November meeting minutes

Click here for November's minutes.

November's Agenda

Click here for the November agenda!

October minutes

Click here for October's minutes!

9/9/09 Minutes

Looking for the minutes to September's LAHIVMHTF meeting? Click here!

Next meeting 9/9/09!

Please join us for our September meeting at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza from 9:30A-11:30AM.

Vicki Freda, manager of the HOPWA Central Coordinating Agency at Aid for Aids, will present on various short term assistance and move-in grants available to our clients with HIV.


To download the agenda - please click here.

See you there!

Tell HHS to End the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban

The Government is extremely close to getting rid of the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban, which prohibits individuals who are living with HIV or AIDS from immigrating to the United States, and refuses entry for travelers who are living with HIV, unless they secure a waiver. The CDC has decided to remove HIV from the list of travel restrictions. The rule is open for public comment until Monday, August 17th.

Make your voice heard today! Get in contact with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and tell them to end the ban. You can do this by following three easy steps:

1. Draft a set of comments such as those below.

2. Send an e-mail with your comments to Part34HIVcomments@cdc.gov. Please include the Docket ID, Docket Title, and RIN number, with any text that you choose.

3. For more information, please visit CDC's website at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dq/laws_regs/fed_reg/remove-hiv/index_hiv.htm

Sample Message:

Docket ID: CDC-2008-0001
Docket Title: Medical Examination of Aliens - Removal of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection from Definition of Communicable Disease of Public Health Significance

RIN: 0920-AA26

I am writing to communicate my support for the proposed rule that would that would lift the immigration ban on visitors and immigrants living with HIV/AIDS, stop unfair mandatory HIV testing of immigrants, and remove references to HIV from the scope of examinations in its regulations.

This change will restore the U.S. as a leader in the areas of human rights, equal treatment under law, and public health. The change is needed because:

- There is no scientific or public health justification for HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay, and residence.
- Restrictions on entry, stay, and residence based on HIV status are discriminatory.
- The enforcement of HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay, and residence can, and does, violate other human rights.
- HIV-related restrictions on entry, stay, and residence can impede effective responses to HIV.

For these reasons, I support lifting the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban.

Sincerely,

APLA To Challenge California Govenor Over Unconstitutional Line-Item Vetoes

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) today announced that it intends file suit against California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, on the ground that his line-item vetoes of the state Legislature’s July budget revision bill are unconstitutional. The governor "blue penciled" state funding for a range of safety-net programs, including more than $80 million from California’s HIV/AIDS portfolio. Leading international law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP will represent APLA on a pro bono basis.

"The governor has placed at risk the lives of many thousands of Californians who depend on these vital HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs," said APLA Executive Director Craig E. Thompson. "In doing so, he has overstepped his constitutional authority and left no other option."

APLA’s programs – including those that provide in-home care to seriously ill, HIV-positive L.A. County residents and those that offer HIV prevention education to Angelenos at highest risk of HIV infection – stand to lose a total of more than $1.8 million as a result of Schwarzenegger’s cuts. The agency is the hardest hit statewide.

In late July, Schwarzenegger "blue lined" state general fund support for all HIV/AIDS programs except HIV epidemiology and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), leaving the state’s Office of AIDS with only 20 percent of its funding for programs like HIV education and prevention, HIV counseling and testing, home health and early intervention. These were among more than $485 million in cuts made to the state’s health and human services portfolio.

"In exceeding his power, the governor has singlehandedly dismantled a critical array of programs that protect the health of all Californians -- programs that ultimately save the state from far more catastrophic spending," Thompson said. "The effects will be nothing short of devastating."

In a written opinion commissioned by state legislative leaders, the California Legislative Counsel Bureau agreed with advocates, finding that the cuts "did not constitute a valid exercise of [Schwarzenegger’s] line-item veto authority granted by… the California Constitution."

Advocates and the Counsel argue that the governor only has "blue pencil" authority over original budget appropriations. Schwarzenegger, however, made the latest cuts to Assembly Bill 1, which only "reduced the amount of an existing appropriation previously authorized" by the Legislature in February, the Counsel contends. The governor is "not granted new expenditure authority, nor is a state officer’s expenditure authority extended in any way by an item or section of a bill that solely makes a reduction of an existing appropriation," the Counsel’s memo notes. Assembly Bill 1 was passed by a simple majority in the Legislature – not a two-thirds vote mandated for original appropriations that are subject to the blue pencil.

