Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization Fact Sheet

July 25, 2006

This fact sheet is intended to update anyone interested on how the CARE Act reauthorization is proceeding with simple facts and information about where we are in the process and what to expect. This fact sheet will be updated and distributed roughly once a month until the CARE Act is reauthorized.

Congressional Update

• After S.2823 was filed in the Senate, the House of Representatives held an off-the-record “hearing” on May 24th. At the session, Members of the Committee made statements about the bill and asked questions of specific stakeholders on various provisions of the legislation. This was the last public communication between Congress and the HIV community.
• The House companion bill to S.2823 was expected to be marked up and filed by the House in June but has not yet occurred. Some Members of Congress have concerns that the data showing how funding would be reallocated were not reliable or would result in significant funding cuts to their states and cities.
• The bi-partisan, bi-cameral group of Congressional staff met privately last Friday, July 14th to discuss potential revisions.
• Though staff will not release any proposed legislative changes, they were expected to consider how to best incorporate HIV case data from states that do not have mature reporting systems or are transitioning from a code to a names-based system.
• On August 1st, both the Senate and the House leave Washington on summer recess which lasts five weeks. They do not reconvene until after Labor Day. Because Members of Congress still do not have firm calculations as to how proposed formula changes would translate into dollar allocations, it is highly unlikely that the House will mark up the reauthorization bill before mid-September.
  

Some frequently asked questions from past issuances of the Fact Sheet
Q. What is “80/20”?
80/20 refers to the percent of the total formula used in distributing Title II funds to states. Currently, 80% of each state’s Title II funding is based on the total number of people with AIDS in the entire state. 20% of the total funding is based on the number of people with AIDS who live outside a Title I area. This allows states without Title I areas, or with a majority of AIDS cases outside a Title I area, a slight weight in Title II funding.

The reauthorization bill pending in Congress proposes a small change to this formula. 5% of Title II funds would go only to states without any Title I areas. 75% would be distributed based on total number of cases in each state, and 20% would be distributed based on the total cases outside a Title I area. This will result in a small shift in Title II funding away from states whose caseloads are concentrated in urban areas to states where caseloads are more dispersed across the state.

Q. What are “grandfathered” Title I areas?
Grandfathered Title I areas are those which stopped meeting eligibility requirements based on changes made in the 1996 reauthorization of the CARE Act, yet they have been “grandfathered” in, meaning they have been allowed to remain indefinitely as Title I cities.

The reauthorization bill pending in Congress calls for phasing out the grandfather clause. All currently grandfathered areas would remain in Tier Two of Title I for the next three years. After that, if they no longer meet eligibility requirements, they will stop receiving Title I funding.

Other updates
In a speech to the NAACP on July 20th, President Bush called again for the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act:

“Finally, you and I seek America that commits its wealth and expertise to helping those who suffer from terrible disease. We believe that every person in the world bears the image of our Maker, and is an individual of matchless value. And when we see the scourge of HIV/AIDS ravaging communities at home and abroad, we must not avert our eyes.

“Today more than a million of our fellow Americans live with HIV, and more than half of all AIDS cases arise in the African American community. This disease is spreading fastest among African American women. And one of the reasons the disease is spreading so quickly is many don't realize they have the virus. And so we're going to lead a nationwide effort -- and I want to work with the NAACP on this effort -- to deliver rapid HIV/AIDS -- HIV tests to millions of our fellow citizens. Congress needs to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White Act, and provide funding to states, so we can end the waiting lists for AIDS medications in this country.”

• Also, on April 26th, the General Accountability Office (GAO) released a report entitled: “The Ryan White CARE Act: AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, Perinatal HIV Transmission, and Partner Notification.” A three-page statement highlighting the results can be found: http://hsgac.senate.gov/_files/042606Crosse.pdf

This fact sheet was produced by the Ryan White Reauthorization Workgroup of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP). Please adapt this form in any way you deem fit to send to your membership.

For questions on this Fact Sheet or on the Workgroup, please contact any of the three co-chairs:
Ryan Clary, Project Inform rclary@projectinform.org
Carl Schmid, The AIDS Institute cschmid@theaidsinstitute.org
Greg Smiley, American Academy of HIV Medicine: greg@aahivm.org

HIV Life Cycle

HIV Life Cycle

An interesting video on YouTube

Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership

Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through a cooperative agreement with the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), the CDC/ASPH Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership is a comprehensive, capacity building educational program designed specifically for HIV prevention program managers who work in community-based organizations (CBOs). The Institute capacity building is focused on a dual track curriculum that integrates principles of public health prevention and strategic planning and management.

The deadline has been pushed by to August 11th.

Gates to Finance H.I.V. Vaccine Search

By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Published: July 20, 2006
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded more than a quarter of a billion dollars on Wednesday to researchers in 19 countries to speed the lagging development of an H.I.V. vaccine.

The grants, totaling $287 million, are the largest private investment in making such a vaccine, the foundation said. They represent a significant shift in emphasis, to large-scale collaborative projects instead of small teams of researchers working independently.

The money will be given over five years to 16 scientific teams, including two New York groups. The scientists applied for the grants before Warren E. Buffett announced last month that he was giving $31 billion to the Gates Foundation.

The Gates Foundation has made development of an effective vaccine against H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, a major goal, and the new grants bring to $528 million the foundation's investment for this purpose. By contrast, the National Institutes of Health has spent $3.4 billion since the 1980's to develop a vaccine.

A vaccine to fight H.I.V., the human immunodeficiency virus, is the best hope to control the AIDS epidemic, health officials and experts say. But that hope has been frustrated again and again.

In 1984, Margaret M. Heckler, President Ronald Reagan's health and human services secretary, and Dr. Robert Gallo, a discoverer of the virus, predicted an H.I.V. vaccine by 1986.

Although more than 30 experimental H.I.V. vaccines have been tested in people, only one has completed full-scale testing. That vaccine, Aidsvax, made by VaxGen, failed in a large trial that ended in 2003.

Until now, most H.I.V. vaccine research has been conducted by small independent teams. But the new grants are being structured to encourage the 165 scientists receiving them to join forces. The goal is to overcome major immunologic and other scientific hurdles that hinder development of such a vaccine.

The body can invoke two types of immune reactions to defend against dangerous infectious agents.

One way is to produce neutralizing antibodies, which are proteins that bind like a lock and key to areas on the infectious agent.

