Chicago, Illinois –– Chicagoans living with HIV/AIDS gain access to innovative health–enhancement program.

Shanti and Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) have implemented Learning Immune Function Enhancement (LIFE), an effective, health–enhancement program for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Enrollment for the first LIFE workshop begins August 11 at TPAN. Space is limited and registration is required. Participation is free, and open to all persons living with HIV/AIDS in Chicago.

LIFE incorporates the latest research in HIV, immunology, and health into a holistic model of care which empowers persons living with HIV to improve their health. During 13 weekly sessions, participants gain the knowledge, motivation, skills, and support necessary to manage biological, psychological, and social life issues that can impact immune functioning and overall health.

“TPAN has a long history of providing cutting–edge HIV/AIDS programs and services to meet the needs of our clients,” said TPAN’s Executive Director Bill Farrand. “Our collaboration with Shanti in creating a Chicago–based, LIFE program will benefit many of our clients while continuing to add to the variety and quality of TPAN’s programming.”

TPAN is the nation’s eighteenth site to offer LIFE, and the only site located in the greater Chicago area. Since 1991, LIFE has been implemented in six states and has improved health outcomes and quality of life for more than 3,000 HIV–positive people.

“We’ve seen participants gain amazing results from LIFE: their highest CD4+ counts since diagnosis, returning to work for the first time in years, or regaining life purpose and long term goals,” said Clayton Robbins, Director of Program Development at the Shanti LIFE Institute in San Francisco, California. “We are confident that Test Positive Aware Network is the ideal partner to implement LIFE in Chicago,” stated Kaushik Roy, Executive Director of Shanti.

For more information, visit www.tpan.com

In a critical acknowledgment of the discrimination surrounding HIV/AIDS, the Obama administration today, in its newly released strategy, emphasized the government’s responsibility to enforce nondiscrimination laws and made clear that education about the transmission of HIV is crucial to fighting the stigma that many living with HIV face. The administration’s strategy is aimed at reducing HIV infections, redirecting resources to alleviate health disparities of those infected with HIV and increasing the accessibility and quality of health care.

“The Obama administration deserves credit for introducing this strategy to combat HIV and AIDS and for recognizing that HIV/AIDS is not only a public health issue, but also a civil rights issue,” said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Unfortunately, in this country and around the world, there remains a huge information gap about the true facts of HIV, and many living with the disease face unwarranted discrimination every day. Fighting discrimination is a crucial part of any strategy to combat HIV/AIDS.”

The new strategy reaffirms the need for evidence-based HIV prevention approaches, including condom distribution and needle exchange programs. The strategy also recognizes that HIV impacts different communities differently and specifically urges that resources be redirected to address the fact that many communities, including gay and bisexual men, transgender people and African-Americans, have a much higher mortality rate from AIDS. While the administration’s strategy contains many important and positive initiatives, it does fail to address the continued problem of inadequate funding and scarce resources to fight HIV/AIDS.

The administration’s strategy correctly calls on states to end counterproductive laws that criminalize behavior by people living with HIV, and urges states to reconsider laws that criminalize consensual sexual activity by those living with the disease. There are currently 32 states with these kinds of laws on the books, including criminal laws that single out people with HIV for spitting or biting, despite the fact that HIV cannot be transmitted through saliva.

“We are pleased that the administration has recognized that discrimination and stigma continue to be real barriers in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and that resources must be directed to the vulnerable groups who need it most,” said Rose Saxe, Senior Staff Attorney with the ACLU AIDS Project. “The fight to end discrimination and improve public education has a long way to go, but this is an important step.”

Much of the discrimination surrounding HIV and AIDS occurs in our nation’s prisons, where HIV positive prisoners are sometimes segregated from the greater prison population, forced to wear armbands declaring themselves HIV positive and are frequently denied equal participation in prison jobs, programs and re-entry opportunities that facilitate their successful transition back into society. As the administration’s strategy is implemented, the ACLU urges the administration to work to eliminate these harmful and discriminatory practices.

