Continuing with the activity of compiling contact information for the 80th Texas Legislature and Texas' delegation to the 110th Congress, I created a second spreadsheet. This one is called "Texas State Government: 2007-2008." The spreadsheet includes separate sheets for the Texas House, Senate, and State Board of Education. There is also a sheet for State Leadership, a catchall for the Governor and anyone else I think you might need to contact at some point.
Once again, volunteers are invited to collaborate on completing these data sheets. While data entry can sometimes be mindnumbing, there is some excitement in chasing down the information. Fax numbers in particular are somewhat elusive as are personal or campaign web sites. Just send an email to cparker AT texasaids DOT net, and I'll sign you up as a collaborator (and be eternally grateful for the help).
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
2006 election results
Results are in (mostly) for the 2006 mid-term election. Unlike some other states, Texas did not vote for much of a change. Most incumbents won re-election; the Republican Party retains control of most branches of state government and continues to dominate the Texas congressional delegation.
Detailed election results for state- and federal-level races are available from the Secretary of State.
In preparation for new congressional and legislative sessions, I have begun compiling contact information for our various representatives. I will be using Google Docs & Spreadsheets for this effort. The spreadsheets can be imported and exported in various formats so that you can download them to your own computer and sort them as you prefer. Good news, from my perspective, is that Google has set this service up so that authors can collaborate with others on both documents and spreadsheets. That means that you can volunteer to help in this effort!
The first spreadsheet that I have set up is "Texas Congressional Delegation: 2007-2008." When completed, this spreadsheet will include contact information for Texas members of the U. S. House of Representatives and Senate. If you want to help complete this set of data, drop me an email at cparker AT texasaids DOT net. I'll add you as a collaborator, and you can get right to work.
Other spreadsheets will be prepared for the Texas House, Senate, and State Board of Education. Again, if you want to help with this effort, send me an email and I will add you as a collaborator. (More collaborators, faster work.)
One other result of the election is that the 80th Texas Legislature, while it begins its regular session in January, will begin pre-filing legislation tomorrow. The capitol website will allow you to see these bills as they are filed and to set up your own tracking list for them. Expect this session to be an active one for HIV-related legislation.
Detailed election results for state- and federal-level races are available from the Secretary of State.
In preparation for new congressional and legislative sessions, I have begun compiling contact information for our various representatives. I will be using Google Docs & Spreadsheets for this effort. The spreadsheets can be imported and exported in various formats so that you can download them to your own computer and sort them as you prefer. Good news, from my perspective, is that Google has set this service up so that authors can collaborate with others on both documents and spreadsheets. That means that you can volunteer to help in this effort!
The first spreadsheet that I have set up is "Texas Congressional Delegation: 2007-2008." When completed, this spreadsheet will include contact information for Texas members of the U. S. House of Representatives and Senate. If you want to help complete this set of data, drop me an email at cparker AT texasaids DOT net. I'll add you as a collaborator, and you can get right to work.
Other spreadsheets will be prepared for the Texas House, Senate, and State Board of Education. Again, if you want to help with this effort, send me an email and I will add you as a collaborator. (More collaborators, faster work.)
One other result of the election is that the 80th Texas Legislature, while it begins its regular session in January, will begin pre-filing legislation tomorrow. The capitol website will allow you to see these bills as they are filed and to set up your own tracking list for them. Expect this session to be an active one for HIV-related legislation.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Accountability and an olive branch
Dr. Gary F. Clark has written a comment on yesterday's blog article on "Accountability and World AIDS Day 2006." His comment is so important that I am responding in a new article so that I can address his points more fully. Dr. Clark says:
We, meaning Americans here but clearly applicable in other societies, have always viewed the epidemic as something that happens to the less-worthy "other." It has always been a dividing point between us and them, whoever "them" might be at any point in the epidemic.
Dr. Clark points out that "we are all humans." Oh, very yes! I recall a speech I made in San Angelo soon after I first came to Texas AIDS Network in which I talked about my sense that the AIDS epidemic was casting a very harsh spotlight on the cracks in the foundation of our society. Since AIDS seemed most to affect those whom we Americans were most willing to throw away--gay men, people of any color besides white, children, women--it seemed to me that the AIDS epidemic gave us the perfect opportunity to repair those cracks. Since HIV is an equal opportunity virus, I said, we need to rethink the divisions that hold us apart and realize that we are all affected by AIDS in one way or another. Therefore, I said, it behooves us to let go of those divisions and begin to work together to end the epidemic as well as the divisions.
Lo, these many years later, the divisions still exist. Rather than taking the opportunity to repair those cracks, we've used the HIV epidemic to widen them. And, while my comments regarding the World AIDS Day 2006 theme of accountability were not intended to be divisive, they were certainly intended to be aggressive.
I'm getting older by the minute and tireder. I am tired of the rhetoric about gay people and those who would use that rhetoric to hinder effective HIV prevention. Get over it already. I am tired of the lies that are told about condoms in the misguided hope that young people will cross their legs and remain abstinent. The result is that they are crossing their fingers instead of their legs--and putting themselves at greater risk for disease and pregnancy. I'm tired of ignorance about science in our country. And, while I'm making that point, could I just ask: How is it that the science that tells us to take an aspirin to help prevent heart disease is better than the science that prevents cervical cancer? I'm tired of the hypocrisy that claims to hold to a particular moral philosphy and then violates that philosophy in word and in deed. Did "do unto others" suddenly change from "as you would have them do unto you" into "as much as you can get away with"?
I'm tired of these things, but I'm not so tired that I wouldn't sit down with folks and talk about ways to move forward on treating and preventing HIV. What I am too tired to do is to allow them to change the subject to a side issue that isn't about HIV at all but rather looks at some other agenda. If we can't talk about the same subject, we're not talking at all.
Dr. Clark is absolutely right, of course. His recommendation has been my philosophy and my practice for years. The only problem is, I can't seem to get some folks to take that olive branch. Isn't it time we held them accountable for that?
I agree that the issue of accountability applies to both sides of this issue. However, rather than being divisive and aggressive, perhaps an olive branch would be more effective. Stressing overlap[p]ing interests is often much more effective than emphasizing differences. The key goal must be to cure AIDS, but first that will take real understanding.My first response to Dr. Clark's comments was somewhat defensive. Being divisive is not such a good thing in my world view. A moment or two of thinking about the matter, however, led me to opine that we are already divided on the issue of HIV and have been since the beginning of the epidemic.
. . .
In summary, rather than citing differences, maybe AIDS activists can come together with everyone in the world by emphasizing that we are all humans that are negatively impacted by these disease states. And that fighting with each other is not the right answer!
We, meaning Americans here but clearly applicable in other societies, have always viewed the epidemic as something that happens to the less-worthy "other." It has always been a dividing point between us and them, whoever "them" might be at any point in the epidemic.
Dr. Clark points out that "we are all humans." Oh, very yes! I recall a speech I made in San Angelo soon after I first came to Texas AIDS Network in which I talked about my sense that the AIDS epidemic was casting a very harsh spotlight on the cracks in the foundation of our society. Since AIDS seemed most to affect those whom we Americans were most willing to throw away--gay men, people of any color besides white, children, women--it seemed to me that the AIDS epidemic gave us the perfect opportunity to repair those cracks. Since HIV is an equal opportunity virus, I said, we need to rethink the divisions that hold us apart and realize that we are all affected by AIDS in one way or another. Therefore, I said, it behooves us to let go of those divisions and begin to work together to end the epidemic as well as the divisions.
Lo, these many years later, the divisions still exist. Rather than taking the opportunity to repair those cracks, we've used the HIV epidemic to widen them. And, while my comments regarding the World AIDS Day 2006 theme of accountability were not intended to be divisive, they were certainly intended to be aggressive.
I'm getting older by the minute and tireder. I am tired of the rhetoric about gay people and those who would use that rhetoric to hinder effective HIV prevention. Get over it already. I am tired of the lies that are told about condoms in the misguided hope that young people will cross their legs and remain abstinent. The result is that they are crossing their fingers instead of their legs--and putting themselves at greater risk for disease and pregnancy. I'm tired of ignorance about science in our country. And, while I'm making that point, could I just ask: How is it that the science that tells us to take an aspirin to help prevent heart disease is better than the science that prevents cervical cancer? I'm tired of the hypocrisy that claims to hold to a particular moral philosphy and then violates that philosophy in word and in deed. Did "do unto others" suddenly change from "as you would have them do unto you" into "as much as you can get away with"?
I'm tired of these things, but I'm not so tired that I wouldn't sit down with folks and talk about ways to move forward on treating and preventing HIV. What I am too tired to do is to allow them to change the subject to a side issue that isn't about HIV at all but rather looks at some other agenda. If we can't talk about the same subject, we're not talking at all.