A second way, cellular immunity, is to produce T-cells that seek and destroy infected cells.

Most licensed vaccines work by stimulating the body to make neutralizing antibodies. But experimental H.I.V. vaccines have failed to produce such antibodies. The virus's propensity to mutate and produce different genetic subtypes will require an effective vaccine to produce antibodies that can neutralize a wide range of strains.

The foundation said an effective vaccine might also have to stimulate T-cell production. Six grants will focus on ways to develop cellular immunity.

Five grants will go to identifying new techniques to develop novel vaccines that produce neutralizing antibodies.

The remaining five grants are for creating central laboratories and information analysis facilities so that all the grant recipients can openly share data and develop standardized ways to compare their findings. Lack of such standardized tools hampers H.I.V. vaccine research, the foundation said.

A team led by Susan Zolla-Pazner, an immunologist at New York University, will receive $8.4 million to investigate the use of a specific area of the outer coat of the virus, known as the V3 region. The aim will be to develop neutralizing antibodies that attack a broad range of H.I.V. strains.

Another team led by Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in Manhattan will receive $24.7 million to design experimental H.I.V. vaccines that bind to dendritic cells. These immune cells help strengthen production of antibodies and cellular immunity.

NYC AIDS organizations face funding peril

by Miriam Kreinin Souccar

Most of the city’s estimated 160 AIDS organizations have had their funding slashed by at least 20% as government funds have begun going to hospitals and clinics for medical care instead of to community-based social services and prevention programs.

Bailey House, which operates two shelters for homeless people with AIDS -- in East Harlem and Greenwich Village -- has lost more than $2 million in the past two years. Body Positive, one of the city’s oldest AIDS nonprofits, is at risk of shutting down.

“This is the toughest environment I’ve ever seen,” says Joe Pressley, executive director of the New York AIDS Coalition, an alliance of local providers. “If the current plan of government entities is left unchecked, within a year or two, very few organizations that are on the front line providing vital care and prevention support services will be left standing.”

AIDS activists place much of the blame on Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. “[Dr.] Frieden seems to have an aversion to community-based groups,” says Martin Dueñas, administrative director at Brooklyn Legal Services, which last November lost $450,000 it used to help keep AIDS patients in their homes.

Dr. Frieden says that although those groups have an important function, “it’s a question of identifying where every dollar we spend will have the maximum potential impact in stopping an epidemic.”

For groups affected by the reallocation of resources, the situation may get even worse -- and soon.

The Ryan White Care Act, which authorizes the principal federal funding for local AIDS groups, allocates $120 million a year to New York state; more than 60% of those funds could be cut.

President George W. Bush has proposed that more money be used for basic medical services rather than for social services.

USCA Overflow Hotels

Please go to our web page to get the latest information on USCA. As you may know, we have sold out the main conference hotel (Westin). We have also sold out our blocks at the Marriott and Le Meridian.

We've added a 4th block of room at the Hampton Inn. 1000 S Federal Highway, Hallandale Beach, Florida. Phone is 954-874-1111. The room rate is $89 single and double. A shuttle will be provided to transport folks from the overflow hotels to the main conference site.

MMWR Is Out Today

The latest MMWR is out. This week's issue is on HIV, they do an "Investigation of a New Diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant, Dual-Tropic HIV-1 Infection --- New York City, 2005"

Sharon Ellison To Keynote ANSA Conference

AIDS Nutrition Service Alliance announced that Sharon Ellison, an internationally recognized communication consultant, an award winning speaker, and author of Taking the War Our of Our Words will lead our plenary session “Powerful Non-Defensive Communication” on Thursday August 24th from 9:00 am– 10:30 am.

Sharon provides keynotes and workshops for people in more than thirteen professions, including organizations that provide community service and are dedicated to creating social change, such as BALIF, an association of attorneys for LGBT rights, Center for Volunteer and Non-Profit Leadership, Human Rights Coalition and The Center for Dispute Resolution in London, England. She also provides trainings for fundraisers at United Way and the International Women's Funding Network. In the field of healthcare, Sharon has provided training for Kaiser Permanente, Stanford University Hospital and UCSF Medical School.

Do You Know What's Happening in the HIV/AIDS Community

Join over 10,000 community-based organization personnel and others working to combat the AIDS epidemic. NMAC Lifeline E-Newsletter is distributed every Tuesday and provides recipients with information not only about NMAC events, but also other HIV/AIDS-related funding opportunities, treatment updates, conferences and scholarships.

To subscribe, please click here.

Let's Do Lunch!

To all NMAC's constituents, if you come to Washington DC and have some time, let's do lunch. I would like to learn more about your agency, find out how NMAC can we helpful to your work, and show you around the agency.

You can email (pkawata@nmac.org) or call me (202-483-6622) to schedule lunch.

Talking To Constituents

I had lunch today with a group of constituents (I told them I would write about our lunch), it was an opportunity for them to tell me about their agencies, what were the critical issues facing them, and to discuss NMAC and any issues of concern they may have with our work. One thing that I took home from this lunch is the fact that constituents need a way to ask me questions.

As a result, I am going to use this blog as a way for constituents to ask and get their questions answered. Please email me at pkawata@nmac.org with your question and I will post the answers in the blog. This way everyone has access to the same information.

Thanks

Gilead's earnings soar thanks to AIDS drugs

Gilead's earnings soar thanks to AIDS drugs
By Marni Leff Kottle and Angela Zimm, Bloomberg News

Gilead Sciences Inc.'s earnings rose 35 percent in the second quarter as doctors prescribed more of the company's Truvada pill that combines two AIDS drugs.

Net income jumped to $265.2 million, or 56 cents a share, from $196 million, or 41 cents, a year earlier, when Gilead didn't have to deduct employee stock options. The shares fell because investors were expecting an even greater increase.

"It's very solid," said Geoffrey Porges, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York.

Sales of all the company's AIDS drugs climbed 38 percent to $475.4 million, the Foster City-based company said Thursday in a statement. Gilead last week won U.S. approval to introduce a pill called Atripla that provides three of the most widely prescribed AIDS medicines in one daily dose.

The company raised its sales forecast for medicines to fight the disease.

Government stockpiling of the influenza drug Tamiflu generated $73.3 million in payments for Gilead, up from $36.2 million. Gilead invented the drug, sold by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG.

