| January
13, 2006
This Week in Washington
1. NORA Holds January Meeting, Discusses HIV in Washington, DC
In the News
1. Budget Crisis Prompts DC HIV Clinic to Focus on Primary Care
2. Clinton Announces New Initiative to Reduce Cost of HIV Diagnosis
and Treatment
Announcements
1. AIDS Action Co-Sponsors Congressional Briefing, Now Available
Online
2. Women & HIV International Clinical Conference
3. The 2006 HIV Prevention Leadership Summit (HPLS)
This Week in Washington
1. NORA Holds January Meeting, Discusses HIV in Washington, DC
On Monday, January 9, the National Organizations Responding to
AIDS (NORA) coalition, for which AIDS Action serves as the convener,
held its bimonthly meeting. It featured a discussion led by Dr.
Marsha Martin, senior deputy director of the District of Columbia’s
health department. In this capacity, she heads the city’s HIV/AIDS
Administration (HAA). Dr. Martin, who assumed this role in September
2005, discussed how national public health organizations can aid
Washington, DC’s in developing an effective response to HIV.
Dr. Martin began by noting that it is “interesting
to be on this side of federal policy.” As a former executive director
for a national HIV advocacy organization, she has experience working
to strengthen federal HIV policy, but she has never approached
this work from the perspective of a health official at the state
or local level. The District of Columbia, she said, is a fascinating
place to be engaging in such an effort because of its contrasts.
On the one hand, “Washington is the home of the national federal
government,” Dr. Martin explained. “It is a city that has the
distinction of being talked about, and the greatest minds are
here doing analysis and strategic work on some of our greatest
problems.” On the other hand, “We don’t have data on what the
city is doing in HIV,” she revealed, and “the city is floundering
on articulating a response to the epidemic.”
Dr. Martin asked how many NORA members in the
room worked in DC and how many lived in DC. All worked in DC and
roughly half were also residents of the city. Dr. Martin therefore
stated: “DC is your town”—especially, she added, for those who
reside in the District. She urged the meeting’s attendees to recognize
that they live and/or work in a town with a very high HIV prevalence.
She asked: “How do we make DC a place where we can test our ideas
about responding to the HIV epidemic, where we can implement real-life
community interventions?” She urged NORA members to think about
working with the DC Health Department or to share with the department
relevant information about HIV related projects that their organizations
are working on or any models they are developing.
Having extended this invitation to the organizations
represented in the room, Dr. Martin shared some information about
the initiatives on which the HIV/AIDS Administration is currently
working. According to Dr. Martin, DC wants to expand HIV testing,
eventually moving toward universal, but not mandatory, HIV testing
for DC residents. Dr. Martin said that she would like all DC residents
to know their HIV status. One of the ways in which she would like
to accomplish this goal is by working with the District as an
employer as well as other top employers within the city—many of
which are health care organizations—to ensure that all of their
employees are tested for HIV. This announcement prompted several
NORA members to raise concerns about the implementation of such
an initiative. Concerns centered on issues of workplace discrimination,
stigma, breaches of confidentiality, a lack of proper linkages
to care and appropriate education and counseling. Dr. Martin responded
by inviting the concerned parties to work with HAA to ensure that
workplace testing adequately circumvents such problems.
Further, Dr. Martin and her team at HAA are
working on combining the Ryan White Title I planning council and
the HIV prevention planning group for Washington, DC.*, ** Dr.
Martin is also leading an effort to re-build the HIV surveillance
capacity of HAA. The Department of Health is entering what Dr.
Martin called an “academic-public health partnership” with the
George Washington University School of Public Health. This partnership
is with biostatistics and epidemiology professionals in the School
and, she added, it will result in a better surveillance division
of HAA.
In all of her efforts, Dr. Martin emphasized
that she and her team have the support of the Mayor, Anthony A.
Williams. She said that he is interested in “turning around the
statistics” in DC, where it is estimated that 1 in 20 residents
are living with HIV.
