My Picture With The President--Sorta???

I got to attend the White House reception honoring the 40th Anniversary of Stonewall

President Obama on National HIV Testing Day

One in five Americans currently living with HIV doesn't know it. If our President and First Lady can get tested -- you can too.

To find a testing site near you visit http://www.hivtest.org or text KNOWIT to 566948.

Michael Jackson's Tribute To Ryan White

Michael Jackson's tribute to Ryan White, the young man who died of AIDS. It breaks my heart

No More Money For Failed Abstinence Programs

ACTION ALERT

Tell Congress to Follow President Obama’s Lead:
No More Money for Failed Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs;
Invest in Comprehensive Sex Education Instead

We applaud the Obama administration’s leadership and its efforts to end abstinence-only-until marriage programs. He has taken an important first step. Now it’s time for Congress to implement that recommendation.

We need you to contact your Representative and ask them to ensure that No More Money is spent on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

The House is in the midst of writing its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-Education) spending bills. This is the spending bill that decides funding levels for, among other things, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs. We need your Representatives to weigh in with Appropriations Chairman David Obey to ensure that Congress follows the President’s lead and that No More Money is spent on abstinence-only-until-marriage programs.

Tell Congress to Follow President Obama’s Lead: No More Money for Failed Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs; Invest in Comprehensive Sex Education Instead

TAKE ACTION NOW…Click here to email your Representative.

Nancy Wilson is an NMAC Board Member!!!!

The Times of Harvey Milk

Why we fight.

USCA Update

We hope you will join us in San Francisco for the 2009 United States Conference on AIDS (USCA), set for October 29-31, at the Hilton San Francisco. We know these are difficult times, so we want to share information about how we are making USCA more responsive and why we hope you will attend. This email will cover the following:

Critical Issues
1. 2009 USCA Target Population
2. Greener Initiatives @ USCA
3. How We Are Trying to Reduce Costs and Increase Value
4. How Scholarship Decisions Are Made

Critical HIV/AIDS Issues
We hope you will attend this meeting, we have a new administration, new priorities, and lots of critical issues to discuss. The AIDS community must address Health Care Reform, Ryan White Reauthorization, PrEP, and the National AIDS Strategy. These topics and more will be discussed at USCA, the final agenda will be on the web by the end of July

We will have representatives from the new administration at the meeting who will speak and listen to community. It will be your opportunity to be heard. Make sure your voice gets included in this important dialogue. We will also have lots of learning: workshops, institutes and seminars on How to navigate these difficult financial times, Understanding PrEP, and most of the other topics identified in the needs assessment. Early member registration fees are due July 17th.

2009 USCA Target Population
This year's USCA target population is the Transgender Community. According to the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the HIV infection rate for specific transgender populations has a low of 19% to a high of 69% in a study of 34 states. The highest rates of HIV infection in the U.S. may be among male-to-female transgender sex workers.

For far too long this community has been forced to stay in the shadows. This year's meeting will have a transgender plenary, transgender institute, and the largest number of transgender workshops in the history of USCA. To all of our constituents who work with this community, we hope you will send staff or clients to participate.

Green Initiatives @ USCA
We are trying to go a little green, first to save the planet and second to save some money. For example, we will not do a second registration brochure; instead, we will print a postcard directing folks to the website

The USCA program book will be abbreviated, most of the information will be on the USCA flash drive. Don’t worry if you like reading things on paper, computers and printers will be placed strategically throughout the meeting to allow you to print specific information. We will also print and post several large versions of the program book as a way to limit downloads.

The conference bag can also serve as a reusable grocery bag. No more plastic or paper, just USCA! We will have limited information in the bag, instead we are asking sponsors and partners to put their materials on the USCA flash drive. We will even have a "virtual" registration bag. This bag will be available online for free after the meeting. It will hold all of the information in PDF versions to download on your computer.

No more bottled water. Unless we get a health alert, tap water will be available throughout the hotel. At the end of the meeting we will collect your nametags to be recycled and used at next year's meeting. Finally, we will support the recycling programs already in place in the city of San Francisco and the Hilton Hotel.

This is our first attempt at a greener meeting. Help us to save some money, cut down on waste, and maybe save a tree or two. If you have any other ideas, please email info@nmac.org

How We Are Trying to Reduce Costs
These are very difficult financial times, particularly in the state of California. The California advocates have done an amazing job, all the funding cuts to the ADAPT program were restored. Ryan Clary of Project Inform wrote on his Facebook page “We are not done but for now eating donuts in celebration of fierce advocacy (truly fierce advocacy, not Obama's definition) by people with HIV and their advocates.” We want to thank the Bay Area Host Committee, they continue to contribute and support the meeting during this crisis.

With this financial reality, we could not ask the Bay Area Host Committee to raise money for special events. As a result, Bristol Myers Squibb will sponsor one of their events and the other will be held at a donated church next to the hotel. We are very lucky to have the Glide Memorial Church directly across the street from the Hilton. This church is more than a church; it is a sanctuary for poor people in the Tenderloin. The church has a drop-in center, daily free meals program, housing, women's center, training and employment program, health center, and a family and youth services program. They have years of service to people living with HIV/AIDS.