Gilead was expected to earn 54 cents a share, the average estimate of 22 analysts in a Thomson Financial survey. Although earnings beat the estimate by 3.9 percent, the typical gap is 8.8 percent, according to Bloomberg data.

All revenue rose 38 percent to $685.3 million, Gilead said. Sales of Truvada more than doubled to $299.3 million. The pill, approved in 2004, combines Gilead's Viread and Emtriva.

Gilead raised its 2006 sales forecast for its AIDS medicines to $1.95 billion to $2 billion from $1.83 billion to $1.88 billion. The company is competing with pharmaceutical giants such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc for a larger share of the market for drugs to fight the disease, which has killed more than 25 million people since it was identified in 1981.

AIDS ACTION NOW FOR WOMEN & GIRLS

AIDS ACTION NOW
FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS
WOMEN'S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS!

Join us as we demonstrate support, raise awareness and demand action on issues related to women and girls in the HIV/AIDS pandemic! Everyone is welcome, including men, boys and seniors.

Mary Robinson
President, Realizing Rights

Stephen Lewis
UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa

and

Dr. Helene Gayle
President, International AIDS Society

WHEN Monday, August 14, 2006
Rally starts at 7:00 am

WHERE Rally held at Metro Hall Square (King Street West between John and Simcoe Streets)

RSVP Please click here to let us know you can attend: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=766732355748

INFO Leah Stephenson at leah@ctac.ca or +1-416-422-0114 or http://ctac.ca/en/rally

Politics joins scientists at AIDS meeting

BY PETER CALAMAI
SCIENCE WRITER
The drawn-out controversy in the U.S over the alleged distortion of scientific evidence by neo-conservatives and the religious right is thundering down on the International AIDS Conference here next month.

More than a hundred U.S. activists will come to Toronto for the six-day meeting, organized into a "strike force" to counter presentations where ideology, prejudice or opinion are warping the scientific evidence about prevention, a leading AIDS campaigner told the Star this week.

"We're prepared to combat situations at the conference where more ideological positions are taken," said Judy Auerbach, an official with the Foundation for AIDS Research in Washington.

The Aug. 13-18 meeting, expected to draw as many as 26,000 participants, is the 16th edition of the premier event in the HIV/AIDS field, put on every two years by the International AIDS Society. Past meetings have featured both major scientific advances and heated political clashes.

Clashes are again expected in Toronto over ideological flashpoints such as the Bush White House insistence on giving a high profile to sexual abstinence in government HIV prevention programs, despite low success rates.

In apparent response to such opposition, the Bush administration — despite its wide-ranging, multi-billion-dollar commitment to fight HIV/AIDS — at first restricted conference attendance to just 50 scientists or policy-makers from the two U.S. government agencies mostly responsible for AIDS research, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control. That's a fifth the numbers sent to previous such conferences overseas.

NIH officials said they had negotiated another 18 places, bringing their total to 43. A CDC spokesman wouldn't provide details about numbers.

"The conference is at the crossroads of science and politics. It will suffer because of this quota," said co-chair Mark Wainberg, a McGill University professor and top Canadian AIDS researcher.

Despite the Bush restrictions, conference officials estimate as many as 2,000 participants will come from the U.S.

"Our conference will be extremely strong from both the scientific and community standpoints, but would have been even stronger still if not for the policy being enforced by the U.S. government," Wainberg wrote in an email.

The quota means numerous well-known scientists from CDC and NIH won't be coming, Wainberg said. Some didn't even bother to submit presentation proposals because they saw so little chance of getting travel approval.

Many of those given the green light to take part are bureaucrats from the two agencies rather than the leading scientists "who would have loved to attend," the conference co-chair said.

Continues...

Save-the-Date for Upcoming Symposium

Save-the-Date for Upcoming Symposium:
"Shifting in Paradigm: What Should We Be Doing Differently in HIV/AIDS Work?"
August 15, 2006 * 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Toronto, Canada * Metropolitan Hotel Toronto

In conjunction with the XVI International AIDS Conference, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) invites you to attend a special symposium sponsored by Gilead, entitled: Shifting in Paradigm: What Should We Be Doing Differently in HIV/AIDS Work?

The event will take place at the Metropolitan Hotel Toronto, in Toronto, Canada, on August 15, 2006, from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

There will be a reception with keynote speakers, followed by a dinner. Scheduled speakers at the event include:

• Dr. Beny Primm, M.D.
• Oscar De La O
• Dr. Robert Fullilove, Ed.D.
• Dr. Marjorie Hill
• Sean Hosein
• David Satcher, MD, PhD. (pending)

Please note: Space is limited, so e-mail your RSVP to RVSP@nmac.org as soon as possible.

For additional information, please contact Earl Plante at eplante@nmac.org.

AIDS Video From Medecins San Frontieres

A video from Medicins San Frontieres
3D AIDS

HIV/AIDS Jobs Bank

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) HIV/AIDS Jobs Bank is a national listing of HIV/AIDS related employment opportunities that includes a summary and narrative of postings submitted by grassroots, government and private sector agencies, sorted geographically and offered free-of-charge.

Howard Grossman Resigns From AAHIVM

The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) has announced the resignation of Dr. Howard Grossman from his position of Executive Director. Dr. Grossman, who came to the Academy from his New York City-based private practice, has served in the position since November, 2004, presiding over the organization’s move to Washington, D.C. from Los Angeles, CA.

“It is with mixed emotions that I make this move, which I am doing to pursue other professional opportunities and to fulfill family obligations,” said Dr. Grossman. “I am grateful that I was able to help bring the Academy to the Nation’s capital, and to have assembled a talented and dedicated D.C. staff that will contribute significantly to the Academy’s future growth.”

“Dr. Howard Grossman saw the Academy through a challenging move over the last 16 months, and we are grateful for his longtime service, first as a founding Academy board member and then as executive director,” said Dr. Jeffrey Schouten, AAHIVM Board Chair-elect. “We wish him well in his future endeavors."

According to Dr. Schouten, the Executive Committee of the AAHIVM Board of Directors will work closely with the national office staff to maintain the organization’s day-to-day operations while it conducts an executive search. Brian Hujdich, Senior Director & Director of Professional Development and Credentialing, has been named the Interim Executive Director. “The Board is confident in the capacity of our leadership and ability of our staff to continue moving the Academy forward with our programs and member services,” said Dr. Schouten. “We know that this time of change is ultimately a time of growth for the Academy.