Dr. Clark is absolutely right, of course. His recommendation has been my philosophy and my practice for years. The only problem is, I can't seem to get some folks to take that olive branch. Isn't it time we held them accountable for that?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Accountability and World AIDS Day 2006
According to Gretta Curtis of Christian Today, the theme for World AIDS Day (December 1) 2006 is accountability:
Curtis' article explores the theme in some detail, providing an international context for the concept.
The concept of accountability is a complex one. It is certainly au courant in the US, being used in one way or another in just about every political campaign we see these days. I'd like to see some exploration of the concept in terms of the current HIV epidemic in Texas.
Can we look for accountability from those who:
The theme of accountability, with the slogan 'Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise', was chosen in consultation with civil society campaign groups to stress the critical need to meet current commitments to increase the global response to AIDS and bring universal access to treatment, care and prevention by 2010.
Curtis' article explores the theme in some detail, providing an international context for the concept.
The concept of accountability is a complex one. It is certainly au courant in the US, being used in one way or another in just about every political campaign we see these days. I'd like to see some exploration of the concept in terms of the current HIV epidemic in Texas.
Can we look for accountability from those who:
- argue against increased funding for HIV prevention, services, and treatment?
- continue to cite false information about the effectiveness of condoms, with the result that sexually active young people now distrust condoms to protect them against HIV?
- offer false hope to people living with HIV by promoting junk science and questionable products, turning them away from proven therapies and better health?
- block effective sex education in our public schools, depriving young people of scientifically correct information that they need to remain healthy, all because of wishful thinking that "just say no" is an actual prevention strategy?
- people who claim to be moral but who also have no charity in their attitudes toward people living with HIV, as if leaving them to suffer were the righteous thing to do?
Yes, I'd like to see some real accountability in our fight against HIV. Wouldn't you?
Return to work studies
The current issue of WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation (Volume 27, Number 3, 2006) is a special issue called : HIV/AIDS and Employment: The Continuing Challenge. According to Medical News Today:
The collection of articles in this issue of WORK explores all of these matters and more. Unfortunately, only the article abstracts are available on line. Ordering the full issue will set you back almost $250, but you can recommend that your local library acquire it or get it for you on
interlibrary loan.
Persons living with HIV/AIDS, often diagnosed in the first few decades of their lives, may now face decades more of life while managing the illness. Increasingly, the population of persons with HIV/AIDS consists of women, persons of color, and persons who have poor social supports and limited education and financial resources. In addition, many persons with HIV/AIDS may be challenged with mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness and other co-morbid conditions. Not surprisingly, people with HIV/AIDS struggle to overcome significant challenges that affect their abilities to live independently and return to the workforce.
The collection of articles in this issue of WORK explores all of these matters and more. Unfortunately, only the article abstracts are available on line. Ordering the full issue will set you back almost $250, but you can recommend that your local library acquire it or get it for you on
interlibrary loan.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Parazapper zapped by FDA
The Parazapper is a fraudulent device that has been marketed as a cure for athelete's foot, diarrhea, HIV, and just about any other illness that can attributed to bacteria, fungus, or critters invading the body. It has been around, either on the market or touted as a do-it-yourself cure, for years. In essence, a parazapper is a metal rod connected by wires to a battery. You use it to zap yourself and the critters that have invaded you, thereby effecting a cure.
I'm not even going to bother with the usual blather about "no scientific evidence," yadda yadda. This product is just pure cr@p. People who market it are preying upon sick people, trying to take their money while promising them the impossible.
I was surprised to find a notice in my mailbox today that the FDA had had to send a warning letter out to a company that was actually marketing this product. Not surprised that the FDA sent the warning, but that there was actually a need to. Do Americans have so little understanding of science that they are gullible enough to buy this stuff?
I'm not even going to bother with the usual blather about "no scientific evidence," yadda yadda. This product is just pure cr@p. People who market it are preying upon sick people, trying to take their money while promising them the impossible.
I was surprised to find a notice in my mailbox today that the FDA had had to send a warning letter out to a company that was actually marketing this product. Not surprised that the FDA sent the warning, but that there was actually a need to. Do Americans have so little understanding of science that they are gullible enough to buy this stuff?
Texas observes NLAAD, October 15
The fourth annual observance of National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) will take place on Sunday, October 15, 2006. Sponsored by the Latino Commission on AIDS, NLAAD is designed to develop awareness, promote prevention and build leadership around HIV/AIDS issues in Latino communities nationwide.
The following is a list of NLAAD-related events taking place around Texas, provided by (but not endorsed by Texas Department of State Health Services, HIV/STD Program, and published in the Texas HIV/STD E-Update).
AUSTIN
The C.A.R.E. Program and the Mission of Restoration Program will sponsor an NLAAD event in East Austin. The event will take place at the Mission of Restoration Drop-In Center, 749 Montopolis Dr., on Friday, October 13. The event will feature HIV testing, counseling, referrals, and information along with drug counseling and referrals, blood pressure/blood sugar tests, and general health information. All services are free. Call 512-247-2222 for more information.
The Texas Department of State Health Services' (DSHS) HIV/STD Program will observe NLAAD with a presentation on HIV-related initiatives along the Texas/Mexico border on Tuesday, October 17 from 10-11:30am in room K-100 (auditorium) at the DSHS main campus, 1100 W. 49th St., in Austin. Scheduled presentations include the Cross-Border HIV/AIDS Multisectorial Policy Group, the Paso del Norte Study of risk behaviors and disease prevalence among IDUs, and the Migrant Clinicians Network. All are welcome to attend this presentation. Call Greg Beets at 512-533-3025 for more information.
CORPUS CHRISTI
The Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation (CBAF) is partnering with the Valley AIDS Council (VAC) Clinic to launch a social marketing campaign to educate Latino/Chicano communities in the Coastal Bend Area about the risk of HIV/AIDS. The campaign also seeks to encourage people to get tested for HIV and to access HIV care services if needed. VAC staff will use the local English and Spanish language media to promote the campaign. Appearances are scheduled on local channels KIII (ABC) and KORO (Univision). The campaign message will be critical to normalizing the presence of HIV as a community problem for the Hispanic/Chicano community. Local HIV/AIDS statistics and trends will be provided and prevention messages will be connected to CBAF’s prevention efforts in Molina, a predominately minority neighborhood on the Westside of Corpus Christi. Testing will be provided at this location from 1-6pm. Testing will also be conducted at CBAF offices on 400 Mann Street, Suite 800, in Corpus Christi from 9am to 5pm. For more information, please call 361-841-2001.
DALLAS
The Dallas County Health & Human Services Department (Mobile Medical Clinic) will co-host two functions to commemorate NLAAD in collaboration with multiple Dallas County community-based organizations. On Sunday October 15, the department will offer HIV/STD education and HIV/syphilis testing in collaboration with Resource Center of Dallas at Kaliente's (parking lot), 4350 Maple Av. at Hondo Av., from 7-11pm. On Monday October 16, the department will provide HIV/STD education and HIV/syphilis testing in collaboration with AIDS Interfaith of Dallas at the Mexican Consulate Office of Dallas, 8855 N. Stemmons Fwy., from 10am to 3pm. For additional information, please contact Monica Tunstle Garrett, Dallas County Health & Human Services, at 214-819-2132.
On Sunday, October 15 from 10am to 2pm, Dallas area HIV-related organizations will commemorate NLAAD with an outreach event at Bachman Lake, located at Bachman Lake Drive and Northwest Hwy. Participating organizations include the Latino Commission on AIDS, Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Valiente DFW LGBTQ, Mosaic Family Services, Inc., Dallas Legal Hospice, and AIDS Arms, Inc. Trained volunteers will be utilizing the OraQuick Advanced HIV Antibody Test, which provides clients with results in as little as 20 minutes. For additional information regarding this event, please contact Efren Garcia at Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, 214-893-5458.
EL PASO
Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso will conduct HIV awareness and testing events on Wednesday, October 11 from 9am to 1pm at the El Paso Mexican Consulate and on Monday, October 16 at El Paso Community College, Valle Verde Campus, from 10am to 2pm. The goal of these events is to reach as many Latinos as possible in the border area to raise consciousness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Latino community. Other agencies have been invited to participate in this event, including La Fe, Thomason General Hospital, the Binational AIDS Committee, and other local ASOs. Entertainment and Mexican folkloric dances will be part of the program. For more information, contact Tony Ramos at tony.ramosATppcep.org.
