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AFTER KATRINA
HIV Resource Page for Hurricane Survivors
POZ continues to receive e-mails and phone calls about HIVers stranded in one way or another by hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects—and from organizations helping out in a growing network of states. We extend our sympathies to those affected—including the 750 POZ magazine subscribers and 75 POZ Personals and Mentor members who call New Orleans home—and offer some basic resources, below.
POZ can’t vouch for these organizations, but they all come recommended as worthy of your donations. HIVers are also encouraged to contact these groups, whether you’re looking for housing, meds or general support. Also see the general tips for doctors and positive people at the bottom of this page.
We’ll amend this page as the situation requires. Meanwhile, please e-mail us at letters@poz.com if you have specific information to add.
GENERAL HELP
FEMA
If you are an evacuee with HIV, register for disaster assistance ASAP with FEMA by calling (800) 621-FEMA.
When registering, tell the operator that you have special needs and are HIV+. This will put you into the queue for follow up by a special needs case worker. This 800 number has been tested and you should able to speak with someone quickly.
AAHIVM
The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) has set up two sign-up forms attached to their hurricane weblog at http://www.aahivm.org.
The first form is for volunteers---all medical personnel, as well as social workers, benefits managers, case managers, adherence and addiction specialists. The form will go to AAHIVM and they will begin to compile a list of volunteers.
The second form is for clinics in the area to let them know their needs, both short-term and long-term, so that they can try to direct help to them.
Medscape
This online service has a comprehensive list of health-related and relief organizations working in the area:
www.medscape.com/pages/editorial/public/alertcenters/katrina
Rainbow Relief
Instead of raising money, this site is putting helping hands to work where they’re needed—especially for the GLBT community. It includes a bulletin board for HIVers: www.rainbowrelief.org
The Above and Beyond Fund
Under One Roof in San Francisco has established The Above and Beyond Fund to assist ASO's in Louisiana and Mississippi. You can donate online at: www.UnderOneRoof.org
ADAP
Displaced HIVers accustomed to receiving their meds from the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) can get replacements from Texas ADAP.
webpages.charter.net/brotherdavidf/katrinahelp/
These Franciscan monks have put together a Katrina help page, with information to help people with HIV, gays, veterans and more.
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families
AIDS Alliance/Katrina Fund
1600 K Street NW Suite 200
Washington DC 20006
The AIDS Alliance is working to meet the emergency needs of families and youths with HIV. You can donate here: https://secure.ga3.org/03/KatrinaEmergencyFund. Or make your check payable to AIDS Alliance.
Hurricane Housing
This MoveOn.org project is helping find housing for, HIVers includes. Contact them about your needs or with offers of your own at: www.hurricanehousing.org
Prisoner Services
The following organizations have teamed up with volunteers to help reunite families with loved ones incarcerated in hurricane affected areas. Contact Dan if you are searching for a loved one or interested in volunteering.
Contact: Dan Horowitz de Garcia
404.223.6773
Families and Friends of Louisiana's Incarcerated Children
1600 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard
New Orleans, LA 70113
504.522.5437
Communities United for Action Power and Justice
250 Georgia Ave., Suite 308
Atlanta, GA 30315
404.223.6773
Critical Resistance
4041 Tulane Avenue, Suite #103
New Orleans, LA 70119
504.488.2994
LOUISIANA
HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region Two, Inc (HAART)
Tim Young, Executive Director
4550 North Blvd., #250
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
225.927.1269
888.647.1269
Baton Rouge, LA now has the highest rate of HIV per capita in the country due to the influx of hurricane victims from New Orleans. All monies collected by this regional organization will go straight to the HIV+ victims of the hurricane. Indicate along with your donation if there’s a particular area—such as housing or medical supplies—that you want your money supporting. Make checks payable to: HAART. And mark them: Katrina Fund
Acadiana C.A.R.E.S.
Claude Martin, Executive Director
PO Box 3865
Lafayette, LA 70502
Donations to this ASO help provide food, medication, housing, and other services for HIV positive evacuees and go to coordinating services in the long run. Make checks payable to: Acadiana C.A.R.E.S.
Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services
Ann Briley, Executive Director
103 Bolton Avenue
Alexandria, LA 71301
318.448.3975
Case management, support groups, food, medication assistance, transportation assistance and help locating temporary or permanent housing to HIV positives. They are also seeking donations of all kinds.
Volunteers of America, Greater Baton Rouge
Angie Pitre, Division Director
1755 Wooddale Boulevard
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
225.922.3900
Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge
Mary Helen Bork, Director of HIV Services
4727 Revere Ave
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
225.927.9810
Both agencies provide Ryan White Title II case management (Family Service
provides Ryan White Title IV case management as well), support groups,
mental health and substance abuse counseling services, and assistance with housing, medication and transportation.
MISSISSIPPI
Mississippi State Department of Health, STD/HIV Bureau
Craig Thompson, AIDS Director
PO BOX 1700
Jackson, MS 39215
601.576.1700
Make checks payable to: HIV/AIDS Fund
TEXAS
The Montrose Clinic
Attn. Sonna Alton
PO Box 66308
Houston, TX 77266
The Montrose Clinic is working with evacuees in Houston to provide rapid HIV testing (to quickly determine eligibility for programs) as well as housing and other essential services, particularly for the LGBT population facing harassment in shelters.
The clinic has set up an evacuee emergency hotline at 713.830.3047.