President Bush Addresses NAACP Annual Convention

President Bush Addresses NAACP Annual Convention
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.

-----------

Finally, you and I seek America that commits its wealth and expertise to helping those who suffer from terrible disease. We believe that every person in the world bears the image of our Maker, and is an individual of matchless value. And when we see the scourge of HIV/AIDS ravaging communities at home and abroad, we must not avert our eyes.

Today more than a million of our fellow Americans live with HIV, and more than half of all AIDS cases arise in the African American community. This disease is spreading fastest among African American women. And one of the reasons the disease is spreading so quickly is many don't realize they have the virus. And so we're going to lead a nationwide effort -- and I want to work with the NAACP on this effort -- to deliver rapid HIV/AIDS -- HIV tests to millions of our fellow citizens. (Applause.) Congress needs to reform and reauthorize the Ryan White Act, and provide funding to states, so we can end the waiting lists for AIDS medications in this country. (Applause.)

To whom much is given, much is required. This nation is a blessed nation, and when we look at HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa, we haven't turned away. We believe it's our nation's responsibility to help those who suffer from this pandemic.

We're leading the world when it comes to providing medications and help. Today more than 40 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS; 26 million of those live in Sub Sahara Africa, including 2 million children under the age of 15. We're calling people together. We pledged $15 billion to provide medicine and help. We launched the emergency plan for AIDS relief. Before this AIDS emergency plan was passed, only 50,000 in Sub Sahara Africa were getting medicine. Today, that number has grown to more than 560,000 people, and more are getting help every day. By working together we can turn the tide of this struggle against HIV/AIDS and bring new hope to millions of people.

Continue

The AIDS Institute Encouraged by Senate Funding Increases

The AIDS Institute is encouraged by a Senate subcommittee’s passage of a spending bill that would provide a $78 million dollar increase for the Ryan White CARE Act in FY 07 – including $55 million more for the nation’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), a $15 million increase for State AIDS spending, and slight increases for other CARE Act programs.

The Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations approved the increases after the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill last month that provided no increases to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which have been struggling to provide lifesaving medications to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Last week, The AIDS Institute sent a letter to Senate leaders urging them to support funding increases for the CARE Act and ADAP, in particular.

“We are pleased the Senate subcommittee recognized the need for increases to the Ryan White CARE Act and ADAP,” said Dr. Gene Copello, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. “The increases, while appreciated, are still not enough to keep pace with ever increasing patient demand and costs. We will continue to work with House and Senate members to increase these funding levels.”

The Senate subcommittee bill, which now moves to the full Senate Appropriations Committee this week, provides only a $28.2 million increase for CDC’s AIDS prevention and surveillance budget, falling far short of the President’s request to increase AIDS testing by instituting a $93 million HIV rapid test program.

“While we welcome the increases for CDC testing,” said Carl Schmid, Director of Federal Affairs for The AIDS Institute, “we are disappointed they are far below what the President proposed and we will work with the Senate to increase them. With one quarter of people infected with HIV not aware of their status, these funds are of critical importance.”

Senate subcommittee members also proposed a $220 million increase for the National Institutes for Health, which provides a small increase that will hopefully translate into an increase for AIDS research.

In separate action yesterday, another Senate Appropriations Subcommittee approved only an $8.8 million increase for the Housing Opportunities For People With AIDS Program (HOPWA) for FY 07. This is less than the $14 million increase proposed by the President and approved by the House. Copello said: “We will continue to advocate for higher increases in HOPWA in coalition with other organizations as the congressional appropriations process moves forward.”

Drug Use, HIV, and Harm Reduction Among Women

If you plan to attend the International AIDS Conference, please join amfAR for a satellite symposium:

Drug Use, HIV, and Harm Reduction Among Women
Sunday, August 13
10:15 to 12:15
Session Room #10

Drug use, especially injecting drug use (IDU), continues to be a significant route of HIV infection among women in many communities in North America and globally. In the U.S., racial and ethnic minority women are hit particularly hard: Black women account for 60% of IDU-associated HIV infections among all women. IDU is also particularly relevant in Asia and Eastern Europe, regions with rapidly expanding HIV epidemics. This satellite session will be an opportunity to: provide a broad epidemiological overview of HIV among women drug users; discuss findings from clinical, social, and public policy research about the links between drug use and HIV infection among women; assess interventions that have been developed to address these links; discuss emerging epidemics and innovative harm reduction programs; and highlight future directions for research, policy, and advocacy.

Program
Epidemiological Overview of Drug Use and HIV Among Women
Catherine Hankins, MD, MSc, FRCPC
UNAIDS, Switzerland

Emerging Epidemics and Harm Reduction Programs: Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch, MSW
Open Society Institute, USA

Drug Use, Inter-Partner Violence, and Sexual Risk
Nabila El-Bassel, DSW
Columbia University, USA

Policy and Advocacy in Unlikely Places: The Malaysian Harm Reduction Experience
Adeeba Kamarulzaman, MBBS, FRACP
University of Malaya, Malaysia

Moderator
Judith D. Auerbach, PhD
Vice President, Public Policy and Program Development
amfAR

The Foundation Center announces the release of a new research report on corporate giving. This report provides estimates of 2005 giving by the nation's nearly 2,600 grantmaking corporate foundations and data on actual giving from 1987-2004. It includes analyses of corporate foundation giving relative to other types of foundations and to all sources of private giving, giving by subject focus, type of support, and region. Also provided is a list of the top 25 corporate foundations by giving.

WORLD AIDS DAY-CHINA, 2006

WORLD AIDS DAY-CHINA, 2006
Dec.1-3, 2006
Tianjin TEDA Convention Center, China
www.aidsday2006.org

Currently, we are involved in organizing World Aids Day-China, 2006 (WADC, 2006), which will be held during December 1-3 in Tianjin, China. This is a technological, commonweal, benevolent campaign as an echo to global anti-HIV/AIDS action. On behalf of organizing committee of World Aids Day-China, 2006, I have great honor and privilege to welcome you to be one of the Media partners of World Aids Day-China, 2006.