At Glide, we will hold El Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead service to honor everyone we have lost to HIV/AIDS. Traditionally celebrated in Mexico every 2nd of November, and closely associated with the Catholic celebrations, All Saints' Day, El Día de los Muertos brings together family and friends to pray for and remember loved ones who have died. Many honor the deceased with private altars featuring sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, which they often leave as gifts on their graves.

The spring USCA survey identified lack of funds as a major barrier to your participation. So we've added a new scholarship option: Option C. This option includes an airline ticket, hotel, and registration. We are no longer accepting applications for Option C: however, other unique registration and scholarship opportunities are still available

Youth Registration Rate: Anyone under 25 may register for the "youth" rate, which is 50% less than the regular registration fee. Proof of age will be required.
USCA Registration and Hotel Room Discount Package: If you pay for your registration now, you are eligible for a special $25 per night discount on hotel accommodations at this year’s venue, the Hilton San Francisco.
USCA Registration and Individual USCA Sponsor Membership Package: This unique package offers a $90 discount on conference registration and individual membership with the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC). There are many benefits to NMAC membership, including the opportunity apply for USCA scholarships! To learn more about NMAC membership, call Cynthia Stannard, Member Services at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) ext. 325 or members@nmac.org
Group USCA Registration Rate: Finally, we will be offering a group registration fee, in July.

Per the needs assessment, we are also offering more advanced skills building workshops geared to HIV/AIDS professionals; sessions on how organizations can navigate fiscal challenges; and discussion groups on working with special populations. In addition to these workshops, we hope to offer:

1. A job fair
2. Meetings with the Obama Administration
3. Additional continuing education credit courses and offering

Not only we are trying to help with some of the costs, but we are also trying to make sure you get value for your money.

How Scholarships Decisions Are Made
For many constituents, scholarships are how they get to the meeting. The deadline to apply for scholarship Options A or B is July 10th. Our online system is down at the moment; you can either wait or download the PDF version and mail it to NMAC. To provide transparency, we want to share information about the selection process. Scholarships are distributed based on the needs identified in the application and how the recipient will use his/her experience after the conference. Priority is given to People with AIDS and agencies with small budgets. Additionally, the following rules run the process:

1. Maximum of one scholarship per agency
2. At least one scholarship per state
3. At least two scholarships for each of the top 20 cities impacted by HIV infection
4. Ten scholarships are set-aside for a specific target population. In 2009, the target population is the transgender community.

Scholarship applications are reviewed by your USCA partner agency. Each partner receives a limited number of scholarships. As a way to ensure that People with AIDS get scholarships, we have an optional section where you can list your HIV status. Please know this information is optional and your entire application will be shared with your USCA partner agency and their reviewers, including your HIV status and all other information you put in the application.

I hope you will attend this year's meeting. We have a new administration, new priorities, and lots of challenging issues to address. Please feel free to email me at any time at pkawata@nmac.org.

Yours in the struggle,

Paul Kawata
Executive Director
National Minority AIDS Council, 1931 13th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009-4432
Tel: 202.483.6622; Fax: 202.483.1135; Website: http://www.nmac.org

Please support AIDS Programs of the National Minority AIDS Council CFC #10557 (new number)

2009 United States Conference on AIDS
October 29-31, 2009
San Francisco, CA
http://www.2009usca.org

Update On Washington DC HIV/AIDS Epidemic

Recently I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Shannon Hader, Washington DC HIV/AIDS Administration Director, discuss the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington DC. I read the stories in the Washington Post and Time Magazine, but they contained only a small synopsis of the real problem. To hear the entire presentation and to see all the statistics is a real call to action. All are welcome to join us, space it limited to the first 100 people.

The National Minority AIDS Council, along with the AIDS Institute, National Association of People with AIDS, and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors invites you to a presentation by Dr. Hader on the state of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Washington DC. All are welcome to join us, please bring your friends and family. It is a very eye opening report that will both shock you and demand your action.

Join us on Tuesday, June 30th at 10:00 AM at the Reeves Center at 14th & U St NW. Please RSVP in advance so we have enough space (RSVP @ info@nmac.org). You will need to bring a government ID to get into the building. We will meet in the Community Room on the 2nd floor.

As folks who live and/or work in the District, it is critical that we understand what is happening in our own backyard. It will be up to all of us to fight back and save the District.

Frank Oldham
NAPWA

Julie Scofield
NASTAD

Carl Schmid
AIDS Institute

Paul Kawata
NMAC

Letter from President

I read a letter from then Senator Obama

The Denver Principles

2008 video about the Denver Principles

Twitter

Follow Me On Twitter

National Minority AIDS Council Public Service Announcement

We love Nancy Wilson

Save Paul - Register for the 2009 USCA!

