to take action on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the African American community. The National Ledger reports:

Ralph who has traveled to several southern African countries to present HIV/AIDS workshops and presentations, with the support of PEPFAR is distressed by the lack of similar effort to eradicate AIDS in Black American communities.

“I am happy there is PEPFAR but how many times does the CDC have to report that over half of all new HIV infections are occurring among African Americans before we do something about it? HIV/AIDS threatens the very future of Blacks right here in America.“

Ralph hopes she will be joined in D.C. by anyone who is willing to take a stand or a seat and demand change when it comes to the health of all Americans. “The time is now! If we don’t stand up for ourselves who will? AIDS affects us all!”

DC Cowboy Calendar Benefits AIDS Foundation

Founded in 1994, the DC Cowboys dance troupe dazzles audiences across the country. The combination of country-western with jazz gives the gay dance group crossover appeal, and the gorgeous guys make the dancers a favorite in the gay community.

The DC Cowboys are once again releasing a calendar along with a companion DVD. This year, 50% of the proceeds of the calendar will benefit the Paul Malerba Foundation for HIV/AIDS services. The Paul Malerba Foundation assists non-profit organizations in caring for patients who have HIV/AIDS by providing financial assistance for medical care, mental health and educational services to low income, underinsured/uninsured persons living with the disease.

To purchase your calendar and support the Paul Malerba Foundation, visit http://www.dccowboys.org/page.aspx?Store.

AIDS Walk Washington: October 4th, 2008

AIDS Walk Washington, benefitting Whitman Walker Clinic, will take place on October 4th, 2008. Olympic champion Greg Louganis will serve as Grand Marshall of the walk. You can register for the walk online at: www.aidswalkwashington.org.

View and share pictures from AIDS Walk Washington on The Flickr AIDS Walk Washington Group.

DC Needle Swap Saving Lives

DCPCA Summary of this Washington Times Story: PreventionWorks! is a needle exchange program that focuses on preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. It's been eight months since Congress lifted a decade-long ban prohibiting the District from using local tax dollars to support needle exchange programs. Critical funds are now starting to reach groups that run those programs, but it remains to be seen how effective they will be. Walter Smith, the executive director of the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, monitors the District's efforts to reduce HIV infection.

There are multiple factors that produced our high HIV/AIDS rate, and it'll take multiple factors to bring it down, says Smith. The reasons include unstable leadership at DC's HIV/AIDS prevention office -- which had 12 directors in 20 years. The District has a high population of black and gay residents, who have high rates of infection. Intravenous drug use is the second most common way HIV is spread in DC, after unprotected sex, according to a HAA report released last year. DC needle exchange advocates say the ban left them without an important tool in a city where roughly 10,000 residents are thought to be injection-drug users.

PreventionWorks! had to scrape by mostly on private donations, but now the District increased the group's budget by $300,000 over three years. That's the largest share of nearly $700,000 the District is allocating annually for needle exchanges. Other organizations receiving help include those that work with specific high-risk groups, such as prostitutes and the homeless. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy argues the programs may actually increase disease-infection rates because they fail to curb risky behaviors associated with needle-sharing.

Faces of an Epidemic

Michael Manganiello, 50 , prepares his evening routine in the warm glow of his fifth-floor Logan Circle apartment. He's been through it once already: one, two, three . . . the pop of a bottle, then the rattle of pills, as he counts them out . . . 11, 12, 13. · He ponders the number: "Thirteen -- unlucky," he murmurs. Between morning and evening, he takes a total of 27 pills these days.

Continue reading this article in the Washington Post.

HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (CPG)-August Meeting Review