As a public awareness campaign with great social impact and epoch significance, World AIDS Day-China, 2006 will depend heavily on media without a question. Your efforts will greatly promote the actions and public awareness for AIDS Control in this area. Organizing committee of World AIDS Day-China, 2006 has always strived to establish sound cooperation with media partner and your support will definitely make contribution to this campaign.

You are welcome to visit at: http://www.aidsday2006.org or our standard "Event Media Partner" policy

Bush Nominates Gay Men To Lead Global AIDS Office

President Bush nominated gay physician Mark R. Dybul July 17 to be United States Global AIDS Coordinator, a post at the State Department that has the rank of ambassador.

If approved by the Senate, Mark Dybul would become the third openly gay person to hold a U.S. ambassadorial-level position.
If the U.S. Senate ratifies his nomination, Dybul would replace pharmaceutical industry executive Randall Tobias as head of a $15 billion program initiated by Bush and approved by Congress to combat AIDS in developing countries, with a focus on Africa. Bush appointed Tobias to another administration post.

"[Dybul] is widely recognized as someone highly qualified for this position," said Carl Schmid, a gay Republican activist who serves as federal affairs director for the AIDS Institute, a national AIDS advocacy group.

Dybul currently serves as acting U.S. global AIDS coordinator and chief medical officer at the State Department.

He would become the third openly gay person to hold a U.S. ambassadorial position. President Clinton appointed businessman and philanthropist James Hormel as ambassador to Luxemburg. In his first term in office, Bush appointed gay career Foreign Service Officer Michael Guest as ambassador to Romania.

Tracy Brown Of Tenderloin Health

Tracy Brown the executive director of Tenderloin Health in San Francisco had a heart attack last Wednesday. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers while he is recovering. Chiquita Tuttle will step in as the interim Executive Director.

"Tenderloin Health" is the new agency resulting from the merger of Continuum HIV Day Services (Continuum) and the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center (TARC). Our mission is to optimize the health of the Tenderloin’s homeless, poor and most vulnerable residents. We serve those living with and at the greatest risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS, who have difficulty obtaining services elsewhere, especially due to substance use, mental illness, sexual orientation, gender identity, race and ethnicity, and/or other social barriers.

No one currently receiving assistance from Continuum or TARC will lose any of those services. No employees will lose their jobs due to the change, either. Use of the new name will begin upon acceptance of the merger filing from the State of California. Until that time, both entities will continue to operate but within a joint-board structure.

As the new entity works through its initial integration process, current program information can be found through the links to Continuum's and TARC's existing websites. You can access these sites by touching on either organization's logos above.

In an effort to minimize confusion we are making the consolidation of agency information to this website a priority and will redirect our former sites to this domain once the migration is complete. Thank you in advance for your patience as we work to consolidate Continuum and TARC into the more comprehensive TENDERLOIN HEALTH.

Great Blog From Keith Boykin On LIFEbeat Concert

Below is a great article from Keith Boykin on a concert that LIFEbeat was going to hold. The concert has been canceled. Good work!

"LIFEbeat is an organization that calls itself "the music industry's charitable organization dedicated to reaching America’s youth with the message of HIV/AIDS prevention." But this same organization is sponsoring a benefit concert on July 18 in New York featuring not one, but two homophobic artists, Beenie Man and TOK. These performances must be stopped.

When I first heard about the concert, I decided to give LIFEbeat the benefit of the doubt. I figured they just didn't realize what a mistake they made. So I sent a letter (shown below) and placed a phone call to LIFEbeat's executive director John Canelli. Mr. Canelli returned my call today and the response was shocking, insulting and extremely disappointing.

LIFEbeat Refuses To Use Its Influence
Canelli admitted that his organization knew that Beenie Man and TOK were homophobic artists but decided to do the concert anyway. "We didn't make the decision blindly," he told me. "We knew there would be controversy." So why did they do it, I asked. Canelli told me his organization wanted to reach out to that segment of the community by using artists who could connect with them. Perhaps that makes sense, but why not use LIFEbeat's leverage to encourage the artists to repudiate their homophobia. "It's not my job to do that," Canelli said flatly. I strongly disagree.

When asked why he couldn't use his influence to get the musicians to renounce their homophobia, Canelli said that all the performers at the concert are performing for free, and because of the nature of the event, "I'm not in a position to make a demand like that." He tried to assure me that there would be no "offensive lyrics in that venue."

I'm sorry, Mr. Canelli, that's not enough. Beenie Man and TOK are two of the worst homophobes in the music industry. For LIFEbeat to give a platform to them is unacceptable and intolerable. Their mere presence is offensive enough unless and until they renounce their homophobia.

"It's a tough decision," Canelli told me. "Look at the numbers of people getting infected," he said. "My job is to save lives." I doubt it. If your job were really to save lives, you would never give a platform to two artists who encourage their fans to take the lives of innocent gays and lesbians.

When the phone call ended, I promised Mr. Canelli one thing. This would not be the end of it. As a black gay man, I've had enough of the excuses and the hypocrisy and the fear. I will not sit back quietly while a so-called AIDS organization gives a microphone and a stage to two musical groups that want to kill me. I encourage everyone to contact John Canelli personally and express your dissatisfaction with his homophobic decision. And I encourage you to put any and all pressure you can on LIFEbeat to disinvite Beenie Man and TOK or get them to renounce their homophobia. (continued...)"

Thank you Keith.

Pam Anderson & Me

I did a press conference with Pamela Anderson. We have so much in common (I guess we both like boys!). The press conference was for the MAC AIDS Fund (a great organization). Please buy Viva Glam, all the money raised from the sale of this lipstick goes to support people with AIDS. To date they have donated over $65 million.

Jennifer Holiday To Sing At USCA

Jennifer Holiday will sing at this year's USCA. You may want to watch her incredible performance at the 1982 Tony's. If you watch carefully, you will also see Sheryl Lee Ralph, NMAC's national spokesperson.

I hope you will join us for this exciting performance. I am so sorry I did not get to see her perform on Broadway.

Special Reception in Conjunction with the 2006 International AIDS

Black Entertainment Television (BET) and the Kaiser Family Foundation cordially invite you to attend a special reception celebrating Rap-It-Up the joint public education campaign aimed at raising awareness about HIV/AIDS among African-American youth.

The campaign, now in its ninth year, is the largest public awareness effort in the United States aimed at the young African-American audience.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006
8:00pm 10:00pm
Downtown Toronto

A non-transferable invitation, including more specific event details, will be sent in the coming weeks. To RSVP, please call the BET Special Events Hotline at 202.608.2617.