Aliviane, Inc. in El Paso will be providing confidential HIV screenings and Texas A & M University Prevention Resource Center will be providing information on HIV/AIDS, STDs and Hepatitis A, B, and C. This event will take place Friday, October 27 from 9-11am at Socorro Ramirez Community Center (Sparks Center), 106 Peyton Road in Horizon City. For more information, contact Emma Munoz, Aliviane, Inc., at 915-782-4042, or Susan Hernandez or Juan Garcia at the Texas A & M University Prevention Resource Center, 915-860-9528.
FORT WORTH
Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) hosted “Carnaval de Salud” on Saturday, October 7 from 8am to 12pm at 1101 S. Main St. (at Rosedale) in Fort Worth. This wellness event, part of the sixth annual observance of Binational Health Week, included HIV prevention activities. The goal of this event was to provide the Hispanic community with free information on public health as well as screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and syphilis. Call 817-321-4700 for more information.
La Gran Plaza Health Fair will take place Saturday, October 14 from 10am to 3pm at the OK Corral Night Club, 4200 South Fwy., in Fort Worth. The goal of this event is to provide the Hispanic community with free information on public health as well as screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and syphilis. Please call Santos Navarrette at 817-321-5333 for more information. TCPH will also conduct HIV and syphilis screening at the OK Corral on Saturday night from 9pm to 1am. Please call Brian Barron at 817-321-4863 for more information.
HOUSTON
St. Hope Foundation will provide HIV testing for NLAAD on Sunday, October 15 from 12-5pm at Club Carnaval, 8150 Southwest Fwy., in Houston. For more information, contact W. Jeffrey Campbell at 713-778-1300, ext. 230.
LONGVIEW/TYLER
Special Health Resources for Texas, Inc. (SHRT) will provide education, counseling, and testing in Tyler on Sunday, October 15 at La Michoacana, 310 N. Beckham, from 10am to 4pm, and in Longview on Monday, October 16 at La Michoacana, 1419 S. Green St., from 10am to 4pm. For more information, contact Ernesto Guevara at 903-234-8808, ext. 246.
NACOGDOCHES
Health Horizons of East Texas will conduct a community education and awareness event on Thursday, October 12 at 6pm at 2604 Stallings Drive in Nacogdoches. Free HIV testing will be available. Free HIV testing will also be available on Monday, October 16 at 412 North Street, Suite F. For more information, call toll-free 800-745-8240.
ODESSA
Ector County Health Department will conduct an NLAAD event on Thursday, October 12 from 5-1pm at LULAC’s “La Raza,” located at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin campus at 4901 E. University. For more information, call Jackie Venske or Lynn Gorton at 432-498-4141.
SAN ANTONIO
The San Antonio Prevention Collaborative (SAPC) will be hosting the following NLAAD-related activities:
Thursday October 12
6:30pm: Procession of Hope, San Fernando Cathedral (meet at Main Plaza)
9-12pm: HIV Testing, food, activities, door prizes at Bermuda Triangle, 119 El Mio
Friday October 13
8:30-10:30am: HIV testing and food at University Health System/FFACTS Clinic 527 N. Leona
Saturday October 14
10am-2pm: HIV testing, music, activities, and door prizes at Good Samaritan Center, 1600 Saltillo
7pm-12am: HIV testing and door prizes Stewart Center 1711 Guadalupe St.
Sunday, October 15
12-4pm: Free HIV testing and prizes at “Festival de la Salud,” Alamodome
The SAPC has joined forces to offer HIV screenings to the population in the San Antonio area that might not otherwise access testing sites due to stigma and denial. The collaborative is comprised of Avendida Guadalupe, BEAT AIDS, Good Samaritan, Community Clinic/Project Save, Mujeres Unidas, Hope Action Care, San Antonio Metro Health District (SAMHD), and the University Health System. The SAPC feels that offering a wide range of events in a health fair setting will help reduce the stigma associated with this pandemic. For more information, contact George Perez (SAMHD) at 210-207-8071 or Yvette Moran (Mujeres Unidas) at 210-738-3393.
The San Antonio AIDS Foundation will offer HIV testing from 8am to 6pm on Monday, October 16 at 818 E. Grayson St. For more information, please contact Vanessa Gonzales at 210-225-4715.
The following is a list of NLAAD-related events taking place around Texas, provided by (but not endorsed by Texas Department of State Health Services, HIV/STD Program, and published in the Texas HIV/STD E-Update).
AUSTIN
The C.A.R.E. Program and the Mission of Restoration Program will sponsor an NLAAD event in East Austin. The event will take place at the Mission of Restoration Drop-In Center, 749 Montopolis Dr., on Friday, October 13. The event will feature HIV testing, counseling, referrals, and information along with drug counseling and referrals, blood pressure/blood sugar tests, and general health information. All services are free. Call 512-247-2222 for more information.
The Texas Department of State Health Services' (DSHS) HIV/STD Program will observe NLAAD with a presentation on HIV-related initiatives along the Texas/Mexico border on Tuesday, October 17 from 10-11:30am in room K-100 (auditorium) at the DSHS main campus, 1100 W. 49th St., in Austin. Scheduled presentations include the Cross-Border HIV/AIDS Multisectorial Policy Group, the Paso del Norte Study of risk behaviors and disease prevalence among IDUs, and the Migrant Clinicians Network. All are welcome to attend this presentation. Call Greg Beets at 512-533-3025 for more information.
CORPUS CHRISTI
The Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation (CBAF) is partnering with the Valley AIDS Council (VAC) Clinic to launch a social marketing campaign to educate Latino/Chicano communities in the Coastal Bend Area about the risk of HIV/AIDS. The campaign also seeks to encourage people to get tested for HIV and to access HIV care services if needed. VAC staff will use the local English and Spanish language media to promote the campaign. Appearances are scheduled on local channels KIII (ABC) and KORO (Univision). The campaign message will be critical to normalizing the presence of HIV as a community problem for the Hispanic/Chicano community. Local HIV/AIDS statistics and trends will be provided and prevention messages will be connected to CBAF’s prevention efforts in Molina, a predominately minority neighborhood on the Westside of Corpus Christi. Testing will be provided at this location from 1-6pm. Testing will also be conducted at CBAF offices on 400 Mann Street, Suite 800, in Corpus Christi from 9am to 5pm. For more information, please call 361-841-2001.
DALLAS
The Dallas County Health & Human Services Department (Mobile Medical Clinic) will co-host two functions to commemorate NLAAD in collaboration with multiple Dallas County community-based organizations. On Sunday October 15, the department will offer HIV/STD education and HIV/syphilis testing in collaboration with Resource Center of Dallas at Kaliente's (parking lot), 4350 Maple Av. at Hondo Av., from 7-11pm. On Monday October 16, the department will provide HIV/STD education and HIV/syphilis testing in collaboration with AIDS Interfaith of Dallas at the Mexican Consulate Office of Dallas, 8855 N. Stemmons Fwy., from 10am to 3pm. For additional information, please contact Monica Tunstle Garrett, Dallas County Health & Human Services, at 214-819-2132.
On Sunday, October 15 from 10am to 2pm, Dallas area HIV-related organizations will commemorate NLAAD with an outreach event at Bachman Lake, located at Bachman Lake Drive and Northwest Hwy. Participating organizations include the Latino Commission on AIDS, Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Valiente DFW LGBTQ, Mosaic Family Services, Inc., Dallas Legal Hospice, and AIDS Arms, Inc. Trained volunteers will be utilizing the OraQuick Advanced HIV Antibody Test, which provides clients with results in as little as 20 minutes. For additional information regarding this event, please contact Efren Garcia at Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, 214-893-5458.
EL PASO
Planned Parenthood Center of El Paso will conduct HIV awareness and testing events on Wednesday, October 11 from 9am to 1pm at the El Paso Mexican Consulate and on Monday, October 16 at El Paso Community College, Valle Verde Campus, from 10am to 2pm. The goal of these events is to reach as many Latinos as possible in the border area to raise consciousness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Latino community. Other agencies have been invited to participate in this event, including La Fe, Thomason General Hospital, the Binational AIDS Committee, and other local ASOs. Entertainment and Mexican folkloric dances will be part of the program. For more information, contact Tony Ramos at tony.ramosATppcep.org.
Aliviane, Inc. in El Paso will be providing confidential HIV screenings and Texas A & M University Prevention Resource Center will be providing information on HIV/AIDS, STDs and Hepatitis A, B, and C. This event will take place Friday, October 27 from 9-11am at Socorro Ramirez Community Center (Sparks Center), 106 Peyton Road in Horizon City. For more information, contact Emma Munoz, Aliviane, Inc., at 915-782-4042, or Susan Hernandez or Juan Garcia at the Texas A & M University Prevention Resource Center, 915-860-9528.