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Yours in the struggle,

It is how I close all of my emails. For me its not just a sentence, its an homage to my friend and partner in crime, Michael Hirsch.

When I first came to Washington, I had no idea which way was up. The serendipity of me getting this new job, without any knowledge of DC, meant that I had to scramble from day one. Michael was one of the first persons to take me under this wing. He was the quid essential New York Jewish Gay Activist. He was outrageous, maddening, and fun. He was also the first executive director (ED) of the New York People with AIDS (PWA) Coalition and the first ED of Body Positive.

Michael used to come to NAN (National AIDS Network) board meeting and infuse during the meeting. He always wanted to remind us that HIV was about real people with real problems. It was because of Michael that I got accepted into the PWA community. He was the one that insisted that I attend organizing meetings that would later become the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA).

In those days, we didn’t have email, so Michael would write me these long diatribes about life, the movement, his frustrations and his joy. They were intimate letters between someone who was dying and someone who would remember. In many ways, they were the culmination of his life. He would close each letter with “Yours in the struggle”.

The call
I got the call. If you did AIDS work in the 80s or early 90s, you know the one. Its the call where they say you need to come to the hospital/hospice/home quickly because your friend is about to pass. When I got the call for Michael, I was in Washington and needed to rush to New York. I remember hopping that shuttle and praying that he would hold on so I could say goodbye. The taxi ride from LaGuardia to Saint Vincent’s was one of the longest in my life.

As I rushed down the hall, I saw Michael’s mother and sister sobbing. My heart sank, I thought he was gone. Just then Rona Affoumado came up to me and said “Oh God, you just made it. The family has just decided to pull the plug.” I wasn’t’ too late.

Rona escorted me into Michael’s room. It was all pumps and whistles from the many machines trying to keep him alive. It had that funny smell, the smell of death. Michael has been unconscious for the last 24 hours, the morphine had stopped the pain and allowed him to sleep. As they turned the machines off, there was a eerily silence. I held Michael’s hand and told him how much I loved him. Just then, his eyes opened and a single tear rolled down his cheek... and then he was gone.

The nurse would later tell me that his opening his eyes was probably just a reflex, but to me it was a sign. It was Michael saying goodbye, to remember him, and to honor his legacy. So I close all of my letters and emails with “Yours in the struggle”. I do it to honor his life and the lives of so many that we lost.

Yours in the struggle,

Paul Kawata
Executive Director
National Minority AIDS Council, 1931 13th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009-4432
Tel: 202.483.6622; Fax: 202.483.1135; Website: http://www.nmac.org

Conference Call With Dr. Mary Wakfield

Save-the-Date for NMAC’s August Stakeholder Call
Wednesday, August 5th at 1:00 PM (Eastern)

Save the date for NMAC's August Stakeholder Call on Wednesday, August 5th, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. EST/ 10:00 AM Pacific, featuring guest speaker Dr. Mary Wakefield the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Due to the large number of participants expected, the call is not planned to be an open forum. You may submit your questions for Dr. Wakefield in advance, however, via info@nmac.org until Tuesday, Aug 6th, 2009, 5 p.m. EST.

Dr. Wakefield joins HRSA from the University of North Dakota (UND), where she was associate dean for rural health at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, a tenured professor, and director of the university's Center for Rural Health.

“As a nurse, a Ph.D., and a leading rural health care advocate, Mary Wakefield brings expertise that will be instrumental in expanding and improving services for those who are currently uninsured or underserved,” President Obama said in announcing her appointment. “Under her leadership, we will be able to expand and improve the care provided at the community health centers, which serve millions of uninsured Americans and address severe provider shortages across the country.”

Dr. Wakefield brings experience on Capitol Hill to her post at HRSA. In the 1990s, she served as chief of staff to two North Dakota senators: Kent Conrad (D) and Quentin Burdick (D).

She also has served as director of the Center for Health Policy, Research and Ethics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and worked on site as a consultant to the World Health Organization's Global Programme on AIDS in Geneva, Switzerland.

Dr. Wakefield is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and was elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies in 2004. She served on the IOM committee that produced the landmark reports To Err is Human and Crossing the Quality Chasm. She also co-chaired the IOM committee that produced the report Health Professions Education, and chaired the committee that produced the report Quality through Collaboration: Health Care in Rural America.

In addition, she has served on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, as chair of the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as a member of President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, and as a member of the National Advisory Committee to HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy.

At UND, Dr. Wakefield also was director of the Rural Assistance Center, a HRSA-funded source of information on rural health and social services for researchers, policymakers, program managers, project officers and the general public. In addition, the Center for Rural Health administered a $1.6 million award from HRSA under the Critical Access Hospital Health Information Technology Implementation program.

Dr. Wakefield is a native of Devils Lake, N.D. She has a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Mary in Bismarck and master's and doctoral degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at Austin.

The call will be limited to the first 200 participants. I am so sorry that we ran out of space last time. The call will be recorded and podcast on NMAC’s web site at a later date.