"The California Constitution provides important safeguards to prevent a single elected official from circumventing the entire legislative process," Thompson added. "We’re confident that the courts will agree."

Community leaders will gather at a Tuesday evening rally and march in downtown Los Angeles to protest the illegal cuts and to discuss the suit. AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Marking 25 years of service in 2008, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit http://www.apla.org/.

Media Contact: Gabriel McGowan 213.201.1521 (o) 714.595.7530 (c) gmcgowan@apla.org

Researchers Decode HIV Genome for the First Time

Researchers the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have completed and published the first complete genome of HIV using techniques to sequence RNA. This complete genome allows new areas of research and more possibilities for experiments on the virus. This can improve our knowledge of how HIV infects and spreads through out immune system.

The HIV genome is composed of RNA, rather than DNA. DNA works by forming into a simple double helix, while RNA twists and has a complex series of knots. This complicates trying to find an exact sequence, but also shows that the genes are influenced and expressed by the RNA. The Chapel Hill researchers completely reconstructed the genome structure into its finest resolution form.

The researchers have discovered how RNA affects the life cycle for those with HIV and also find HIV through one gene at a time. Experiments that a single gene and are then deactivated are still important to find how HIV works with the immune system.

This is just the beginning to finding a cure for HIV. It will still take time and effort, but having a complete genome for the virus will be one step closer to finding a cure.

Click here

Lawsuits Against the California Budget Plan

Many lawyers have been working with cases involving the new spending plans passed by the California Legislature and the Governor. The litigators are trying to get back the money that their clients lost in the budget process. Everyone is having success and winning their lawsuits, which is costing the state even more billions of dollars and causing a bigger uproar with the budget process.

In the past few months, more than a billion dollars have been added on to the state's deficit by courts with they're declatations of illegal reducation in health care services, redevelopment agency funds, and transportation spending.

Lawyers have had little time to prepare for their lawsuits that have been related to the buged that was only signed last month. On Friday, Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg (D- Sacramento), announced plans to sue the governor for illegally making over $500 million in cuts.

Lawyers are getting a hold of state laws that were put in place, some by citizen initiative, during better economic times. Due to California's budget crisis, the lawmakers and governor are making attempts to take money from programs that were previously rejected by the courts. The lawsuits alone are costing the state millions of dollars in attorney salaries and other legal fees.

There has been talk that the governor will need to call an emergency session in the fall so lawmakers can continue to work on the state's debt.

Even before the official budget plan came out, many groups began to announced their plans to sue. More than a dozen suits against the state would take away funding from redevelopment and put it into school districts. If it litigation is successful, it would throw the budget off balance by almost $2 billion.

Medi-Cal doctors have a $1.1-billion cut in their reimbursements. Federal Appeals Courts have saida 10% cut in what physicians are paid by Medi-Calis illegal. The court concluded that this cut would make Medi-Cal doctors leave the program, and put their patients in danger by violating the program's standards.

Jean Ross, executive director of the California Budget Project said that the lawsuits are, "a product of the desperation of the people trying to forge budget agreements," and "All of the easy solutions are gone. The choices are hard, the gap is wide. People look to riskier and riskier options to come up with savings."

Sometimes, lawmakers approve budget measures despite the legality if the situation to buy them time. By the time the appeals prricess is worn out, even though it make take a few years, the economy has a chance to rebound.


Click here

Protest Against AIDS Cuts on August 11th

Tomorrow, August 11^th, there will be a protest in downtown Los Angeles against Governor Schwarzenegger’s drastic cuts to HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs in California.

Governor Schwarzenegger cut more than $80 million from HIV/AIDS funding. These are the biggest cuts that HIV/AIDS programs have ever taken. Many important services and resources that provide care, treatment and prevention are being destroyed. The CDC’s new estimation of HIV infections in the U.S has risen to 56,000, or one infection every 9 minutes.