PLYMOUTH, MA, ISSUED JULY 14, 2010…A recent change in policy by Google has cast a wide shadow on a situation that is in arbitration between the Utility Workers Union of America (www.uwua369.org) and Entergy, the company which owns and operates the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, MA.

Christina Renaud, a Senior Operations Instructor at Pilgrim is represented by Local 369.  She is married to a woman, as is permitted under Massachusetts law.  Yet, despite the legal status of her marriage, Local 369 contends that she is being treated unfairly because she pays extra for medical coverage – currently more than $2,000 per year extra – for her and her spouse.

Local 369, which represents 300 production and maintenance, technical, and clerical employees at the plant, has gone to bat for Renaud, who holds a highly skilled technical job training other workers in plant operations.  The Union first went to management a year and a half ago and asked the company to reimburse Renaud.  The Union also offered to spread the cost of the employee share of the taxes out over the bargaining unit.  “Entergy, which prides itself on its diversity initiatives, refused” said UWUA Local 369 President David Leonardi.  “It just doesn’t make any sense.  We offered to help share the cost and they still said no”

The matter has gone to arbitration, and according to the Union, Entergy is violating its contractual agreement to share medical expenses based on a 75%/25% company/employee split of medical costs.  Renaud’s fellow employees are firmly behind her on this issue.  Coworker Fred Dicristofaro who filed and processed Christina’s grievance at arbitration comments reflects the sentiment of the workplace, “Harm to one is harm to all that is why we have a union that is why I am a Utility Worker, and we all stand with Christina.”

Under federal law, employer-provided health benefits for domestic partners are counted as taxable income if the partner is not considered a dependent. The tax is based on the value of the partner’s coverage as provided by the employer.

The issue is especially timely in light of two major developments in this area.  A June 30 New York Times article reports Google’s announcement that it would begin covering a cost that gay and lesbian employees must pay when their partners receive domestic partner health benefits, largely to compensate them for an extra tax that heterosexual married couples do not pay.  Nine days later, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph L. Tauro ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional with respect to claims brought by seven married same-sex couples and three widowers from Massachusetts. Under the ruling, the plaintiffs are entitled to the same federal spousal benefits and protections as other married couples.

According to the New York Times article, employees with same sex spouses or domestic partners will pay on average about $1,069 more annually in taxes than a married employee with the same coverage. Under the federal law that was challenged in the case before Judge Tauro, health care premiums for heterosexual married couples are not taxed, but health care premiums that benefit a same sex spouse are taxed, as are benefits for same or opposite sex domestic partners.  In Massachusetts, the state does not tax the health care benefit for a same sex spouse, but DOMA overrode Massachusetts law when it came to federal taxes.  Judge Tauro’s ruling, which is expected to be appealed, declared DOMA unconstitutional, paving the way for similar tax treatment of gay and straight married couples.

]]> http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/07/16/uwua-369-entergy-spar-in-arbitration-over-issue-of-same-sex-marriage-disparity-in-medical-coverage/feed/ 0 http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/07/09/new-anti-hiv-weapons-found-in-immune-system/ http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/07/09/new-anti-hiv-weapons-found-in-immune-system/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:34:52 +0000 DavidCohen http://pinkmag.com/blog/?p=2277

Could the world be one-step closer to winning the fight against AIDS?  Yesterday, Thursday July 8, 2010, federal researchers reported online that a vaccine against the AIDS virus may have been found.

The researchers have identified a pair of naturally occurring antibodies that are able to kill more than 90 percent of all strains of the AIDS virus. That could lead to the development of new treatments for HIV infections and for the first time ever to new vaccine against the virus.

The HIV virus is notoriously mutable, changing its protein compositions all the time to escape from the body’s immune system. This allows the virus to continue infecting the cells even if the body creates antibodies targeting it. This is the reason why no effective vaccines have been  developed to date. The key to the new antibodies is that they don’t let the virus  change its mutations.

Dr. Gary Nabel of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who led this research, said in the online edition of the journal Science, “I am more optimistic about an AIDS vaccine at this point in time than I have been probably in the last 10 years.”

