Developer Rejects NYC AIDS Memorial Park Design Winner
The developers of the former St. Vincent’s Hospital site, which includes a park space, have rejected the winning proposal in a design competition to create an AIDS memorial park, according to DNAinfo.com.
Denial of Coverage in Iowa to People With HIV Investigated
State senators Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines) and Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines) have joined critics in calling for reforms at the Iowa Comprehensive Health Association, a $35 million program that aims to insure Iowans with preexisting conditions but denies coverage to about 100 HIV-positive residents, The Des Moines Register reports.
Anthony Fauci, Phill Wilson to Speak at AIDS 2012 Plenary Anthony S. Fauci, MD, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will be the opening plenary speaker at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) in Washington, DC, according to an AIDS 2012 statement.
Relationship Dynamics Key to Adherence in Partners PrEP
Harvard University researchers have found that heterosexual serodiscordant couples reported high adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) because they viewed PrEP as a way to preserve their relationship despite the pressures resulting from having different HIV statuses, according to an article in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and reported by aidsmap.
Federal Appeals Court Hears HIV Lawsuit Against Atlanta Police
Lambda Legal recently urged a U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court ruling against the claim of a man who applied to be a police officer with the Atlanta Police Department (APD) but was denied employment because he has HIV, according to a Lambda Legal statement.
New Standards for Sexual Health Care of Youth in Detention
The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) has released the first set of standards created to ensure that sexual health care is included in basic medical services for young people in detention and other types of state custody, such as foster care, according to a CHLP statement.
January 26, 2012
Bill Gates Gives $750M Promissory Note to Global Fund
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates promised $750 million from his foundation to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, according to a Global Fund statement.
Rapid HIV Test Results From Blood Slightly Better Than Saliva
Test results from the Oraquick rapid HIV test are slightly more accurate when they use blood samples compared with saliva samples, according to a University Health Center of Montreal study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and reported by MedPage Today.
Michel Kazatchkine Resigns as Global Fund Executive Director
Michel Kazatchkine, MD, will step down as executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in mid-March, according to a statement from Kazatchkine to staff and partners.
Activists Protest at FDA Against Approval of Truvada as PrEP Activists from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) held a protest outside Food and Drug Administration (FDA) headquarters because of their denied access to review Gilead Science’s application for Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), according to an AHF statement.
January 24, 2012
HHS Confirms Health Care Insurers Must Cover Contraceptives
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued final rules that confirm health care insurers must officially cover preventative health services for women, including contraceptives and HIV testing, under the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, according to an HHS statement.
Concerns on HIV Social Services Funds Going to Treatment
Some HIV/AIDS service providers are concerned that recent breakthroughs in HIV/AIDS treatment will have a negative impact on social services, New America Media reports.
New Approach for HIV Prevention in Haiti, Dominican Republic
The Michigan State University (MSU) Institute of International Health is proposing a new approach to HIV prevention in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, MedicalXpress.com reports.
January 23, 2012
NYC Physician in HIV Medicaid Scam Sentenced to Prison
A New York City doctor has
been convicted of scamming Medicaid out of $700,000 by prescribing HIV meds for
people who did not have the virus, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Stigma Makes NC AIDS Group Change Its Name
A North Carolina AIDS
group, the Rowan County AIDS Task Force, has changed its name to the Rowan Care
Alliance because of stigma, the Salisbury Post reports.
Gay Couples Encouraged to Get HIV Tests Together
Testing Together, a new
program funded by the MAC AIDS Fund, is encouraging gay couples to get tested
for HIV together, The Huffington Post reports.
January 20, 2012
CDC: Fewer Americans Having Unsafe Sex
The number of Americans who practice behaviors that put them at risk for HIV has declined significantly, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and reported by HealthDay.
First PrEP Study for MSM in Europe to Launch The first HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trial for men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe is about to launch, according to a statement by ANRS (French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis).
Rwanda Seeks 2 Million Male Circumcisions by 2013 Rwanda's national male circumcision program aims to circumcise half the country's male population by June 2013 in order to reduce HIV transmission, PlusNews reports.
Insufficient Funding of HIV/AIDS Programs for Gay Men, MSM
A new report shows that low
funding for HIV/AIDS programs that target gay men and men who have sex with men
(MSM) may be holding back the goal of an “AIDS-free generation,” according to a
statement by amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Achieving an AIDS-free
Generation for Gay Men and Other MSM was authored by amfAR and the Center for Public Health and Human Rights
at Johns Hopkins University.