Community Voices: Documenting the Impact of Government and Donor Policies

From The International Coalition of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO)

Over the last 25 years since the history of the AIDS epidemic, it has become increasingly apparent that social, cultural, economic and legal factors exacerbate the spread of HIV and heighten the impact of HIV/AIDS. In almost all cases, socially marginalized groups such as sex workers, men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs) are disproportionately vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and its consequences.

Today, ideological agendas and restrictions are threatening to undermine some of the positive gains that have been made in the HIV response. Government and donor restrictions on vulnerable groups (such as sex workers, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men) are leading to further marginalization of those already in the fringes of society and single-focused prevention strategies such as abstinence –only campaigns are reducing access to and undermining public confidence in condoms as a tool for HIV prevention.

ICASO is thus undertaking a project to document donor and government policies that restrict the HIV response. This information from frontline workers in different countries will provide strong basis for evidence informed programming. The findings from this project will be disseminated extensively at AIDS2006 and at other policy forums to challenge governments and donors to amend these policies that are undermining the response to HIV and AIDS.

The project will examine donor and government restrictions in the
following areas:
A. Abstinence only focused prevention policies
B. Harm reduction policies
C. Policy and legal restrictions on sex work
D. Laws and policy restrictions on men who have sex with men (MSM)

NGOs and CBOs worldwide are invited to send ICASO their experiences around donor and government policy restrictions that have affected their response to HIV/AIDS services. Please answer the following questions and send us your response by July 31, 2006 to restrictions@icaso.org

NGO PEPFAR Briefing Announcement

The first quarterly briefing for representatives of NGOs interested in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is scheduled for 2:00 – 3:00 pm, Thursday, July 20, 2006. The meeting will be held at the Peace Corps offices, 1111 20th Street, NW (NE corner of 20th and L) in the Shriver Conference Room on the 1st floor.

Addressees are welcome to spread the word, as the session is open to all representatives of civil society, but please RSVP your attendance to Joy Salpini at salpinijl@state.gov no later than close of business on Wednesday, July 19.

Attendees will be required to show picture ID.

AFRICAN/BLACK DIASPORA STREAM AT AIDS 2006!

HIV/AIDS in the African/Black Diaspora: Addressing the Hidden Epidemic Examining the realities of HIV/AIDS among Black African & Caribbean populations in Europe & North America Global and country-specific review of the research, strategies, policies, & existing gaps

Facilitated dialogue among policy/program developers, researchers, service providers, & community members Identification of issues to move forward for discussion Commitment to developing an international network specific to this cause

Confirmed speakers include

• Robert Remis, PhD, Epidemiologist, Ontario HIV Epidemiologic Monitoring Unit, Professor at University of Toronto, ACCHO Member
• Georg Bröring, Project Manager, AIDS & Mobility Europe, European Union
• Rhon Reynolds, Senior Policy Officer & Deputy CEO, African HIV Policy Network, UK
• Esther Tharao, Health Promoter & ACCHO Co-Chair, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre, Canada
• Winston Husbands, PhD, Director of Research & ACCHO Co-Chair, AIDS Committee of Toronto, Canada
• Jean-Marie Le Gall, Director of Community Action & Engagement, AIDES, France
• Elizabeth Horlemann, Vice Chair, Light of Africa NRW e.V, Germany

WHEN
Saturday, August 12th, 2006
Symposium: 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Reception: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Food & drink will be provided!

Catered Reception:
Invited Special Guest, Her Excellency The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada
Special Performance by Sheryl Lee Ralph, actress, writer, producer of “Sometimes I Cry”

WHERE
Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, downtown Toronto
(at the north end of Nathan Phillips Square)

Join Us For This Reception

Living with HIV/AIDS is more difficult than ever in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Post-Katrina care drastically limited

Wednesday, July 12, 2006
By Jeff Duncan

Access to medicine, clinics and doctors -- which can be a daily requirement for some HIV/AIDS patients -- has been drastically limited in the wake of the storm.

With resources critically low, local and state health officials are struggling to care for the thousands of HIV-positive residents who have returned to the city while simultaneously trying to locate thousands of others who remain missing amid the storm's diaspora.

"Katrina took its toll on us, and our infrastructure was seriously damaged," said Beth Scalco, director of the Louisiana Office of Public Health HIV/AIDS Program. "While we're on the road to recovery, we still have a long way to go." (continued...)

2006 AAPI Health Summit Website

APIAHF is celebrating its 20th anniversary and the broad goal is to articulate and mobilize around a national health agenda for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

A Town Hall will bring together African American, Hispanic, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and Native American leaders to discuss on health disparities, common threads and differences among sub groups and what would make a unified message and strategy.

Subsequent workshops and tracks on independent topics will touch on the most important issues that affect the health and well being of AAPIs and set action plans for the next decade.

CDC CRCS website

CDC just announced that their new CDC Comprehensive Risk Counseling and Services (CRCS) website is live. The website contains CRCS-related references and materials, including the new, downloadable CRCS Implementation Manual and sample data collection forms.

A legacy of tainted blood

By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY

Like many young men, Joshua Lunior is searching for his dream girl. He knows she won't be easy to find, because Lunior, 24, comes with some challenging baggage.
He belongs to an all-but-forgotten generation of 10,000 people with hemophilia who contracted the AIDS virus, HIV, from the clotting factors they need to stop their bleeding.

What's more, he's open about it. "I could be sitting right next to you and you'd never know if I choose not to tell you," he says. "But I can't hide behind the fact that I look healthy. It's part of my life."

Nearly 25 years after AIDS was first reported in hemophiliacs, the world's focus has shifted elsewhere. Ryan White and Ricky Ray, the American teenagers with hemophilia who became famous for battling AIDS discrimination, have died. But the struggle isn't over for Lunior and others like him.

Their survival still depends on clotting factors, which are now heat-treated or genetically engineered to be virtually virus-free and cost up to $200,000 a year, plus HIV drugs that cost an additional $16,200 a year.

"Even with these great drugs, there are still people dying," says Patricia Lunior, Joshua's mother continued...

