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April 25, 2008
Vol. VII, Number 14
This
Week in
1. amFAR Holds Briefing on HIV in Correctional Settings
2. April 25th Marks World Malaria Day
3. House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing on
Abstinence-Only Education
4. House Votes to Protect Medicaid Case Management
Announcements
1. AIDS Foundation of Chicago Launches online HIV/AIDS Education Program
2. Director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention Steps
Down
3. Upcoming
This Week in
1. amFAR Holds
Briefing on HIV in Correctional Settings
On
The briefing highlighted the growing rates of HIV/AIDS in
correctional settings and the inadequate health services available for HIV
positive inmates. According amfAR’s issue brief, “HIV in Correctional
Settings”, there were nearly 2.26 million inmates in state, federal, and local
correctional facilities by the end 2006. This number equates to 751 inmates per
100,000
A webcast of the briefing and further information is now
available at thttp://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=2593.
2. April 25th Marks World Malaria Day
Today, Friday April
25, marks World Malaria Day, a day of unified commemoration of the global
effort to control malaria. In advance of World Malaria Day, the AIDS Institute
held a Congressional briefing on malaria on Tuesday, April 22nd. The
briefing was sponsored by Representative Donald Payne (D-NJ). Speakers included
James Sykes from the AIDS Institute, Chris White from the Malaria Department of
Population Services International (
Malaria is a serious global health issue. According to
Population Services International, 107 countries and territories are facing or
are at risk of a malaria epidemic. This estimate equates to about 3.2 billion
people world wide at risk of malaria. There are 500 million new infections of
malaria every year and 90% of these infections occur in
HIV/AIDS and malaria share the same regions of high
prevalence, both being diseases of poverty plaguing African countries. The major burden of malaria and HIV/AIDS
occur in sub-Sahran
To read more about this forum and for more information on malaria and HIV/AIDS, please visit http://www.psi.org/malaria and www.rollbackmalaria.org
3. House Oversight Committee Holds Hearing on
Abstinence-Only Education
On
Prior to the hearing, organizations were given the
opportunity to submit statements for the Congressional Record. AIDS Action
submitted a statement expressing public health and ethical concerns with
Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs and the need for comprehensive
sexuality education. AIDS Action’s statement refers to the resounding body of
evidence proving that abstinence only education is not effective at increasing
sexual abstinence and does not meet the needs of all youth, especially HIV
positive, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth. Read AIDS Action Statement here.
Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA), began his opening remarks with startling
statistics: one in four teenage girls in the United States have a sexually
transmitted infection, 30% of all American girls become pregnant before the age
of 20; for African-American and Latino girls the rate is 50%, and thousands of
teenagers and young adults in the United states become infected with HIV each
year. Chairman Waxman said, “If we are serious about responding to these
challenges, we must base our policy on the best available science and evidence,
not ideology.” Chairman Waxman called the hearing to truly examine whether the
evidence on abstinence-only programs justifies the expenditure of $1.3 billion
in taxpayer funds, the amount spent on these programs in the past decade. Click here to view Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement.
The scientific research discussed at the hearing overwhelmingly
discredited the effectiveness of abstinence-only programs, but there was broad
consensus that the benefits of abstinence should be taught as part of any sex
education effort and that those on both sides of the issue share the same goal
of protecting the health and well being of young people. Many witnesses said
the federal government should give states and school districts the ability to
use federal sex education funding as they see fit, instead of having to follow
the strict requirements of abstinence-only grants. Currently, 17 states reject
federal abstinence-only-until-marriage education dollars. In
response to these questions Chairman Waxman said, “"Maybe we should just
have a block grant and let states use sex education funding for the kind of
programs they want.”
Three panels of witnesses testified before the committee. The first panel
consisted of Representative Lois Capps (D-CA) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS).
Representative Capps, an experienced public health nurse and sex educator
testified against abstinence-only programming. Senator Brownback argued in
favor of the programs from the stance of a concerned parent.