FORT WORTH
Tarrant County Public Health (TCPH) hosted “Carnaval de Salud” on Saturday, October 7 from 8am to 12pm at 1101 S. Main St. (at Rosedale) in Fort Worth. This wellness event, part of the sixth annual observance of Binational Health Week, included HIV prevention activities. The goal of this event was to provide the Hispanic community with free information on public health as well as screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and syphilis. Call 817-321-4700 for more information.
La Gran Plaza Health Fair will take place Saturday, October 14 from 10am to 3pm at the OK Corral Night Club, 4200 South Fwy., in Fort Worth. The goal of this event is to provide the Hispanic community with free information on public health as well as screenings for cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV and syphilis. Please call Santos Navarrette at 817-321-5333 for more information. TCPH will also conduct HIV and syphilis screening at the OK Corral on Saturday night from 9pm to 1am. Please call Brian Barron at 817-321-4863 for more information.
HOUSTON
St. Hope Foundation will provide HIV testing for NLAAD on Sunday, October 15 from 12-5pm at Club Carnaval, 8150 Southwest Fwy., in Houston. For more information, contact W. Jeffrey Campbell at 713-778-1300, ext. 230.
LONGVIEW/TYLER
Special Health Resources for Texas, Inc. (SHRT) will provide education, counseling, and testing in Tyler on Sunday, October 15 at La Michoacana, 310 N. Beckham, from 10am to 4pm, and in Longview on Monday, October 16 at La Michoacana, 1419 S. Green St., from 10am to 4pm. For more information, contact Ernesto Guevara at 903-234-8808, ext. 246.
NACOGDOCHES
Health Horizons of East Texas will conduct a community education and awareness event on Thursday, October 12 at 6pm at 2604 Stallings Drive in Nacogdoches. Free HIV testing will be available. Free HIV testing will also be available on Monday, October 16 at 412 North Street, Suite F. For more information, call toll-free 800-745-8240.
ODESSA
Ector County Health Department will conduct an NLAAD event on Thursday, October 12 from 5-1pm at LULAC’s “La Raza,” located at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin campus at 4901 E. University. For more information, call Jackie Venske or Lynn Gorton at 432-498-4141.
SAN ANTONIO
The San Antonio Prevention Collaborative (SAPC) will be hosting the following NLAAD-related activities:
Thursday October 12
6:30pm: Procession of Hope, San Fernando Cathedral (meet at Main Plaza)
9-12pm: HIV Testing, food, activities, door prizes at Bermuda Triangle, 119 El Mio
Friday October 13
8:30-10:30am: HIV testing and food at University Health System/FFACTS Clinic 527 N. Leona
Saturday October 14
10am-2pm: HIV testing, music, activities, and door prizes at Good Samaritan Center, 1600 Saltillo
7pm-12am: HIV testing and door prizes Stewart Center 1711 Guadalupe St.
Sunday, October 15
12-4pm: Free HIV testing and prizes at “Festival de la Salud,” Alamodome
The SAPC has joined forces to offer HIV screenings to the population in the San Antonio area that might not otherwise access testing sites due to stigma and denial. The collaborative is comprised of Avendida Guadalupe, BEAT AIDS, Good Samaritan, Community Clinic/Project Save, Mujeres Unidas, Hope Action Care, San Antonio Metro Health District (SAMHD), and the University Health System. The SAPC feels that offering a wide range of events in a health fair setting will help reduce the stigma associated with this pandemic. For more information, contact George Perez (SAMHD) at 210-207-8071 or Yvette Moran (Mujeres Unidas) at 210-738-3393.
The San Antonio AIDS Foundation will offer HIV testing from 8am to 6pm on Monday, October 16 at 818 E. Grayson St. For more information, please contact Vanessa Gonzales at 210-225-4715.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
International Carnival of Pozitivities, Fourth Edition
Welcome to the Fourth International Carnival of Pozitivities. The first Carnival was hosted by Ron Hudson at 2sides2ron in July. In August, Brad at AIDS Combat Zone hosted the second Carnival. Last month's host, Richard Kearns, published the third Carnival at AIDS-write.org. This October edition of ICP is hosted here at Texas AIDS Blog by . . . well . . . me.
We are fortunate to have an ever-growing number of participants in the Carnival. This month we are pleased to welcome several new blogs and bloggers to the dialogue about AIDS and the people and communities that are affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition to several contributors from the US, we have contributions from central Asia, southern Africa, Canada, and Mexico. The topics covered by these articles show the diverse responses to the epidemic around the world at the same time they reveal the commonalities of people, places, and problems.
Voice
In many parts of the world, people affected by AIDS have no voice with which to speak to their families and community much less the world about their fears, their suffering, their hopes. This is due in no small part to the strong stigma attached to being HIV-positive, which stifles their voice and condemns them to silence. It is also due to the lack of tools to help project one's voice to those who need to hear it.
Cristi Hegranes writes in "El banco" about the day she took five women to a bank in Chiapas, Mexico, to open their first bank account with their first earnings. As Hegranes' post shows, having a voice is important on many levels:
Blogswana describes itself as "Botswana, AIDS and Blogging." Brian has an August post in Blogswana which incorporates Ron Hudson's "En-COURAGE-ment to Blog for HIV/AIDS," and makes the case for using the voice that we have:
In yet another take on "voice," Jody Kuchar writes about "AIDS WALK 2006" in Gray Matter Flatulence. She writes first about her participation in AIDS walks in Milwaukee and the vicious tactics the "Christian right hate groups" used to intimidate walkers and disrupt the event. Kuchar talks about her reaction to these tactics--anger, not fear--and her decision to put her time and energy into volunteering at a hospice. Still she questioned her decision:
Life after AIDS
By now, most of the world has come to the realization that there really is life after HIV and even life after AIDS. Given the fairy tales found in some pharmaceutical advertising and the distortions of media reports, it is no wonder that many have no clue what that life is like.
Ron Hudson has an "official" contribution to this month's Carnival, but I couldn't pass up his poignant description of "Clearing Out Your Closet." When he first sent me the link to the article, I thought it was going to be an essay about clearing out the mental clutter that keeps us from focusing more clearly on the task before us (which shows you what I need to be doing). Instead, it is a reminder that we all must cope--somehow--with life after AIDS.
Written for this past World AIDS Day, Ron's post is a different take on "the Day" and what it has come to stand for. Positive, proactive, inspirational slogans do help motivate us to keep going, to keep doing the work that we do in prevention, care, policy. All the slogans cannot, however, cover up the underlying grief and loss that we all must feel when World AIDS Day rolls around, when we open the doors to the closets of our memory and do as Ron did:
The Dreamer writes about a different way that those living with HIV must cope with that life. "Mangled in the Medical Machine - 2" is the second part of a three-part series on the nightmare that comes with needing surgery when you are HIV-positive. His blog, appropriately enough, is called Nightmare Hall.
The Dreamer chronicles in vivid detail his medication regime and the effects it has on his HIV disease as well as the debilitating side effects. As the side effects get worse, it is his chronic pain which begins to take over as a major health concern.
High Fiber For The High Fiver is LWood's blog, a delightful take on living with HIV and, as he says, "the way I like to play with labels." I won't give it away, but "Happy Valentines Day (non negatively)" will make you smile.
Routine Testing
The CDC has finally stopped teasing us and issued its recommendation that HIV testing should become a routine part of health care. While I've had my own (cautious) thoughts on the subject, two of our contributors this month chime in with their own thoughts.
Nels Highberg's blog is called A Delicate Boy . . . In the Hysterical Realm. In "Testing, Testing . . . ," he pushes the "on" button and starts listing his concerns about routine testing. He moves from lack of consent to skewed counseling to increased stigma, the latter, I might add, despite the CDC's professed belief that a policy of routine testing will reduce the stigma surrounding testing. Highberg continues with concerns about insurance, criminalization, and--my own hobby horse--the overburdened, underfunded system that provides care for those living with HIV. As Highberg says of AIDS service organizations:
Walter Senterfitt, in a guest post at AIDS-write.org, gives us "CHAMP HHS Watch--A Test of Our Commitment: What would it really take to fix HIV testing?" Senterfitt tosses out a breathtaking array of facts and research findings, all to say "The fix is not in." His argument carefully grants some validity to CDC's proposal for routine testing at the same time he places that proposal in the context of a long line of failed panaceas proposed by the CDC and points out some serious gaps in the proposal.
Senterfitt's own proposal? Comprehensive operations research on the effectiveness of these guidelines at the same time they are being promoted and implemented. He asks:
The lion's share of funding for HIV/AIDS in the US seems to be spent on medical research and treatment. The pittance that is spent on prevention is shrinking both in proportion and in absolute dollars. These facts alone suggest that is becoming increasingly important to make sure that our prevention messages are crystal clear and effectively targeted.