Dr. John Mascola, another vaccine researcher and co-author of two new studies added,  the research ”show[s] that the immune system can make very potent antibodies against HIV. We are trying to understand why they exist in some patients and not others. That will help us in the vaccine design process.”

Using new techniques, a team of researchers found two antibodies, called VRC01 and VRC02, that interact with a receptor called  CD4,  binding to the surface of  human cells, and when an antibody binds to the cell, the virus cannot enter the cell and can’t mutate anymore.

However, making antibodies in large enough quantities to boost the immune system remains a challenge. While researchers haven’t given up on that prospect, some think it’s more feasible to use the new findings as another avenue to an AIDS vaccine. The goal would be to teach the body how produce the antibodies so the person is protected when exposed to the virus.

ILLINOIS MASONIC AMONG THE LEADERS IN HEALTH CARE FOR THE LGBT COMMUNITY

Yesterday June 22, 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled that the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) will allow an employee to take unpaid leave to care for the children of the employee’s same-sex partner, even when the employee hasn’t legally adopted those children.

The Williams Institute has released a report estimating that as many as 100,000 children in 50,000 families will now have access to a second parent’s time to care for them as a result of the ruling.

Williams Institute research director M. V. Lee Badgett, who is also an economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, authored the study.   “This ruling provides important support for legally vulnerable families at particularly stressful times for families,” Badgett notes.  “Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents will now be able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave when their kids are born or when they get sick.” However, the ruling does not change the fact that an employee cannot now take unpaid leave under the FMLA to care for an ill same-sex partner.

The report notes that revising the federal law to allow employees to take unpaid leave to care for their same-sex partners would affect 215,000 families.  Approximately 430,000 individuals would gain the ability to provide greater levels of care for their same-sex partners.  The report uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate the numbers of families affected.

The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, in partnership with the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), will issue a statement of urgency asserting a grave and profound concern about the stronghold that HIV/AIDS and STDs continue to have on gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities in the United States.

The Congressional briefing is scheduled for Thursday, June 24, 2010 from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room B340 in Washington DC.

Some of the speakers will include, representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Barney Frank (D-MA), Frank Polis (D-CO), and Gregorio Millett, Senior Policy Advisor for the White House Office. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in DC. From Chicago Jesus Ramirez-Vales will attend and will represent the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois. Finally, Deputy Executive Director Mr. Ronald Johnson of the AIDS Action Council in DC and Chris Crain of Gay News Watch.

The main goal is to raise awareness about co-factors, which contribute to HIV/AIDS, STDs, viral and hepatitis. Promote access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care services, and support a comprehensive federal agenda to combat these diseases, and finally to encourage federal and community partners to expand and strengthen their responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities in the U.S.

For more information, visit www.NASTAD.org.

]]> http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/18/hiv-stds-and-viral-hepatitis-is-rising-among-gay-men-in-the-u-s/feed/ 0 http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/10/a-new-policy-to-end-the-horror-of-hospital-discrimination/ http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/10/a-new-policy-to-end-the-horror-of-hospital-discrimination/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:52:27 +0000 DavidCohen http://pinkmag.com/blog/?p=1737

by Joe Solmonese President, HRC

But until all hospitals adopt the new rules, the injustices could continue.

This is big. Sweeping new changes will soon dramatically transform healthcare in the U.S. for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

The Joint Commission – the largest organization that accredits hospitals nationwide – has announced that, in the future, all hospitals in America will need to have a non-discrimination policy for LGBT patients on their books. Once the new rules are in place, the horror stories we’ve all heard of loved ones being met with hostility at the worst of times, of already heart-wrenching decisions made even harder, of people being denied care, will be a thing of the past – in Illinois and every state in the nation.

But it will be years before every hospital is on board. To ensure these new protections are implemented in Illinois hospitals as soon as possible, we need your help. The Illinois hospital association will play a crucial role in communicating the new rules, and we need to ensure that new policies are put in place as soon as possible.