In closing, Dr. Martin invited NORA members
to share with her any thoughts and ideas they have about programming,
including projects on which their organizations are currently
working. She further suggested that member organizations review
any programs that their organizations had implemented in the past,
when they were more directly involved with the response to HIV.
* A Ryan White Title I planning council is
a body appointed or established by the Chief Elected Official
of an Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA) – as defined in Title I
of the Ryan White CARE Act – whose basic function is to assess
needs, establish a plan for the delivery of HIV care in the EMA,
and establish priorities for the use of Title I CARE Act funds
(http://www.hrsa.gov).
** Through the Community Planning Group (CPG), state, territorial,
and local health departments receiving federal prevention funds
through CDC share with representatives of affected communities
and other technical experts, the responsibility for developing
a comprehensive HIV prevention plan using a process called HIV
Prevention Community Planning (http://www.cdc.gov).
In the News
1. Budget Crisis Prompts DC HIV Clinic to Focus on Primary Care
Last June, The Weekly Update reported on the financial
struggles of Washington, DC’s Whitman-Walker Clinic—the area’s
largest provider of HIV services—and the impending closing of
some of its facilities. On Thursday, January 12, The Washington
Post reported that the Clinic, an AIDS Action member, “has
stabilized its finances and has begun moving toward delivering
more primary medical care.”
However, the article continued, Whitman-Walker
is “appreciably leaner.” There are 30 fewer staff members, no
housing program, [and] no presence in Maryland.” At $25.6 million,
the clinic’s budget is $5 million trimmer last year’s, according
to the Post. In addition, the clinic’s operations will
shift in order to rely less on funding from government grants
and private fundraising and more on revenue from the private and
public insurance of its clients.
As reported in the Post, Roberta Geidner-Antoniotti,
Whitman-Walker’s interim executive director assured this shift
in focus to primary care, especially care that can be reimbursed,
will not de-emphasize HIV programs or the clinic's commitment
to people with low income. Instead, it will address “some of the
city's most critical health needs” while also responding to the
recommendation of the clinic’s the financial consultants who said
that such expansion was crucial to long-term survival.
Whitman-Walker’s emphasis on primary-care recalls
the clinic’s past, before the arrival of HIV into the community,
the Post suggests. "It does bring us full circle
back to our origins," Ms. Geidner-Antoniotti told the newspaper.
Whitman-Walker's board will be confronting
other tough decisions this year. The Post article revealed
that a consultant, who is looking at the clinic's scattered properties
and aging facilities, could recommend additional consolidation.
The board also continues its search for an executive director.
A decision is expected by March, noted the Post.
To read the article on which this news brief
is based, link to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011200019.html?nav=rss_metro
2. Clinton Announces New
Initiative to Reduce Cost of HIV Diagnosis and Treatment
Yesterday, Thursday, January 12, former President Bill Clinton
announced an initiative to cut the cost of HIV testing and treatment
in 50 developing countries, Reuters reported.
The initiative will be implemented through an
agreement between the Clinton Foundation and drug companies. The
aim of the initiative is to reduce the costs of diagnosing HIV
by half and the cost of second-line anti-retroviral drugs by 30%
or more, Reuters added.* As reported by the Associated Press on
Thursday, Clinton explained that four companies will offer the
tests at 49 to 65 cents apiece, amounting to a 50% price decrease;
four more companies will provide the anti-retroviral drugs efavirenz
and abacavir at prices about 30 percent less than the current
market rates.
The products and prices will be available in
50 countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and
Eastern Europe.
Calling the agreement “only the first step,”
Mr. Clinton admitted that he would like “more of the world’s biggest
drug companies on board,” according to Reuters. Currently, the
agreement involves smaller companies. As he looked toward the
future, however, Mr. Clinton projected advancements. He said that
by the end of this year the new initiative would provide up to
one million people with first-line treatment at reduced cost.
"We expect to lower the cost of more second-line drugs later
this year," he also assured.
"You're going to see an enormous explosion
in 2006," Clinton remarked as he discussed the numbers of
people receiving ARV treatment.”