In the Blog to end AIDS, Akira Ohiso looks at Ian Daly's "Whatever Happened to Safe Sex?" Ohiso reports Daly's conclusions, that "denial, fatalism of our current world climate, misleading media information, and the Bush administration's misdirected abstinence education assault" did in safer sex. Ohiso's own opinion:
We are fortunate to have an ever-growing number of participants in the Carnival. This month we are pleased to welcome several new blogs and bloggers to the dialogue about AIDS and the people and communities that are affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition to several contributors from the US, we have contributions from central Asia, southern Africa, Canada, and Mexico. The topics covered by these articles show the diverse responses to the epidemic around the world at the same time they reveal the commonalities of people, places, and problems.
Voice
In many parts of the world, people affected by AIDS have no voice with which to speak to their families and community much less the world about their fears, their suffering, their hopes. This is due in no small part to the strong stigma attached to being HIV-positive, which stifles their voice and condemns them to silence. It is also due to the lack of tools to help project one's voice to those who need to hear it.
Cristi Hegranes writes in "El banco" about the day she took five women to a bank in Chiapas, Mexico, to open their first bank account with their first earnings. As Hegranes' post shows, having a voice is important on many levels:
"maria antonieta, “tonita,” was first. she is so quiet. sitting right next to her i could barely hear her speak. i think she was nervous b/c she doesn’t have a permanent address and she was using a copy of the gas bill from our office as proof of residence. she was asked a million questions, each reply came in a whisper until she was asked for her occupation — “SOY UNA PERIODISTA,” she bellowed. when asked for her place of employment she whipped out her new press pass and declared just as loudly “EL INSTITUTO DE PRENSA PARA MUJERES DE MEXICO.”The Press Institute for Women in the Developing World trains women to become reporters, focusing on six core themes, including AIDS, violence against women, reproductive rights, poverty, political oppression and community development. Those who have something to say about AIDS need a voice; having voice, the benefits accrue to them as well as to their audience.
Blogswana describes itself as "Botswana, AIDS and Blogging." Brian has an August post in Blogswana which incorporates Ron Hudson's "En-COURAGE-ment to Blog for HIV/AIDS," and makes the case for using the voice that we have:
The act of speaking out in your own voice requires courage and strength of character and a strong desire to be heard. For many living in the world [of] HIV/AIDS, our voices have been silenced by fear, anxiety, social stigma and threats of death or injury. Now more than ever, we need to speak out and let the world hear our voices.Not so long after that, Brian posted a lengthy list of "Botswana Blogs," several of which focus on AIDS. Given the tools, it's clear that there is great courage in the HIV/AIDS community.
In yet another take on "voice," Jody Kuchar writes about "AIDS WALK 2006" in Gray Matter Flatulence. She writes first about her participation in AIDS walks in Milwaukee and the vicious tactics the "Christian right hate groups" used to intimidate walkers and disrupt the event. Kuchar talks about her reaction to these tactics--anger, not fear--and her decision to put her time and energy into volunteering at a hospice. Still she questioned her decision:
Whenever my husband and I went to serve dinners or help at hospice, we did do good work and were appreciated for it. But it was silent work - we educated no one, we did not alleviate intolerance or hatred.Now living in Indianapolis, Kuchar is once more determined to make her voice heard: She will walk in AIDS Walk 2006.
Life after AIDS
By now, most of the world has come to the realization that there really is life after HIV and even life after AIDS. Given the fairy tales found in some pharmaceutical advertising and the distortions of media reports, it is no wonder that many have no clue what that life is like.
Ron Hudson has an "official" contribution to this month's Carnival, but I couldn't pass up his poignant description of "Clearing Out Your Closet." When he first sent me the link to the article, I thought it was going to be an essay about clearing out the mental clutter that keeps us from focusing more clearly on the task before us (which shows you what I need to be doing). Instead, it is a reminder that we all must cope--somehow--with life after AIDS.
Written for this past World AIDS Day, Ron's post is a different take on "the Day" and what it has come to stand for. Positive, proactive, inspirational slogans do help motivate us to keep going, to keep doing the work that we do in prevention, care, policy. All the slogans cannot, however, cover up the underlying grief and loss that we all must feel when World AIDS Day rolls around, when we open the doors to the closets of our memory and do as Ron did:
I sat on the bed and watched. He opened the door to your closet and started removing the clothes that hung there, one hanger at a time. He would hold the shirts to him, breathing in deeply to find a hint of your smell.AIDS still kills. Part of the horror is that some of us have to keep on living with the loss.
The Dreamer writes about a different way that those living with HIV must cope with that life. "Mangled in the Medical Machine - 2" is the second part of a three-part series on the nightmare that comes with needing surgery when you are HIV-positive. His blog, appropriately enough, is called Nightmare Hall.
The Dreamer chronicles in vivid detail his medication regime and the effects it has on his HIV disease as well as the debilitating side effects. As the side effects get worse, it is his chronic pain which begins to take over as a major health concern.
By June of 2005 my doctor decided to take me off all meds for an extended [trial] period since my counts [had] remained excellent for so long. The neuropathy [had] grown almost unbearable and my left leg was withering away faster than ever to [where] I was losing my balance and now the right leg began wasting faster and faster....In July my weak leg gave out under me and I fell backward fracturing my spine to boot.The tendency in the healthcare system to blame every illness on HIV rather than look for other causes, the truly experimental nature of HIV treatment for individuals, the increasing need to know one's disease and to reverse patient-doctor roles by becoming the one who is knowledgeable about treatment options--these, too, are part of life after AIDS.
High Fiber For The High Fiver is LWood's blog, a delightful take on living with HIV and, as he says, "the way I like to play with labels." I won't give it away, but "Happy Valentines Day (non negatively)" will make you smile.
Routine Testing
The CDC has finally stopped teasing us and issued its recommendation that HIV testing should become a routine part of health care. While I've had my own (cautious) thoughts on the subject, two of our contributors this month chime in with their own thoughts.
Nels Highberg's blog is called A Delicate Boy . . . In the Hysterical Realm. In "Testing, Testing . . . ," he pushes the "on" button and starts listing his concerns about routine testing. He moves from lack of consent to skewed counseling to increased stigma, the latter, I might add, despite the CDC's professed belief that a policy of routine testing will reduce the stigma surrounding testing. Highberg continues with concerns about insurance, criminalization, and--my own hobby horse--the overburdened, underfunded system that provides care for those living with HIV. As Highberg says of AIDS service organizations:
They don't get the money they need to do they work they want to do. And these new guidelines mention nothing about increased services.Word.*
Walter Senterfitt, in a guest post at AIDS-write.org, gives us "CHAMP HHS Watch--A Test of Our Commitment: What would it really take to fix HIV testing?" Senterfitt tosses out a breathtaking array of facts and research findings, all to say "The fix is not in." His argument carefully grants some validity to CDC's proposal for routine testing at the same time he places that proposal in the context of a long line of failed panaceas proposed by the CDC and points out some serious gaps in the proposal.
Senterfitt's own proposal? Comprehensive operations research on the effectiveness of these guidelines at the same time they are being promoted and implemented. He asks:
wouldn’t it be great it we could turn this next period of predictable resistance and confusion over implementation into a real dialogue among the feds, the docs, the healthcare execs, the community-based organizations serving high-risk communities and the people living with hiv to come up with a comprehensive plan to offer real treatment and real prevention for everyone in at country with, or at risk for, hiv[?]Brian Finch gives us "Nearly all HIV infections come from undiagnosed people" from his blog, Acid Reflux. In this post, Finch is looking at the role that the "unknowing" play in expanding the epidemic in the US. He adds some thoughts on the Canadian context and extensive quotes from an article about sero-sorting among HIV-negative gay men in Australia. Finch's post argues that:
Understanding who is more likely to transmit HIV helps us make our minds up on some of the contentious issues in HIV prevention like universal testing and sero-sorting, and the wisdom of criminalising HIV transmission, which tends to penalise people already aware of their HIV status.Prevention Messaging
The lion's share of funding for HIV/AIDS in the US seems to be spent on medical research and treatment. The pittance that is spent on prevention is shrinking both in proportion and in absolute dollars. These facts alone suggest that is becoming increasingly important to make sure that our prevention messages are crystal clear and effectively targeted.