Please join us for this important demonstration tomorrow evening in downtown Los Angeles to protest the cuts. The event begins at Pershing Square, where participants will gather at 7:00 p.m. Following is a march to the Ronald Reagan State Office Building for a brief program and candlelight vigil. Be sure to wear a red shirt and bring candles or flashlights.

Remember to encourage friends, family and colleagues to join us too-- it's important that we gather the largest possible crowd to publicly condemn these cuts!

When:

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

7:00 p.m. (Rally)
7:30 p.m. (March)
8:00 p.m. (Press Conference)

Where:

Rally: Pershing Square (532 South Olive Street)
March: To Reagan State Office Building (300 South Spring Street)

Self-pay parking is available under Pershing Square or, you can take the Metro Red Line to the Pershing Square station.

We hope to see you there tomorrow evening.

Life Expectancy Increase

An individual who tests positive for HIV and begins antiretoviral (ARV) therapy can be expected to live, on average, to be 69 years old. This increase in age and life expectancy has increased 37 percent for those who start ARV in the early years of their treatment process. Many HIV positive people have asked their health care providers about their life expectancy, and this study will attempt to successfully answer the question for patients.

Studies have been taken from 43,000 patients in the United States, Canada, and other European countries to determine the life expectancy for HIV positive individuals. They were then divided into groups by when they began their ARV treatment. There were over 18,000 who began between 1996 and 1999, almost 14,000 who began between 2000 and 2002, and over 10,000 who stated treatment between 2003 and 2005.

The researchers used the example of a 20 year old with HIV. If they began ARV treatment between 1996 and 1999, they could be expected to live to the age of 56. This was also during the beginning of ARV therapy. This age has increased dramatically. For a 20 year old who began ARV treatment between 2003 and 2005, they are expected to live until the age of 69, which is a 13 year increase. The life expectancy of a 20 year old who is HIV negative is to live to be 80 years old.

For HIV positive people who only began ARV treatment because they CD4 cells were below 100 were expected to live 10 years less than those who began therapy when their CD4 cells were above 200. The researchers also found that HIV positive individuals who had a history of injection drugs were also expected to live 10 years less than those who never used injection drugs.

Click here

College Students and HIV

Many vaccines to prevent and protect individuals from sexually transmitted diseases and infections are being created and over time will become available to college students. According to research at the University of Missouri, students who feel untouchable or invincible to physical harm are unlikely to get the vaccinations. Students who feel invulnerable to psychological harm though are more likely to receive the vaccinations.

Russell Ravert, an Assistant Professor at MU College in the department of Human Environmental Sciences researched and studied two factors associated with invulnerability; danger and psychological. The students who viewed themselves as physically strong were more likely to decline the vaccine. One possible reason for this is that those with feelings of immunity can be associated with a decreased sense of danger, which can reduce defensive behaviors. For the students who felt psychologically invulnerably and did not care about the opinions of others were more prone to accept the vaccine.

Ravert expressed the importance of determining the factors that are associated with the vaccine and whether or not students will accept it. The study showed the students responses to accepting the vaccine. Some of the influences were concern of contracting a STD, the number of sexual partners the student has had, and the vaccine’s cost.

Click here

Schwarzenegger Cuts $500 Million

On Tuesday, July 28^th, Governor Schwarzenegger signed a budget proposal making an additional $500 million in cuts.

The additional cuts will impact child welfare programs, children’s healthcare, the elderly, state parks, and AIDS prevention and treatment. These cuts are significantly larder than what the Governor had originally negotiated with the legislation.

Democratic Party individuals in the Assembly and Senate were upset with the Governor’s decision, but he says that the cuts are necessary and proper, as Schwarzenegger called the budget “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” The governor says that the “good” is that taxes will not be raised, and the government will be more efficient due to its reform and elimination of boards and commissions. The “bad” part is the extreme cuts that are made to state programs that will hurt millions of Californians. The “ugly” involves new reductions made by the Governor.

Out of the $500 million, $80 million was taken that pays for workers who help abused and neglected children, $50 million from Healthy Families who provides healthcare to children in low-income families, $50 million from services for developmentally delayed children under 3 years old, $16 million from domestic violence programs, and $6.3 million from services that assist the elderly.

Ted Lempert, the president of the advocacy group Children Now, spoke about the cut to Healthy Families and called it “particularly galling.” “A struggling family puts their kids first…What the Governor and what the state has done is the opposite.”