Tell the hospital association in Illinois: families shouldn’t be at risk of discrimination a single day longer. We need to implement these new rules immediately!

]]> http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/10/a-new-policy-to-end-the-horror-of-hospital-discrimination/feed/ 0 http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/10/the-latest-on-link-between-melanoma-and-tanning-beds/ http://pinkmag.com/blog/2010/06/10/the-latest-on-link-between-melanoma-and-tanning-beds/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 22:19:34 +0000 DavidCohen http://pinkmag.com/blog/?p=1716

Dr. Jeannette Graf one of the most distinguished dermatologists in the country, wants to alert you with the latest findings showing a more definitive link between the use of tanning beds and increased risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

According to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, people tanning indoors “had a 74% greater risk of developing melanoma” than those who steer clear of tanning beds. The finding has prompted the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency to declare that “the devices are carcinogenic.” The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that in 2009 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited that the risk for melanoma increased by 75% when tanning bed used began before the age of 35.

In addition to melanoma, there are other skin cancers associated with accumulated sun damage from outdoor exposure, including basal cell, squamous cell and pre-cancerous actinic keratoses.

Dr. Graf is well known for her lifestyle and nutritional approach to skincare. She is the author of the best-selling book, Stop Aging, Start Living. For more information, please visit www.askdrgraf.com.

Get Screened Oakland (GSO) kicked off a new HIV/AIDS prevention strategy today that will engage the business community to help further efforts to dramatically increase HIV awareness and condom usage in the city. The Oakland model, the first of its kind in the US, will serve as a national model by utilizing the expertise of the private and public sector to reach more people at a faster rate. The innovative approach combines the insights, knowledge, and assets from multinational companies, local businesses, the GSO team, nonprofits, city, state, federal government and even the United Nations into a single team effort.

The new model comes at a critical time, both for Oakland and for the US in general. New HIV incidence rates around the country are rising to alarming levels, particularly among key communities including African-Americans, Latinos, and gay men.  The Oakland strategy will micro-target at the neighborhood level.

The new GSO initiative builds on work the city has done with the private sector, including important testing initiatives, during Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums’ administration.

“We’ve made HIV/AIDS awareness a top priority in the city of Oakland,” said Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums. “While a key component of our strategy is to create a campaign that urges every Oakland resident to know their HIV status, the focus of today’s announcement builds upon that foundation by engaging the business community in our partnership and providing prevention information and condoms to stop the spread of this deadly virus.”

Major companies have become active members of the GSO team and are critical to the success of this initiative. These large companies bring expertise in areas like evaluating program effectiveness in reaching consumers, advertising and marketing, and will also help mobilize human resources.  The companies who are partnering in this important initiative include: Chevron Corporation, Walgreens, Levi Strauss Foundation, Young & Rubicam, and the Golden State Warriors.

A major focus of the program will be condom distribution, which is the best way to prevent HIV transmission. Budgets for condoms in Oakland have fallen well short of need.  Nationally, promotion of condom usage has fallen off in recent years—and is being reinvigorated at the national level. Small businesses in target neighborhoods will become part of a network of prevention and condom distribution—as will the Walgreens chain.  Staff of these local small businesses will be trained to discuss risks, prevention, and condom usage with customers. Small businesses  also will be provided with educational materials and condoms to distribute to their employees and customers.

“Community leaders and organizations have made huge sacrifices and have done hard work on HIV prevention.  Here in Oakland, Mayor Dellums, the Get Screened Oakland team, and the community have shown tremendous leadership, and increased HIV testing rates.” said John Newsome, a former Bay Area HIV/AIDS activist who currently serves as a vice president at the New York-based Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “Now, even more of us need to pitch in to help bolster those efforts.  The CDC’s re-emphasis of condoms also is a critical part of the equation—our progress depends on even more movement in that direction.”

Program coordination is managed by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC)—a New York-based nonprofit that typically works in hard-hit countries other than the U.S.  GBC matches business capabilities and assets with nonprofits and governments around the world, and has developed a working relationship with the White House around the U.S.’s first comprehensive national AIDS strategy.