A landmark study released today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) connects widespread discriminatory views against women in Botswana and Swaziland to sexual risk-taking and, in turn, to extremely high HIV prevalence. Seventy-five percent of HIV-positive 15-25 year-olds in sub-Saharan Africa are female. Full story
(more) May 18, 2007 Contact: Gretchen Wright Johanna Diaz 202/371-1999
http://www.pedaids.org/News/Foundation%20News/Press%20Release/Elizabeth%20Glaser%20Pediatri%20(12).aspx Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Receives $9.7 Million Gates Grant for Pediatric AIDS Vaccine Research
5/18/2007
HIV Vaccine Program Is First of its Kind to Focus Specifically on Protecting Breast-feeding Infants Washington, D.C.—The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has received a five-year, $9.7-million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and test candidate vaccines to prevent HIV infection in children. The HIV vaccine program supported by the grant will be the first of its kind to support basic research and clinical trials specific to breast-feeding infants. Pamela W. Barnes, president and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, unveiled the pediatric vaccine program today on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day and praised the Gates Foundation for including children in a global effort to discover an HIV vaccine. “We are profoundly grateful to the Gates Foundation for recognizing the special needs of children in the fight against AIDS,” Barnes said. “Children have been virtually absent from HIV vaccine research despite having the most to gain from such a discovery. Almost 14 percent of all new HIV infections are in babies who acquire the infection from their mothers, most of whom quickly… (more)
All week long, people in South Carolina have been doing an amazing job of reaching out to politicians and asking questions designed to help bring about positive political change on global and domestic AIDS issues. It’s all part of efforts organized by the American Medical Students Association, HealthGAP, Campaign to End AIDS, Student Global AIDS Alliance and others, to train individuals and groups to take advantage of the current presidential election cycle by teaching them how to do “bird-dogging” of the candidates on the campaign trail. More information from other campaign events, including some pictures, will follow in the days to come. For now, the following is a report from Desirae about an event this week in Greenville, SC: The 08.Stop.AIDS Campaign started in earnest today in South Carolina, with five people rocking out at Senator John McCain’s announcement rally in Greenville. The event was weirdly small, so we were in the very front. There was no Q&A, so we mobbed the handshake line. We had a birddogging workshop at Furman University last night, so its cool we were able to get out on the trail right away! Paul got to him first, as soon as he stepped off the… (more)
March 29, 2007
For Immediate Release
New website launched as Social Network for HIV/AIDS Community
HIVConnect.net (www.HIVConnect.net), the latest nonprofit project by former Manhunt general manager, Stephan Adelson, is a place of free dialogue for people with HIV/AIDS, Community Based Organizations, AIDS Service Organizations, researchers and others in the community. Launched on March 1st, HIVConnect.net is a unique site that connects all sectors of the HIV/AIDS community.
HIVConnect.net is a place for organizations to link with their clients on-line and their clients to link together, bringing the concept of a local “drop in center” to the internet.
“My goal is to create an environment of comfort, and deepen the social interaction between clients and the various organizations and individuals that seek to support them.” said Adelson.
HIVConnect.net includes a place for member profiles while offering a comprehensive library with topics from “co-infections” to “Issues for Native Americans.” Members are invited to post articles and comment on ones currently posted.
There are three types of membership available on the site. One profile type… (more)
The Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Service Employees International Union are organizing a presidential candidates forum on health care featuring Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chris Dodd, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Mike Gravel, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Sen. Barack Obama, and Gov. Bill Richardson. To learn about the live webcast and how to submit questions for the candidates, go to http://www.americanprogressaction.org/events/healthforum/ New Leadership on Health Care: A Presidential Forum Saturday, March 24th, 2007, 9:15 am PT / 12:15 pm ET If any of y’all have time tomorrow, activists from around the country will be trying to get the Democratic presidential candidates to step up and talk about HIV/AIDS. Details below – pile on! Good questions could include: Will you make sure everyone in the U.S. has access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010? Can you understand that housing is a necessary foundation for health care? What will you do to ensure housing and services for homeless people, including those living with HIV/AIDS, mental illness or chemical dependency? Do you support a nationwide expansion of the Medicaid program to include low-income Americans living with HIV infection, as called for in the Early Treatment for HIV Act (ETHA)?… (more)
A how-to guide on sniffing out candidate events during election years 1. Political Calendars (check daily) ABC and NBC both have political calendars, which list events. abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=140388 www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13302260/ 2. Candidate Websites (check daily) Every political candidate has a website. Many of them list events, but frequently you have to be sneaky to find out where all the events are. Some sites require you to type in your zip code. You can go to zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp and click on “search by city” to find zip codes in cities across the state. The best events are ones that say “Rally with Candidate X” or “Meet and Greet w/ Candidate X”. Candidates don’t attend house parties unless the website says they will be there. 3. Candidate Offices (call every other day) It is always useful to call campaign offices and ask about events. Phone numbers are listed under “contact us” on candidate websites. Call the campaign and say that “members of my church/school group/bridge club and I are hoping to support candidate x. Are there any events coming up that we could attend?” Ask if tickets are required. If no tickets are available or they’re too expensive, ask if you can volunteer. Also ask… (more)
ACTION ALERT: CALL CONGRESS TODAY TO SAVE THE MAI Call the U.S. Capitol toll-free at 888-802-1207 and ask for the office of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and/or the Asian-Pacific Islander Caucus and say: “We need Tri-Caucus legislation to save the Minority AIDS Initiative – we can’t afford a funding gap this year. Keep the current system for one more year – it’s a matter of life and death for communities of color.”