In the Blog to end AIDS, Akira Ohiso looks at Ian Daly's "Whatever Happened to Safe Sex?" Ohiso reports Daly's conclusions, that "denial, fatalism of our current world climate, misleading media information, and the Bush administration's misdirected abstinence education assault" did in safer sex. Ohiso's own opinion:
. . . , the most egregious reason for the rise in STDs and HIV/AIDS is the religious ideological abstinence and anti-condom message of the Bush administration. The Bush administration and his right-wing gang will support millions of dollars in abstinence education, while cutting spending on prevention programs, fully knowing that prevention programs are much more effective.
Ron Hudson's official entry for this month's Carnival from his blog, 2sides2ron, is "Instructions on How to Use a Condom." As with the earlier essay on clearing closets, I was somewhat nonplussed. What on earth, I thought, was Ron going to say about condom instructions? Was this post even necessary given the abundance of information on the subject.
As it turns out, yes, the post was necessary. As Ron points out, in the context of the ongoing War on Condoms, a free and independent voice is needed to provide life-saving information to those who have been deprived of it or given misleading information. Ron's concern, too, is global: "I hope that this information reaches you in countries that have been forced to accept policy that has failed in the US as well."
Ben posts on neweurasia.net news of a regional HIV/AIDS conference. The existence of neweurasia.net provides another outlet for voice in a world where voice is frequently stifled as a matter of policy. This post focuses on the broad regional interest in HIV/AIDS and a shared concern that prevention funding be adequate to continue trends which, when compared to Russia and the Ukraine, are only "comparatively good."
Can
Our last contribution, "Can," is from Rick Reilly. While this article, originally published in Sports Illustrated, is not a blog post per se, it gives a message that we can all use: Can! (Not can't). Read the article, watch the video (with plenty of tissues handy), and imagine: CAN!
And that concludes ICP-4. If you liked it, please consider linking to it from your site. The next edition will be published on or about November 10. To submit a blog post for inclusion, fill out the submission form on the ICP web site.
Quotable
- "Doctors are not gods, merely highly paid troubleshooters of wetware." -- The Dreamer
- "I just don't think out culture should sugar-coat the realities of [HIV] disease. It kicks ass and hard and you better believe it." -- Ron Hudson
- "I bought into our society's message that gay equaled AIDS." -- Nels P. Highberg
- "AIDS seems to be a disease of 'those people' again." -- Nels P. Highberg
*Yes, I know that "nobody says 'word'" anymore. Meh.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
More money for FDA!
Diedtra Henderson writes for the Boston Globe about a new coalition that has formed to lobby for a bigger appropriation for the FDA. Yea, verily. As federal agencies go, the FDA is one of the most important for the health and safety of the American people, yet it is chronically underfunded. A little e coli in the vegetable supply goes a long way toward reminding folks that the "F" in FDA stands for food, and this is the agency that sets standards and conducts inspections. There's also the "D" in FDA, which makes one wonder about this:
Yo, PhRMA! It's a no brainer.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the pharmaceutical industry's trade association, said in a statement that a decision whether to join the Coalition for a Stronger FDA is ``still under consideration." It also has not decided whether to endorse redirecting user fees to help improve drug safety.
Yo, PhRMA! It's a no brainer.
The public face of AIDS (U.S.A.)
The Washington Post writer Michael A. Fleischer reports that the First Lady is now being touted as the public face of AIDS for this administration:
Oh, dear. Is that the same face that forced the withdrawal of a WHO resolution on AIDS treatment?
"She's been the face of, as far as the public face of, the U.S. government commitment on AIDS, on human rights, on democracy," McBride [Mrs. Bush's chief of staff] said. "So I think he's seen what all of you have seen -- she's been a voice for the commitments that the U.S. government is making on these issues."
Oh, dear. Is that the same face that forced the withdrawal of a WHO resolution on AIDS treatment?
AUCKLAND, New Zealand A resolution calling for universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment has been withdrawn from the World Health Organization's Asia-Pacific conference because the United States insisted on changing it, senior officials said Friday.Or was the real face of US policy on HIV meant to be hidden while the public face smiles . . . vacuously?
American officials submitted a series of last-minute amendments to remove expressions of support in the resolution for items such as needle exchange programs for drug addicts, said officials at the meeting in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city.
New Zealand Health Minister Pete Hodgson, who chaired WHO's annual weeklong conference of officials from the Western Pacific region, said the U.S. amendments would have watered down the resolution.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Honor killing on the installment plan
I went back to an old favorite news source today: newsmap. In the Health section, I found a link to a news article from the Phillipines about the HPV vaccine: "How many women will have to die?" I'm interested in the subject (we are expecting to see legislation on this matter in the next session of the Texas Legislature), but it may not be immediately obvious why the vaccine might matter in the context of HIV/AIDS.
The parallels to HIV prevention are, however, quite obvious. The same age groups are important for early prevention activities. Both have a significant time lag between risky behavior, infection, and the appearance of life-threatening consequences. The same moral issues have been raised as reasons not to use effective prevention interventions.
The Phillipine article gives a nice run down of the issues surrounding the full utilization of the HPV vaccine at the recommended time with the recommended population, especially the economic and regulatory issues. The "morals issue" got rather short shrift, however:
The parallels to HIV prevention are, however, quite obvious. The same age groups are important for early prevention activities. Both have a significant time lag between risky behavior, infection, and the appearance of life-threatening consequences. The same moral issues have been raised as reasons not to use effective prevention interventions.
The Phillipine article gives a nice run down of the issues surrounding the full utilization of the HPV vaccine at the recommended time with the recommended population, especially the economic and regulatory issues. The "morals issue" got rather short shrift, however:
(a) I somehow doubt we'd ever see such short shrift given to the issue in a U.S. publication. Instead what we tend to see is a lot of reportorial vapors over the concern for the morals of young girls and the parental right to make life and death decisions for the future adults that they will become. (b) I think we've found the right description for opposition to effective prevention, whether it's prevention of HIV or HPV infection: honor killing.ANOTHER issue that has emerged in the controversy is that of “morals.” “Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful,” Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council told the British magazine New Scientist, “because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex.”
Katha Pollitt, writing in The Nation, comments with tongue firmly in cheek: “Just as it’s better for gays to get AIDS than use condoms, it’s better for a woman to get cancer than have sex before marriage. It’s honor killing on the installment plan.”
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Talking point: Texas health workforce
The Statewide Health Coordinating Council is in the process of finalizing its report on healthcare workforce issues in Texas through its 2007-2008 State Health Plan Update. If you're interested, the stats and graphs showing number, distribution, education, and even age (they are so getting older) are included in Chapter 2: Status of the Health Workforce in TX. SHCC's recommendations to the legislature are included in Appendix A: 2005-2010 Texas State Health Plan Recommendations. On page 6 of those recommendations, under "Primary Care Recommendations," we find this little gem:
The health workforce is going to be an issue of significant concern to the Texas Legislature when it convenes in January. Aligning the request for increased funding for HIV prevention and services with this concern can be useful in creating a more positive reception for the request.
I do not, however, see this as the whole burden of one's argument in support of this funding, but rather as a passing reference that "appeals" to authority of the SHCC. For example, "Senator So-and-So, this request is precisely the sort of initiative that is included by the Statewide Health Coordinating Council in its recommendations for improving primary care in Texas." Then move on to your other points. If there's any question, you have the reference to the original and can quote it.
1. The Legislature should support initiatives that will support public health prevention and education programs in an effort to decrease the incidence and severity of chronic disease in the population by enabling individuals to take personal responsibility for their health.Yes, I know there are some code words in here, most notably the infamous "personal responsibility," but, used carefully, this can serve as a talking point in support of the legislative appropriation request for increased funding for HIV services and prevention.
The health workforce is going to be an issue of significant concern to the Texas Legislature when it convenes in January. Aligning the request for increased funding for HIV prevention and services with this concern can be useful in creating a more positive reception for the request.
I do not, however, see this as the whole burden of one's argument in support of this funding, but rather as a passing reference that "appeals" to authority of the SHCC. For example, "Senator So-and-So, this request is precisely the sort of initiative that is included by the Statewide Health Coordinating Council in its recommendations for improving primary care in Texas." Then move on to your other points. If there's any question, you have the reference to the original and can quote it.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Condom ad
A friend sent me a video of a condom ad from East Africa. I tracked it down to at least one web site. Go see it. It's fun.
The caption at the end is "Maisha iko sawa na Trust." There may be some double meanings here as well. My first reading was that it meant "Life is the same as Trust," i.e., life = Trust. A second reading made me think that the phrase was somewhat more idiomatic and might mean "Life is good with Trust."
Trust is the condom brand. The phrase seems to have been their ad slogan for some years. The video and discussions of it have been viral, showing up in web discussions in several languages. The consensus seems to go with my second translation, but I kinda like the first, since it focuses so clearly on the prevention concept rather than a more hedonistic ethic. Still, it's a clever ad. Look for the old baba in the car.