Canadian Prison Guards Seek Law to Compel Inmate Blood Samples
The union representing
Canada’s prison guards is lobbying for a new law that would compel inmates to
give over blood samples when an employee is at risk for an infectious disease, iPolitics
reports.
January 17, 2012
AIDS Groups File Brief in Support of Health Care Reform The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) and 15 other HIV advocacy organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief January 13 in the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. health care reform, according to a CHLP statement.
Loss of Federal Funds Cut HIV Prevention Jobs in Georgia Georgia’s Department of Public Health is cutting 26 state HIV prevention jobs based on the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strategy of concentrating prevention efforts in the 12 U.S. jurisdictions that have the highest rates, including Atlanta, The Telegraph reports.
God’s Love We Deliver Launches $25M Home Expansion Campaign
God’s Love We Deliver, a New York City-based nonprofit that brings meals to people living with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, is publicly launching a $25 million capital campaign, Crains New York reports.
Florida ADAP Waiting List to Grow in 2012 Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting list grew to over 1,200 people in early January, according to a National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) statement reported by the American Independent.
Marijuana Legalization May Get on 2012 Ballot in Colorado Colorado's Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like
Alcohol claims it will submit nearly double the 86,000 signatures required to
put full pot legalization on the 2012 ballot, The Huffington Post reports.
Michigan County to Ask Court to Force Man to Take ARVs
A Michigan county is preparing to ask a court to force a man charged in two cases of failing to disclose his HIV-positive status to take antiretroviral (ARV) medications, The American Independent reports.
HIV Rates Increasing in Navajo Nation
HIV rates are rising in the Navajo Nation at a time when rates are holding steady or declining in other minority groups across the United States, The Los Angeles Times reports.
January 10, 2012
HIV/AIDS Group Tenderloin Health in San Francisco to Close
Tenderloin Health, a San Francisco-based organization that provides HIV/AIDS services and prevention to the city’s poor and homeless, will close because of financial pressure, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
PEPFAR Recalls and Quarantines HIV Rapid Test Kits The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has recalled certain HIV rapid test kits procured with PEPFAR funds, according to a PEPFAR statement.
Atlanta Case Manager Gets 15 Years in HIV Medicaid Scam George Boyd, an Atlanta nonprofit worker who volunteered to help people with HIV and then used their personal information to defraud Georgia’s Medicaid program, was sentenced to three years in prison, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reports.
Elton John to Write Memoir of His HIV/AIDS Efforts Sir Elton John will write his first book about his personal experiences fighting HIV/AIDS, according to an Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) statement.
January 06, 2012
1 in 5 Sexually Active Teens Have Been Tested for HIV
About one in five sexually active high school students have ever been tested for HIV, according to a MedPage Today article on findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC Gives $339M to Health Departments for HIV Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has started awarding almost $339 million in HIV prevention funds to state and local health departments in the first year of a five-year funding cycle, according to a CDC statement.
Walgreens Offers Enrollment Discount for Prescription Savings Club
The Walgreens drugstore chain is reducing by 75 percent the annual enrollment fee for its Prescription Savings Club—a discount program covering all generic medications and over 8,000 name brands—according to a Walgreens statement.
Advocates Support Federal HIV Decriminalization Bill
A coalition of advocacy groups, backed by U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), has launched a campaign to press for review and repeal of criminal laws that target HIV-positive people, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Tournament of Roses Parade Commemorates Elizabeth Taylor The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) commemorated the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor at the Tournament of Roses Parade in California on January 1, according to an AHF statement.
Ron Paul Wants Higher Health Costs for People With AIDS
Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) defended a controversial statement about AIDS during a Fox News interview with Chris Wallace on January 1.
Los Angeles to Vote on Condoms in Adult Films Los Angeles voters who cast ballots in the June presidential primary may also be asked whether the city should require adult film actors to wear condoms during sex scenes, The New York Times reports.
Chicago HIV/AIDS Activist Fernando Biasco Dies Fernando Blasco, 52, a longtime Chicago-based HIV/AIDS activist, was killed on December 23 by a car crash that resulted from a gang-related chase through the streets of the city, Windy City Times reports.
Lower HIV Makes NYC Life Expectancy Surpass National Rate
The life expectancy for babies born in New York City reached 80.6 years in 2009, the highest level recorded, which surpasses the national life expectancy rate of 78.2 years, The New York Times reports.