Abstract Deadline For 2nd National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV & Hepatitus

This is a reminder that the deadline for abstract submissions to the Second National Conference on Methamphetamine, HIV and Hepatitis is August 1, 2006. We ask that you please limit your abstract to 300 words and remember to include a short bio.

Suggested topics for presentations include research, law enforcement, medical issues, mental health, harm reduction, capacity building, social marketing, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, communities of color, faith-based initiatives, women, GLBT issues, programming, child welfare, rural/urban settings, training and individual, family and community impacts.

Memorial Service For Eric Rofes

There will be a memorial service for Eric Rofes in New York on Tuesday, August 1,2006 at 6:30 pm at the Center. A reception will follow. Please pass this information on to all you think might like to know - Eric had many friends and colleagues and I'm not sure how to reach them all. There will be additional details about the New York service posted next week.

There will be a service in San Francisco on Saturday, July 15, 2006 at 3 pm at the Eureka Valley Center at 100 Collingwood Street (at 18th Street) at 3 pm. A reception will follow.

There will also be a service in Boston on Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 7pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church at 66 Marlborough Street (at Berkeley) in Back Bay.

Common Ground Fund

Community Foundation for the National Capital Region Invites Proposals
Deadline: August 18, 2006

A program of the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region, the Common Ground Fund is seeking applications from nonprofit community-based organizations in the greater Washington region for projects that:

1. address social justice issues impacting communities of color; and
2. focus their work within racially diverse communities. Successful applicants will receive a one-year grant of up to $30,000. For 2006, Common Ground has a total of $150,000 available to support grants.

Applicants must be designated nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. The proposed project must be conducted in a geographic community located within the Greater Washington region (Washington, D.C.; Montgomery County; Prince George's County; Arlington County; the City of Alexandria; the County of Fairfax; Fairfax City; the City of Falls Church; and Loudoun County). The proposed project must identify the specific social justice issue it will address. Examples of the social justice issues Common Ground has invested in over the last two years include: gaining access to government services for limited English speaking Asian Americans in the District of Columbia; ensuring fair and equitable hiring practices for newly constructed downtown hotels through community engagement of the hotel staff and management; and ensuring equal access to quality education in the District of Columbia's public schools through youth engagement of school representatives. Projects must utilize at least one of the following three strategies for promoting social justice: advocacy, community organizing, and/or grassroots leadership development.

Interested applicants are invited to attend a community briefing on July 26 to obtain in-depth information and guidance on responses to the 2006 Request for Proposals. Visit the Community Foundation Web site for complete program guidelines and for details on attending for the community briefing.

Kweisi Mfume To Keynote USCA

Kweisi Mfume will be the opening keynote for this year's USCA. He will speak at our Unsung Heroes Plenary on Friday September 22nd.

We have a comprehensive listing of our 2005 Unsung Heroes. One that I would like to highlight is Brenda Thomas, she was nominated by Bruce W. Kieler, Dr.P.H. Wharton County Junior College. Please read all the nominations, I know you will be inspired.

NAACP: A State of Emergency: The HIV/AIDS Crisis In The Black Community

NAACP 97th Annual Convention Voting Our Values: Valuing Our Votes

July 15th HEALTH SYMPOSIUM
Seventy-two African Americans are infected with HIV every day. African Americans account for over 50 percent of estimated new HIV/AIDS cases and 51 percent of the people who die with AIDS each year. This symposium will focus on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Black Community, and more specifically on how to mobilize Black America around the HIV/AIDS crisis.

MODERATOR:

Rupert Richardson
Member, NAACP National Board of Directors
Chair, NAACP National Health Committee

PANELISTS:

Pernessa Seale
Executive Director
The Balm In Gilead Inc.

Phill Wilson
Executive Director
The Black AIDS Institute

Debra Fraser-Howze, MA
President & CEO
National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS

Dr. Kim Smith
Rush Medical Center

Dr. Gail Wyatt
Associate Director, UCLA AIDS Institute

Honorable Donna M. Christensen (VI)
US House of Representatives

HEALTH ADVOCACY LUNCH
SPONSORED BY: PFIZER Inc

PRESIDING:

Lacy Steele
Member, NAACP National Board of Directors

INVOCATION:

Rev. Patrice DeLeon
Member, NAACP National Health Committee

LUNCH PERFORMANCE:

Sheryl Lee Ralph

SPONSOR GREETINGS:

Janice Cruz Rowe
Multicultural Marketing Team Leader
Pfizer Inc

LUNCH SERVED—FILM VIEWING: “COVER”
INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKER:

Dr. Annie B. Martin
Member, NAACP National Heath Committee

SPEAKER:

Rae Lewis Thornton
Rae Lewis-Thornton, Inc

REMARKS:

Karen Boykins-Towns
Vice Chair, NAACP National Heath Committee

BENEDICTION:

Dr. Kenyon Burke
Member, NAACP National Health Committee

New Medicine for AIDS Is One Pill, Once a Day

Interesting article in the July 9th New York Times by Andrew Pollack.

The first complete treatment for AIDS that is taken once a day as a single pill is expected to be available soon.

The pill, which combines three drugs made by two companies, would be a milestone in improving the simplicity of treatment for the disease, experts say. It should make it easier for people to take their medicine regularly, which is important for keeping the virus that causes the disease in check.

Only a decade ago, when cocktails of AIDS drugs were first used, patients often had to take two or three dozen pills a day, some with food, some without, some so frequently patients had to get up in the middle of the night. Since then, the regimens have been whittled down to as few as two pills a day, and now, one.

"Going down to one pill a day is amazing," said Keith Folger of Washington, who started on 36 pills a day about 11 years ago and expects to switch to the new pill when it becomes available.

Mr. Folger, who is just leaving a job as director of community mobilization for the National Association of People With AIDS, said the pill would be "remarkable, especially for people who are starting on medication for the first time and are sort of freaked out that they will have to take pills for the rest of their lives."

The new drug is a combination of drugs already on the market — Sustiva, sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Truvada, sold by Gilead Sciences. Truvada is a combination of two Gilead drugs, Viread and Emtriva. (continued on New York Times web site)

Operation Get Tested

Who’s Positive would like to request your review and organizational endorsement of Operation: Get Tested (OGT)

Who’s Positive, a non-profit organization that foregrounds the reality of living with HIV through first-hand accounts of young adults coping with the disease is proud to announce OPEARTION: GET TESTED(OGT); a nationwide campaign to humanize HIV; prevent and reduce infection rates among youth; and empower, encourage, and provide opportunity for youth to be tested for HIV. OGT will enable six HIV-positive youth between the ages of 18 and 26 to travel across the country (on a 12 person sleeper tour bus) on a mission to put a human face on HIV, and, in the process, help to prevent and reduce infection rates among youth and provide opportunity for youth to be tested for HIV.