The caption at the end is "Maisha iko sawa na Trust." There may be some double meanings here as well. My first reading was that it meant "Life is the same as Trust," i.e., life = Trust. A second reading made me think that the phrase was somewhat more idiomatic and might mean "Life is good with Trust."
Trust is the condom brand. The phrase seems to have been their ad slogan for some years. The video and discussions of it have been viral, showing up in web discussions in several languages. The consensus seems to go with my second translation, but I kinda like the first, since it focuses so clearly on the prevention concept rather than a more hedonistic ethic. Still, it's a clever ad. Look for the old baba in the car.
Texas HIV/STD Infoline . . . going . . . but not gone
The latest issue of the Texas HIV/STD eUpdate from the DSHS HIV/STD Program carries the story (emphasis added):
Calling the InfoLine seems only to net that one change: if you want to talk to an information specialist about HIV or STDs, you get a referral to the CDC Infoline. Otherwise, it's all the same, at least until the end of 2006.
This all came about because the person who managed the InfoLine retired, and the Program has made the decision not to rehire. Instead, there are ongoing discussions with the folks at the 211 program and some thinking about rerecording the info messages, etc. Further changes are not likely before 2007, but we have been reassured that there will be an InfoLine for the foreseeable future.
InfoLine Callers Now Forwarded to CDC-INFO
The Texas HIV/STD InfoLine you know so well (800-299-2437) is undergoing some changes.
Until recently, callers who wanted to speak to an information specialist would get a DSHS employee. Callers who request to speak with an information specialist are now automatically forwarded to 1-800-CDC-INFO. This new hotline, which replaces the National AIDS Hotline, provides English, Spanish, and TTY service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can speak to a live information specialist and receive HIV/STD testing and services referrals for Texas or any other state. The Texas HIV/STD InfoLine will continue to be forwarded to CDC-INFO through the end of 2006.
All callers are still greeted with a menu of informational audio tapes in English and
Spanish. Callers wishing to connect with the Texas HIV Medication Program (THMP) or file a complaint are still connected to DSHS employees.
If you have any questions regarding the InfoLine, please contact Jean Gibson at jean.gibson@dshs.state.tx.us or 512-533-3023.
Calling the InfoLine seems only to net that one change: if you want to talk to an information specialist about HIV or STDs, you get a referral to the CDC Infoline. Otherwise, it's all the same, at least until the end of 2006.
This all came about because the person who managed the InfoLine retired, and the Program has made the decision not to rehire. Instead, there are ongoing discussions with the folks at the 211 program and some thinking about rerecording the info messages, etc. Further changes are not likely before 2007, but we have been reassured that there will be an InfoLine for the foreseeable future.
Condoms at DSHS
Well, not exactly at DSHS. On their new website.
I was looking to see what educational resources related to condoms were still available on the HIV/STD program's new website--and couldn't find it! Naturally, I couldn't stop myself from being just a tad . . . well . . . paranoid about the possibility of the change from one web address to another being used as an opportunity to scrub some things from the website. Condoms have been a central battleground, so to speak, in the culture wars. As I recall, there had been some rather useful information about condoms on the old website. Did it make it to the new one?
Most of it did indeed make it, but finding it takes some effort. The obvious place to look is under Publications and from there under "Publications and Brochures." That will net you references to two brochures: (6-23) "How to Use a Condom" and its Spanish companion (6-23a). The asterisk after each, however, asserts that you must be a "professional" in order to order the brochure. (I'm pretty sure that the humor was unintended.)
I had to have help from a DSHS employee to find the next links. A search of the site assured me that two fact sheets on condoms did in fact exist on the site, but where were they? How would a member of the public find them? With a little help, we managed to locate them in the section: "What are HIV and STDs?" Under the heading: "Information about STD transmssion (sic) and testing." Not under "Information about HIV transmission and testing." And not under anything that would point you to the concept of prevention.
I suspect that there will be some reworking of the new site so that things are easier to find, especially for the general public looking for prevention information. I'm also thinking it may be time to mirror some of these things on Texas AIDS Net . . .
I was looking to see what educational resources related to condoms were still available on the HIV/STD program's new website--and couldn't find it! Naturally, I couldn't stop myself from being just a tad . . . well . . . paranoid about the possibility of the change from one web address to another being used as an opportunity to scrub some things from the website. Condoms have been a central battleground, so to speak, in the culture wars. As I recall, there had been some rather useful information about condoms on the old website. Did it make it to the new one?
Most of it did indeed make it, but finding it takes some effort. The obvious place to look is under Publications and from there under "Publications and Brochures." That will net you references to two brochures: (6-23) "How to Use a Condom" and its Spanish companion (6-23a). The asterisk after each, however, asserts that you must be a "professional" in order to order the brochure. (I'm pretty sure that the humor was unintended.)
I had to have help from a DSHS employee to find the next links. A search of the site assured me that two fact sheets on condoms did in fact exist on the site, but where were they? How would a member of the public find them? With a little help, we managed to locate them in the section: "What are HIV and STDs?" Under the heading: "Information about STD transmssion (sic) and testing." Not under "Information about HIV transmission and testing." And not under anything that would point you to the concept of prevention.
I suspect that there will be some reworking of the new site so that things are easier to find, especially for the general public looking for prevention information. I'm also thinking it may be time to mirror some of these things on Texas AIDS Net . . .
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Checking out the new Blogger
Spent some time yesterday dinking around with the new version of Blogger, called, cleverly enough, Blogger Beta. I'm with Peggy Lee on this: is that all there is? I was, as you can guess, underwhelmed.
I'm normally a BIG fan of just about anything Google does (well, except for that China thing), but they've missed the boat on this one. It really is a "beta," and not much of one at that.
Why am I kvetching about this on an AIDS blog? Well, it's a blog--and Blogger is what we have to work with right now. Either I learn a lot more about CSS and HTML than I ever wanted to know so we can have a better interface here, or the Blogger team (which already knows this stuff) makes it work for us.
Here's what's missing:
I'm normally a BIG fan of just about anything Google does (well, except for that China thing), but they've missed the boat on this one. It really is a "beta," and not much of one at that.
Why am I kvetching about this on an AIDS blog? Well, it's a blog--and Blogger is what we have to work with right now. Either I learn a lot more about CSS and HTML than I ever wanted to know so we can have a better interface here, or the Blogger team (which already knows this stuff) makes it work for us.
Here's what's missing:
- Better templates (the instructions are not clear to a novice, the options are too limited, where are the new ones?)
- More features (it's nice that Blogger is finally going to add categories and blog rolls, but where is the connection to Google Earth or Calendar or all those other features?)
- Privacy issues (I'm blogging with my real name because this is an "official" blog; what about folks who want some pseudonymity in their blogging? what about folks who have both official and personal blogs? linking everything to your Gmail account makes it hard to keep those separate)
- Three columns (duh!)
- Statistics (duh!)
There are probably more issues, but these are the ones that popped up on the first pass. I think we'll wait until the "beta" goes away before looking at it again.
/rant
Routine testing on its way?
Todays' CDC Prevention News included a clip from the Fort Wayne (IN) Journal-Gazette regarding the possibility of a recommendation for routine HIV testing in the U.S. The story was a nicely done "local take" on a national issue. I'm guessing that the CDC included this item in its news roundup because overall reporting on the issue is comparatively slim, and this story helps keep the issue floating about in the HIV community.
Even though the article includes a caveat from "CDC spokesperson" Tammy Nunnally that the policy is only under consideration, I fully expect that the next few months will bring it to reality. If so, we'll see something like a quasi-voluntary testing policy (you will be tested unless you refuse) that "offers" the test to every person between the ages of 16 and 60 (or thereabouts) when they enter the health care system. Presumably this would include private as well as public health elements of the system.
The reasons being offered for shifting to routine testing seem to boil down to two things: simplifying testing (by removing mandatory counseling components) and the hope that this policy will duplicate the success of routine testing for pregnant women in reducing new HIV infections. And, of course, the possibility of offering routine testing is assisted by the availability of new tests which provide results in a matter of minutes rather than the wait of two weeks needed in the past.
The results expected include an overall "social desensitization" to HIV testing. Right now, there is sufficient stigma associated with HIV testing, that many who are at risk do not get tested for fear of that stigma. Given that such tests are supposed to be confidential, that whole issue speaks ill of our health care system that it cannot be trusted to keep the mere fact of being tested for HIV confidential. If HIV testing becomes routine, perhaps there will be a concomitant effort to increase the sensitivity of health care providers, especially in the private sector, to handle the results more discreetly.