The second panel was made up of medical and scientific experts, as well
as two young people that had been enrolled in an abstinence-only program. The
speakers included Dr. John Santelli,
The final panel of witnesses included Mr. Charles Keckler, Administration
for Children and Families (
Witness testimonies can be found here.
It is the hope of AIDS Action that this historic oversight hearing is an important step towards shifting funding from abstinence-only until marriage programs to truly comprehensive HIV prevention and sexual education for young people.
4. House Votes to Protect Medicaid Case
Management
On
Wednesday, April 23rd, the House passed H.R. 5613, the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of
2008, by a vote of 349-62. The bill
extends a moratorium until
AIDS Action has been particularly
concerned by a restriction that would limit payments for case management
services to a single case manager. Such
a limitation may directly affect people living with HIV/AIDS who are Medicaid
beneficiaries. Mr. Howard Schwartz,
Associate Director of Coordinated Care for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (an AIDS
Action Member organization) participated in House and Senate legislative
briefings in February, pointing out the critical need for case management
services and noting that a single case manager may be unable to navigate the
fragmented healthcare systems that Medicaid beneficiaries must face.
The bill was introduced by Rep. John
Dingell (D-MI) the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee which has
jurisdiction over Medicaid and Medicare and had 220 co-sponsors. According to Congressional Quarterly, the
Bush Administration is strongly tied to the new regulations but stated that
they might agree to a limited moratorium on 2 of the 7 regulations. Under the Administration’s plan, five of the
regulations (including the case management regulation opposed by AIDS Action)
would go into effect.
The House bill has now been sent to the
Senate where it will face significant opposition from Senators who support the
Bush Administration. A veto-proof
majority (60 votes) on the Senate side will be necessary for the bill to
ultimately pass into law. The House vote
is strong enough to override a veto.
The text of the bill can be found at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/MedicaidProtection_110/HR5613.pdf
The results of the vote can be found at:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2008/roll209.xml.
Announcements
1. AIDS Foundation of
On
Users are placed in the role of various HIV/AIDS service
providers and follow the fictional “peer” characters through key moments in
their treatment, including an initial doctor’s visit, a meeting with a case
manager, and beginning their HIV treatment. The modules cover topics such as
finding the right doctor, treatment options and tips, healthy living, the
importance of social support, and mental health issues. The multi-format
presentation also allows individuals with low literacy skills and cognitive
disabilities to use the modules for self-education and service referrals.
PEERSpeak will be hosted at the AIDS Community Website. The modules can be accessed at www.aidschicago.org/community.
2. Director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS
Prevention Steps Down
On Monday, April 21st, it was announced that Dr. Rob Janssen, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) will be leaving the CDC in early May to take a new position as Vice President, Medical Affairs, at Gilead Sciences. Dr. Janssen has led DHAP for many years. A permanent replacement has not been named.
3. Upcoming Workshop:
“Psychiatric Management with Patients with HIV/AIDS”
The American Psychiatric Association, Office of HIV
Psychiatry; the Pennsylvania/MidAtlantic AIDS Education and
The workshop, occurring simultaneously with the 2008 American Psychiatric Association Meeting, will bring together leading experts in HIV psychiatry from around the country. The opportunity is available to primary care providers, mental health professionals, substance abuse treatment professionals, HIV clinicians, nurses, case managers, and other members of the HIV treatment team. Topics will include Triple Diagnosis: Substance Use, Mental Health, and HIV; Psychiatric Management of HIV/AIDS, Relationships, Risk Assessment, Testing and Disclosure; and Case Discussion.
To learn more about the program, please visit: http://www.pamaaetc.org/downloads/Save%20the%20DatePGH55.pdf.
Register online at http://www.pamaaetc.org/registration.asp?rid=PGH-55
or by phone at
The
AIDS Action Weekly Update
The Weekly Update is written with the
interests of our members in mind. If you are interested in membership with AIDS
Action, we invite you to contact aford@aidsaction.org.
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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 AIDS service organizations, health departments, and a diverse network of community-based organizations across the country, working with and for people living with and affected by HIV. |
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