At the August meeting of the CPG, Dr. Hader engaged the CPG in a discussion about what HAA needs from the CPG as we move forward from the after-math of the reorganization of the CPG. Dr. Hader stressed that while she cannot tell the CPG how to accomplish our goals and tasks, she can outlay the needs of HAA to the CPG. At a minimum, the CPG should fulfill all CDC prevention mandates, including annual applications, population prioritization, gap analysis and the prevention plan for DC per the schedule provide by HAA. Additionally, the CPG must be a diverse body consisting of members with various skill sets which can be used to accomplish tasks. HAA would prefer that mandated processes (i.e., member recruitment, prioritization) utilize point people whom HAA can go to for information, clarification and to help ensure that processes are not stalled. Optimally, in addition to the minimum requirements, Dr. Hader encourages CPG members to engage in dialogue with HAA and provide insight about the prevention needs in the District that go beyond the CDC grant application. Dr. Hader also looks forward to having meaningful engagement with and from the Operations committee of the CPG and beseeched the committee institute a method that will ensure that HAA is aware of the progress of CPG activities and vice versa. The CPG requested that going forward that processes and communications from HAA be transparent as possible, and that there is mutual accountability for deadlines and task completion.
At the July CPG meeting, the bylaws were changed, resulting in the eradication of all standing committees and the installation of an Operations Committee. At the August meeting two members were voted on two the operations committee: Melina Afzal and I, Zenovia Wright. A motion was made to increase the size of the Operations Committee from five members to seven; this motion will be discussed and voted on at the next meeting of the CPG. Should this motion be approved, the two other CPG members who were nominated for the Operations Committee (Ron Simmons and Cyndee Clay) will be considered to fill the two remaining spots on the committee. Melina Afzal will serve a one-year term on the Operations committee and serve as chair of the ad-hoc Membership Committee. I will serve a two-year term and chair the ad-hoc Data/Prioritization Committee. Ad hoc committees are open to input and participation from all CPG and community members. Meeting dates and times TBA.
HAA was recently notified that the CDC Interim Progress Report is due from HAA on 8/22/08, approximately three weeks earlier than normal. As HAA is in the process of reviewing an RFA, they cannot identify how funds will be distributed throughout the city, however they can report that there are more funds available this year ($2mil compared to last year’s $1.4mil), and that they are looking at all target populations as well as some special populations. The report will also discuss the progress being made; final funding decisions will be made by October 1. The CPG authorized the Operations committee to review the IPR on its behalf and provide HAA with a letter of concurrence, non-concurrence or concurrence with reservations. HAA will provide a draft to the CPG by 8/22. The Operations committee will meet on 8/26 and notify HAA and the CPG of its decision.
The next meeting of the full CPG will be held on September 11, 2008 at 5:30 PM at 64 New York Ave NE. All are welcome to attend.

Increase in New HIV Infections at Whitman-Walker

NBC4 reports on new HIV infections at Whitman-Walker Clinic:

"There have been 266 new HIV diagnoses in the first half of 2008, a 232 percent from the number of cases in the first half of 2007, according to the clinic. One-third of the newly diagnosed patients have full-blown AIDS, the clinic said. The new infections were found primarily in two groups, gay men and African-Americans, according to the clinic."

Could the International AIDS Conference Come to DC?

For more than two decades, the International AIDS Conference has taken place every two years in countries around the world with the exception of the United States.

The International AIDS Society does not hold it's conferences in countries that restrict short term entry of people living with HIV/AIDS and/or require prospective HIV-positive visitors to declare their HIV status on visa application forms or other documentation required for entry into the country.

The United States made news around the world in 1989 when Dutch AIDS activist Hans Paul Verhoff was denied entry into the United States because of his HIV status. The ban was codified into as part of the NIH reauthorization in 1993.

But this era has gladly come to an end. Thankfully, the reauthorization of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief which was signed into law yesterday. It included a provision to repeal discriminatory HIV travel and immigration law, raising the possibility of the International AIDS Conference coming to the United States.

Could the International AIDS Conference come to Washington DC. Well it won't happen in 2008 when the conference will take place in Mexico city. And it won't happen in 2010 when the conference will take place in Vienna. But it could happen in 2012.

Previous DC HIV/AIDS Director Marcia Martin suggested the conference come to DC should the travel ban be lifted at an event in 2006.

There are many reasons it makes sense to do so. First, with one in 20 DC residents living with HIV, this conference could potentially shine an international spotlight on our devastating HIV/AIDS statistics. Second, with so many decisions that impact HIV/AIDS around the world being made in our nation's capitol, the possibility of bringing HIV/AIDS advocates from around the world to DC has exciting potential. Third, a conference of this size could be a huge economic boost to the District.

As plans are made for the 2012, the International AIDS Society has an opportunity to make a powerful statement by bringing the conference back to the United States for the first time in twenty years. I hope they do so by holding the 2012 conference in the United States, and give serious consideration to holding the conference in Washington, DC.

AIDS: The Cavalry is Not Coming to Save Us

Pernessa Seele, who founded the group Balm in Gilead, writes on Anderson Cooper 360 Blog:

The world has been very consumed with the devastation of AIDS in Africa. Great! However, there should be a worldwide out-cry that 1 in 20 persons living in Washington, DC, our nation’s capital, is living with the AIDS virus. Over 80% of these persons living with HIV in Washington, DC, are Black Americans.

The HIV prevalence rate in Washington, DC, (5%) is fast approaching the levels of infection in Uganda (5.4%).

read the entire article at Anderson Cooper 360:.