There is nothing in this proposal, however, that would help with "social desensitization" to an HIV diagnosis. We still remain a society that will judge a person for his/her health status before we are moved to compassion regarding that same health status.
Even though the article includes a caveat from "CDC spokesperson" Tammy Nunnally that the policy is only under consideration, I fully expect that the next few months will bring it to reality. If so, we'll see something like a quasi-voluntary testing policy (you will be tested unless you refuse) that "offers" the test to every person between the ages of 16 and 60 (or thereabouts) when they enter the health care system. Presumably this would include private as well as public health elements of the system.
The reasons being offered for shifting to routine testing seem to boil down to two things: simplifying testing (by removing mandatory counseling components) and the hope that this policy will duplicate the success of routine testing for pregnant women in reducing new HIV infections. And, of course, the possibility of offering routine testing is assisted by the availability of new tests which provide results in a matter of minutes rather than the wait of two weeks needed in the past.
The results expected include an overall "social desensitization" to HIV testing. Right now, there is sufficient stigma associated with HIV testing, that many who are at risk do not get tested for fear of that stigma. Given that such tests are supposed to be confidential, that whole issue speaks ill of our health care system that it cannot be trusted to keep the mere fact of being tested for HIV confidential. If HIV testing becomes routine, perhaps there will be a concomitant effort to increase the sensitivity of health care providers, especially in the private sector, to handle the results more discreetly.
There is nothing in this proposal, however, that would help with "social desensitization" to an HIV diagnosis. We still remain a society that will judge a person for his/her health status before we are moved to compassion regarding that same health status.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
New web site for Texas HIV Bureau
The HIV Bureau (yeah, that's not it's name anymore, w/e) has a new website with a new look. Three years after the Department of State Health Services arose from the ashes (thanks, Arlene) of the old Texas Department of Health, the HIV Bureau is now being added to the Department's website as a full-fledged section rather than as a link to a legacy site. (That probably doesn't matter to the rest of the world, but I always found it curious that it HIV managed to hang out in limbo so long.)
The new web address: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/default.shtm.
The "home page" shows the new look--which is just like the (bland) DSHS look--with links to other sections of the department's web site. The left side of the page holds the HIV Bureau's links, and I have to say that they are now much easier for me to read and to distinguish one from another. I am more familiar with some sections of the old site than with others.
In those cases where I have some familiarity, it looks like nothing has been lost in the transition. I'd be curious to know what you find in looking at the site.
The new web address: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/hivstd/default.shtm.
The "home page" shows the new look--which is just like the (bland) DSHS look--with links to other sections of the department's web site. The left side of the page holds the HIV Bureau's links, and I have to say that they are now much easier for me to read and to distinguish one from another. I am more familiar with some sections of the old site than with others.
In those cases where I have some familiarity, it looks like nothing has been lost in the transition. I'd be curious to know what you find in looking at the site.
America is Africa?
So says Patrick Moore in his op ed for Long Island Newsday, and I couldn't agree more. He makes his comparison thusly:
The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report gives this summary of his op ed (emphasis added):
I could have highlighted several other phrases, but I focused on the funding issue because that one seems to be the easiest and simplest to deal with. Issues of national character (bouncing along the surface of crises without dealing with underlying causes) and chronic infrastructural probems (failure of the health care system) are neither attractive to policy makers nor amenable to solution in the near term. Full funding for the Ryan White CARE Act is. Doing so should take nothing, of course, from concern and support for dealing with HIV in Africa. That's a serious issue and really is in our national interest to address--completely apart from the humanitarian issues there. We should not, however, allow the media or policymakers to distract us--or themselves--from the serious issue of HIV at home by focusing more attention on Africa than on America when there are waiting lists for medications in this country, when people on those waiting lists die for lack of medication, when AIDS drug assistance programs cannot provide all of the medications that are needed to meet the standard of care for this nation in this nation.
But, in large parts of this country, America is Africa. With skyrocketing infection rates, poverty, lack of health insurance and a paucity of doctors, people with AIDS in the American rural South face prospects almost as grim as people living with AIDS in Africa.
The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report gives this summary of his op ed (emphasis added):
Over the last few years, the U.S. increasingly has "turned its attention" to the HIV/AIDS "crisis" in Africa even though in "large parts of this country, America is Africa," Patrick Moore, author of "Tweaked: A Crystal Meth Memoir," writes in a Long Island Newsday opinion piece. "With skyrocketing infection rates, poverty, lack of health insurance and a paucity of doctors, people with AIDS in the American rural South face prospects almost as grim as people living with AIDS in Africa," Moore writes. According to Moore, the "deeper story" of how HIV/AIDS in parts of the U.S. compares to the situation in developing countries "involves not just racism but our national character as a whole." The U.S. tends to "bounce along from one crisis to another, without addressing underlying, persistent problems," such as injection drug use, poverty and the "failure of the American health care system," Moore writes. According to Moore, the "solution" to fighting domestic HIV/AIDS is "not to reapportion a shrinking pool of existing funds but to increase the funding to appropriate levels for the entire country." Moore writes, "None of this is to argue that we should decrease funding to AIDS programs in Africa," concluding, "In fact, we can have greater compassion for Africa if we understand that this disease remains a crisis at home as well. When that awareness is achieved, we can be proud to say America is Africa" (Moore, Long Island Newsday, 9/6).
I could have highlighted several other phrases, but I focused on the funding issue because that one seems to be the easiest and simplest to deal with. Issues of national character (bouncing along the surface of crises without dealing with underlying causes) and chronic infrastructural probems (failure of the health care system) are neither attractive to policy makers nor amenable to solution in the near term. Full funding for the Ryan White CARE Act is. Doing so should take nothing, of course, from concern and support for dealing with HIV in Africa. That's a serious issue and really is in our national interest to address--completely apart from the humanitarian issues there. We should not, however, allow the media or policymakers to distract us--or themselves--from the serious issue of HIV at home by focusing more attention on Africa than on America when there are waiting lists for medications in this country, when people on those waiting lists die for lack of medication, when AIDS drug assistance programs cannot provide all of the medications that are needed to meet the standard of care for this nation in this nation.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Where the epidemic is now
CDC Prevention News cites the following research study:
"Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States" Journal of Adolescent Health Vol. 39; No. 2: P. 156-163 (08..06):: María C. Rangel, MD, PhD; Loretta Gavin, MPH, PhD: Christie Reed, MD, MPH, FAAP; Mary G. Fowler, MD; Lisa M. Lee, PhD
The study's conclusion:
The epidemic is now hitting young people, especially young men who have sex with men, especially black and hispanic youth. Trends show a decline in reported HIV cases among women. In some ways, there might be a tendency to say "we're back where we started." I, however, am thinking that the whole thing is rather like whack-a-mole. You hit it here, and it pops up there. Without a comprehensive approach to prevention, one that goes beyond "just say no," any strong emphasis on one demographic group may lead another group to think that it is not at risk.
Maybe we shouldn't talk about where the epidemic is now, but emphasize that the epidemic shifts. It gains a foothold in one social network and spreads there; awareness and prevention may reduce or eliminate (we can wish) the infection rate in that community, but the virus can easily spread to another where individuals have been less vigilent. Just a thought.
"Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States" Journal of Adolescent Health Vol. 39; No. 2: P. 156-163 (08..06):: María C. Rangel, MD, PhD; Loretta Gavin, MPH, PhD: Christie Reed, MD, MPH, FAAP; Mary G. Fowler, MD; Lisa M. Lee, PhD
The study's conclusion:
National case surveillance data for people ages 13-24 revealed that the burden of HIV/AIDS falls most heavily on the Southern region of the country and disproportionately on black and Hispanic youth, the study found. "The observed increases in the number of HIV cases among men who have sex with men are congruent with recent reports that suggest a resurgence of HIV among these young men," the authors noted. "Our findings highlight the need for intensified HIV prevention efforts within minority communities and among men who have sex with men as well as strengthened efforts to encourage at-risk youth to get tested for
HIV," the researchers concluded.
The epidemic is now hitting young people, especially young men who have sex with men, especially black and hispanic youth. Trends show a decline in reported HIV cases among women. In some ways, there might be a tendency to say "we're back where we started." I, however, am thinking that the whole thing is rather like whack-a-mole. You hit it here, and it pops up there. Without a comprehensive approach to prevention, one that goes beyond "just say no," any strong emphasis on one demographic group may lead another group to think that it is not at risk.
Maybe we shouldn't talk about where the epidemic is now, but emphasize that the epidemic shifts. It gains a foothold in one social network and spreads there; awareness and prevention may reduce or eliminate (we can wish) the infection rate in that community, but the virus can easily spread to another where individuals have been less vigilent. Just a thought.
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