Operation: Get Tested

• October 15 (National Latino HIV Awareness Day) to December 1 (World AIDS Day)
• Six HIV-positive youth between 19 and 26 of diverse backgrounds; five Who’s Positive staff; and one embedded reporter
• Twelve person sleeper tour bus
• 35 stops; 70% college and 30% high schools (tentative)
• Tour route: New York to Florida to Texas to Iowa to California (tentative)
• Three day speaker summit September 8, 9 and 10 at the Pittsburgh Marriott

15 money-saving tips for business travelers

A great article on business travel in today's USA Today by David Grossman

In recent years, it was often advantageous to wait until the last minute before booking travel. Airlines with empty seats and hotels whose rooms would otherwise go vacant for a night were ready to wheel and deal, and late-notice discounts were readily available.

With struggling U.S. airlines cutting capacity to save money and avoid high fuel costs, flights are more crowded than ever. And hotel rooms face unprecedented demand, with several cities reporting record occupancy rates. The results are higher prices and fewer discounts. Air fares are up by 11% and hotel prices by 8% this summer over last year according to a survey conducted by Priceline.com.

Waiting for a sale in this economy is a dangerous strategy. Airlines and hotels cannot run last minute specials if there are no seats or rooms to be sold. For an upcoming trip to Chicago for the National Business Travel Association meeting, I locked in my air fare from Oakland on Southwest a few months ago for $270. That same trip could be booked for $200 last year. If I waited to book that same trip today I would pay at least $360. And for a last minute business trip, a walk-up fare would be at least $540 on any airline — if seats were still available.

In such a situation, with prices rising and bargains rare, it pays to look for any possible way to trim travel costs. Here are 15 money saving tips I use whenever possible.

In the air

1. Refundable air tickets
2. Connections and alternate airports
3. One-way air fares
4. Combining trips

At your hotel

1. Contracts and negotiated rates
2. Avoid city centers
3. Corporate apartments and suite hotels
4. Check individual night prices
5. Day trips and red-eyes
6. Avoid conventions and peak travel periods
7. Laundry

On the ground

1. Public transit from the airport
2. Optimizing car rentals
3. Off-hotel parking
4. Skip the airplane

Good To Great

Good To Great by Jim Collins is the book that senior management at NMAC is using as a primer for our staff development.

Five years ago, Jim Collins asked the question, "Can a good company become a great company and if so, how?" In Good to Great Collins, the author of Built to Last, concludes that it is possible, but finds there are no silver bullets. Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success. Making the transition from good to great doesn't require a high-profile CEO, the latest technology, innovative change management, or even a fine-tuned business strategy. At the heart of those rare and truly great companies was a corporate culture that rigorously found and promoted disciplined people to think and act in a disciplined manner. Peppered with dozens of stories and examples from the great and not so great, the book offers a well-reasoned road map to excellence that any organization would do well to consider. Like Built to Last, Good to Great is one of those books that managers and CEOs will be reading and rereading for years to come. --Harry C. Edwards

There is also a monograph call Good To Great and the Social Sector that takes the principles outlined in the original book and applies them to the nonprofit sector. I highly recommend both of these books.

Ryan White Reauthorization

Here are some of our thoughts about Ryan White Reauthorization. If you have any questions, please contact Damon Dozier (ddozier@nmac.org). At this time, the legislation looks stalled, there are not many days left on the legislative calendar.

In addition to NMAC's position, here are some of the positions of our colleagues:

• AIDS Action
• AIDS Alliance For Children Youth and Families
• The AIDS Institute
• CAEAR coalition
• NAPWA
  
• NASTAD

This is a very important piece of legislation for HIV care and services. We will be monitoring it's development and progress closely.

Save The Date For 2007 HPLS

We are going to New Orleans for the 2007 HPLS. It will be the last week in May (prior to hurricane season). We will meet at the Hilton on the Riverwalk. Given all the challenges that New Orleans has faced over the last year, we felt it was critical to bring a meeting to this city.

One of my favorite things to do at HPLS is take pictures with constituents. You can see all of the year's pictures on NMAC's web site.

Goodbye Judy Auerbach

A story in this week's Bay Area Reporter notes that Dr. Judy Auerbach has been selected to be the new deputy executive director for science and public policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

I will miss Judy, she has been a friend and an important voice in Washington both at AmFAR and the Office of AIDS Research.

2006 Main USCA Hotel Sold-Out

The main hotel for this year's United States Conference on AIDS is sold out. We have an overflow rooms at the Hollywood Marriott. To make a reservation, please call 866-306-5453. Please sure to tell them you are with USCA to get the conference rate. There will be a shuttle between the two hotels.

Why "Yours In The Struggle"?

When I first started in the fight against HIV/AIDS, I was just a kid. I came to Washington scared and very naive. One of the first person's to take me under his wing was Michael Hirsh.

Michael was one of the founders of the PWA Coalition of NY, Body Positive and the National Association of People with AIDS. In those days we did not have email, so Michael would write me long letters, and he always closed them with "Yours in the struggle".

Michael died of complications due to AIDS in 1989, and as a homage to him I sign all of my email with "Yours in the struggle".

Why A Blog...

Welcome to my blog. I am starting it so that the National Minority AIDS Council's (NMAC) constituency can get the following:

• Transparency
• Clarity
• NMAC Updates
  

Transparency
Often times decisions get made at national organizations and constituents ask themselves, what were they thinking? This blog provides an opportunity for me to discuss decisions we are making and the process we used to make those decisions. It will also offer you can opportunity to give us feedback and make comments.

Clarity
There is lots of news about HIV/AIDS in the press; however, sometimes it is not clear how that news will effect your day to day work. I hope this blog will give one perspective on how it might effect you and your agency.

NMAC Updates
I want to tell you what is happening at NMAC. I know that we are known for our conferences, but we are so much more. I hope you use this blog to update you on all the work that is happening at NMAC.

I look forward to your feedback. Please feel free to email me pkawata@nmac.org