In addition, Mr. Clinton said the availability
of rapid HIV tests at a lower cost should mean many more people
will get tested, AP reported.
*As explained in the article, first-line drugs
are used in the earliest stage of treatment. When resistance compromises
these drugs effectiveness, more-expensive second-line drugs are
given.
To read the articles on which this news brief
is based, link to Reuters on Yahoo! News at
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060113/hl_nm/clinton_initiative_dc;_ylt=AuZGnHtVupkZ3.yh.DtIJV4GyLYF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
and the Associated Press on Yahoo! News at http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=index2&cid=1409
Announcements
1. AIDS Action Co-Sponsors Congressional Briefing, Now Available
Online
On January 10, amfAR (The Foundation for AIDS Research), the Society
for Women’s Health Research, and Women’s Policy, Inc., held a
Congressional briefing. Entitled HIV/AIDS: The Disproportionate
Impact on Women of Color in the U.S., it is currently featured
as a HealthCast on the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation’s Web
site. By linking to www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/womenspolicy/10jan06,
visitors can access video and a transcript of the event.
Panel members—Lynn Paxton, MD, MPH, from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), provided an updated of the epidemiology
data collected by the CDC; Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, of the University
of North Carolina discussed a study she had conducted on behavioral
changes needed to curb the epidemic in women in communities of
color; Karina Walters, MSW, PhD of the University of Washington
discussed the impact HIV is having on Native American women; Cynthia
Gomez, PhD, from the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, discussed
the challenges of effective HIV prevention in women; Karina Andrea
Danvers, from the Connecticut AIDS Education and Training Center,
Yale School of Nursing, discussed the unique challenges of living
with HIV as a woman.
2. Women & HIV International
Clinical Conference
The Texas/Oklahoma AIDS Education and Training Center has announced
the Women and HIV International Clinical Conference (formerly
known as the Women and HIV Symposium), which will be held in Dallas,
TX from Friday, April 28 to Saturday, April 29, 2006 at the Wyndham
Dallas North Hotel.
According to the Texas/Oklahoma AETC Web site,
the conference allows providers serving women, including physicians,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers,
and other health care professionals to obtain state-of-the-art,
evidence-based, multi disciplinary information regarding HIV in
women.
The Texas/Oklahoma AETC is also inviting interested
parties to submit abstracts for the conference’s poster presentations.
More information on abstract submissions can be accessed at http://www.aidseducation.org/Conference/Abstract.htm.
For more information on this conference, go
to http://www.aidseducation.org.
3. The 2006 HIV Prevention Leadership Summit
(HPLS)
Sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council, HPLS will be
held from Sunday, June 4 to Wednesday, June 7 in Dallas, Texas
this year. The annual conference is primarily intended for the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grantees, and
has a major focus on CDC-funded HIV prevention efforts. The conference,
which is divided into institutes, workshops, roundtables, and
other sessions, will have five tracks: 1) Targeted, Sustained
and Effective Interventions; 2) Knowledge of Serostatus; 3) Community
Planning; 4) HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment Linkages; and
5) Strengthening Capacity/Infrastructures of Organizations, Communities,
Evaluation Efforts, Epidemiology and Surveillance Systems. To
register for the conference, link to http://www.nmac.org/conferences___trainings/hpls/registration/2006/2387.cfm
Abstract Deadline
Abstracts for the conference must be received by January 20, 2006
at 5:00 P.M., EST.
Individuals interested in presenting information relevant to HIV
prevention and effective prevention programs and interventions
are encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration. For more
information on abstract submissions, go to http://www.nmac.org/conferences___trainings/hpls/call_for_abstracts/2006/2390.cfm
The AIDS Action Weekly Update
The Weekly Update is written with
a mind toward the interests of our members. If you are interested
in membership with AIDS Action, we invite you to contact members@aidsaction.org.
AIDS Action works
to end the HIV epidemic by advancing public policies that
prevent new infections, provide care for people living with
HIV, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action serves
as the national voice for people living with HIV and represents
AIDS service organizations, health departments, and a diverse
network of community-based organizations across the country. |
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