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The Guardian reports: From the pockets of his billowing white robe, Gambia’s president pulls out a plastic container, closes his eyes in prayer and rubs a green herbal paste into the ribcage of his patient. He then orders the thin man to swallow a bitter yellow drink, followed by two bananas. “Whatever you do there are bound to be sceptics, but I can tell you my method is foolproof,” Yahya Jammeh says, surrounded by his bodyguards inside his presidential compound as he prepares to treat more patients. “Mine is not an argument, mine is a proof. It’s a declaration. I can cure Aids and I will.” Many Gambians are being switched from HIV medications to the president’s outlandish concoction in the belief that they can be cured. After they take the concoction they are segregated into a seperate facility where they remain for the duration of their treatment. The President is stigmatizing these people instead of addressing the issues of prevention, education, and adequate medical care. For full story
South Carolina HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force P.O. Box 2531 For Immediate Release: Contact: Dr. Bambi W. Gaddist, SC HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force Liaison (803) 254-6644 Feb. 15, 2007 (Columbia – SC) – The South Carolina HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 20 in the first floor Rotunda at the S.C. State House in the area between the Governor and Lieutenant Governor’s offices. The press conference will feature representatives from all of the AIDS service providers in the state, HIV/AIDS advocates, clients and members of the General Assembly who are concerned with the present state of HIV/AIDS care in our state. The Task Force’s goals are to reduce the economic cost of HIV to the state of South Carolina and to ensure early access to HIV care and treatment for all persons with HIV disease in South Carolina. The program will feature speakers who will address the current status of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP); the economic impact of HIV/AIDS in South Carolina; how HIV/AIDS prevention and care services can save the state money; and a personal testimony for someone who has been impacted by the AIDS Drug Assistance… (more)
Those of you that follow the news are no doubt already aware that the many candidates running for President, from both the Democratic and Republican parties, are visiting South Carolina at a rapid pace. Policy junkies are aware that the reason for this is that South Carolina’s primaries are among the first in the nation, with our state Democratic Party primary being held in late January of 2008 and our state Republican Party primary being held in early February 2008. How does this benefit us and how we can take advantage of this opportunity? We have an unprecedented opportunity to get the issues that are important to us before the candidates, one of whom will be our country’s next President. We also have the opportunity to use these forums for raising public awareness about our issues. Bird-dogging is the name given to the tactic of attending public appearances in order to win new policies from politicians. We should take every opportunity we have to directly reach policy makers, especially at public appearances like campaign events or town meetings. Public events are especially valuable since activists can often gain direct access and get an answer in front of members of the… (more)
Staff from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) informed AIDS housing advocates yesterday that tenants living with HIV/AIDS who depend on Ryan White funds for housing assistance could be at risk of eviction as soon as next month if new regulations are implemented. HRSA staff say the proposed 24-month lifetime cap on Ryan White housing services will be retroactive. That means PLWHAs who have received 24 months of Ryan White housing help since 1990 can’t get any more if the rule moves forward. And they say the implementation date is still March 1 – just eighteen days away. Take action now – make a call to stop the regs Call HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt toll-free at 888-802-1207 and tell him: “Don’t evict people living with HIV/AIDS from their homes on March 1. HHS should hold off implementation of any new rules on Ryan White and housing assistance for at least six months – and should block any lifetime cap on help for tenants who need it the most.”
Take action on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day February 7 This year’s federal budget must include new resources to stop the AIDS crisis in African American communities. Call Congress toll-free on February 7 at 888-802-1207 and tell your Senator and Representative: “We need your help to stop the AIDS crisis in Black America. This year’s federal budget must include new funding for AIDS housing, prevention & treatment to implement the five-point action plan recommended by the National Minority AIDS Council.” Share this message with your friends, family and neighbors – it will take all of us together to get the action we need to save lives. For a copy of the C2EA/NMAC action flier, click here or cut-and-paste this link into your web browser: http://www.campaigntoendaids.org/atf/cf/%7B0872318F-86CE-4DDB-B02B-C3678AF1FCB6%7D/BLACK_AIDS_DAY.PDF
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RYAN WHITE: WHAT’S NEXT? Senate staff convene panels for long-term rethinking; focus groups with ‘regular people’ living with HIV planned Over 100 advocates, activists, lobbyists and people living with HIV/AIDS gathered in a high-ceilinged formal hearing room in the Senate Dirksen Office Building in Washington Tuesday afternoon to begin a three-year conversation on the future of the Ryan White CARE Act and HIV/AIDS health care in America. The first-day summary: a lot of anxiety, a little trepidation, and a handful of PLWHAs and activists pushing for a top-to-bottom rethinking of our current system of care. The session was convened by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and was chaired by Connie Garner, top health care aide to committee chair Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA). It included a recap of reauthorization and a discussion of implementation issues – but the meat of the meeting was in the focus on the future. Garner said she’ll be moving forward in the next months with an ambitious agenda for a top-to-bottom rethinking of Ryan White including: • focus groups with “regular people” living with HIV/AIDS to talk about their health care needs and… (more)
For more information about the AIDSVote campaign and our candidate and voter education efforts, contact:
info@aidsvote.org
877-END-AIDS
AIDSVote, c/o Campaign to End AIDS
925 15th Street NW 2nd floor
Washington, DC 20005