You can donate on-line to the Montrose Clinic at http://www.montroseclinic.org
Or send a check to the above address, payable to: Montrose Clinic
The Houston Buyers Club at www.houstonbuyersclub.com can help you with your nutritional needs. Call 713.520.5288 and ask for Fred Walters.
In San Antonio, Texas, call the Diversity Center at 223.6106 for all kinds of referrals or check out: www.diversitycentersa.org
Nelson Tebedo Health Resource Center
Bret Camp, Clinic Director
4012 Cedar Springs Dallas, Texas 75219
BCamp@RCDallas.org
www.RCDallas.org
214.540.4462
The Resource Center of Dallas is helping HIV positive and GLBT people displaced by Katrina.
Other Texas Agencies
www.tdh.state.tx.us/hivstd/hurricane.htm
This web page, compiled by the Texas Department of State Health Services, lists Texas agencies accepting donations to offset the costs of providing care to hurricane-displaced HIVers.
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa Cares
www.tulsacares.org
Tulsa CARES provides comprehensive services for Eastern Oklahoma.
RAIN
www.rainoklahoma.org
800.285.2273
This Oklahoma City agency provides comprehensive services for Western Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health
Has ADAP provisions for Katrina evacuees in Oklahoma.
Friends Food Pantry
Cookie Arbuckle, Director
OtherOptions@coxinet.net
3005 North May Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73107
405.605.8020
ALABAMA
West Alabama AIDS Outreach (WAAO)
Mona Ochoa-Horshok, Executive Director
205.759.8470 or 800.722.2437
WAAO offers case management services, including assistance with medications, housing, food, social & emotional support, etc. Anyone in the Tuscaloosa area or surrounding counties is welcome!
ARKANSAS
Ryan White consortia providers are actively seeking to help HIVers who have come to Arkansas in the aftermath of Katrina. Will help with meds, housing, referrals to doctors, etc.
In the Little Rock area, Contact the AR AIDS Foundation at 501.376.6299
Pine Bluff, call Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc. at 870.535.3062
Hot Springs 501.623.5598
Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Health
Tere Ann Roderick, HIV Prevention Program Support Manager
P.O. Box 1437, M/S H-33
Little Rock, AR 72205
501.661.2749
troderick@healthyarkansas.com
CALIFORNIA
AHF Beverly Hills Westside
To see a doctor in the LA area, contact Christian Morales 323.860.5257. If you are sick and have been removed from your meds, call James Lunsford at 323.377.3725.
HIV TIPS FOR DOCS (& HIVers)
Compiled by Howard A. Grossman, M.D.
Executive Director, American Academy of HIV Medicine
1) First priority is to treat active infections. Most HIV patients will respond to treatment with antibiotics just like non-HIV patients.
2) Find out the patient’s last CD4 (T cell) count if possible. The most frequent infections by CD4 count are:
- CD4 <500 TB, Herpes zoster, sinusitis, bronchitis
- CD4 <200 pulmonary: think Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in your diffential diagnosis. Sub-acute sx include dry cough. Especially important in patients who are not getting prophylaxis with Septra, dapsone or atovaquone.
- CD4 <200 CNS: think toxoplasmosis and cryptococcal meningitis in differential
- CD4 <50 with unexplained fever: consider Mycobacterium Avium in differential, especially if patient is not on clarithromycin or azithromycin prophylaxis
3) If it’s a choice between getting antiretroviral medications and getting prophylaxis for opportunistic infections, get the antiretrovirals first to avoid treatment interruptions. Such interruptions can lead to the development of drug-resistant virus.
4) People with HIV should get tetanus shots, just like everyone else.
5) Live virus vaccines should be used with caution in people with HIV. However, people with T cell counts over 350 should do fine and have a normal response. Use clinical judgement--preventing epidemics remains a priority even with people with HIV.
6) Some basic medication information:
A. Certain medications are very heat sensitive and require refrigeration. Norvir (Ritonavir) and Kaletra (Lopinavir+Ritonavir), for instance, remain stable for up to 60 days when kept at room temperature (77F), but extreme heat and sunlight can greatly diminish their potency. Because of the high temperatures at many evacuation centers and temporary housing facilities, heat sensitive drugs like Norvir and Kaletra may need to be replaced with new prescriptions, which should then be kept out of the sunlight and at 77F or lower.
B. Some potentially important drug interactions to consider.
- Sustiva (Efavirenz): avoid Biaxin, Halcion, Rifampin
- Norvir or Kaletra: avoid xanax, buspar, valium, dalmane,halcion, ambien
- Protease Inhibitors (Invirase, Crixivan, Norvir, Viracept, Fortavase, Lexiva, Kaletra, Reyataz, Aptivus): use caution with Rifampin and Rifabutin, dose modification required
- Reyataz: avoid Proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers
7) Attempt to do rapid HIV testing if at all possible, with appropriate counseling and confidentiality, if possible. People will need proof of their HIV status to obtain help from HIV service providers.
8) For a list of HIV specialty clinics and providers, go to www.aahivm.org and sign up to access the Hurricane Katrina weblog. There is a list of clinics by state.
9) There are also some contact numbers for patients to call to obtain experimental study drugs if they are on a clinical trial. If no number is posted, call the main number for the pharmaceutical company involved. We will be updating our list.
10) If patients cannot obtain their medications, make sure that they stop all antiretroviral drugs, rather than continuing on only one or two.
11) For answers to questions, contact these services:
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