Karen Bass (D- Los Angeles), Assembly Speaker and Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), Senate leader, are questioning Schwarzenegger’s changes. They both states that they would want to reinstate the cuts after their recess. Bass referred to the Governor as “so eager to tear down the safety net that he appears willing to break the law to do it.” She puts the blame of the Governor for rejected taxes on oil and tobacco instead of “the sick, the young, the elderly, and battered women.”

Even though the Governor signed the proposal, he still said that the state will have more financial troubles.

The new plan will affect everyone with its reductions in K-12 education, state colleges and universities, healthcare, and assistance for the elderly and poor.

Click here

Antidepressants and HIV

At the Fifth International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference, a study showed that antidepressant drugs can help ease symptoms of fatigue, even in HIV positive individuals who are not depressed.

Fatigue and depression are associated with one another. People who feel fatigued often have depression, and people who are clinically diagnosed with depression experience fatigue.

Bruno Spire, PhD, from the Université Aix-Marseille, in France, collected and studied data from a group of patients who had HIB and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Most of the patients were in HIV treatment, and none of them had opportunistic infections or were on HCV therapy. They were asked by researchers about fatigue and depression symptoms, their use of antidepressant drugs, and their social support groups.

Spire and his colleagues discovered that people with higher depression symptoms had a worse case of fatigue, and that depressed individuals taking antidepressants experienced less fatigue than those not taking any antidepressants. Those who were not clinically depressed but were still taking antidepressants had less fatigue than those who were not depressed and not on any antidepressant.

Spire and his researchers stated than screenings for fatigue and depression and help with them has the possibility of improving the lives of people living with HIV and HCV.

Click here

HIV Positive Women and Menopause

At the Fifth International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference, a study was presented that found out that women who are HIV positive may experience menopause earlier than other women who are HIV negative.

With the help of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy, individuals living with HIV’s life spans have drastically improved. More people than ever are living into their 50s and 60s, which is the time when most HIV negative women enter menopause. Although this is not official, researchers have discovered that HIV can speed up the aging process. With this data, there are a number of concerns that this can cause women to experience menopause younger than they usually should.

Myriam Pommerol, MD from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Bordeaux, in France, conducted research and surveyed 404 HIV positive women between ages 19 and 79. Pommerol and her colleagues determined that 17% of the women already went through menopause, and many more were experiencing it naturally at the time. She concluded that menopause occurred in up to 72% of women ages 50 and up , 21% of women between 45-49, 3.5% of women between 40-44, and less than 1% of the time in women younger than 40.

During her almost 9 year follow up if the research, 41 of the women experienced menopause. The average age of onset was 46 years old, which is earlier and younger than women who are HIV negative. Some features that are involved with early menopause are African descent, injection drug use history, and CD4 counts fewer than 200.

The study was not completed controlled, as the researchers did not have a control group of HIV negative women, and studied past surveys rather than a scientific assessment. The study does show than HIV positive women experience menopause at an earlier stage than HIV negative women.

Click here

Camp Courage

"I had dinner recently with someone who expressed her strong support for Proposition 8 -- the ballot measure that eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry.

We talked and talked, and I listened and she listened. By the end of dinner, she had changed her mind somewhat, if not her heart. While she still couldn't express support for same-sex marriage, she knew she could no longer deny that right to others.

This experience demonstrated to me that there's a power that comes in listening, in reaching out, in trying to find that common ground that's so necessary for the change we want.

With the fate of marriage equality back in the hands of California voters, we have a unique opportunity as a community to help people understand what marriage equality means and to change the hearts and minds necessary to repeal Prop 8.

I am confident that Californians will have a change of heart and overturn this unjust ban at the ballot box. But first, we need to tell our stories to voters and help the majority of our neighbors understand the real, painful, human impact of Prop 8 across our state.

That's why I am inviting you to participate in Camp Courage East Los Angeles-- a transformative training event on August 1-2 for marriage equality activists of all kinds, experienced or new to the movement. Just click one of the links below to register before space rusn out. DEADLINE: Friday at 10 a.m.:

ENGLISH

SPANISH

As I have said before, the fight for equality is not about morality or religion, our schools or our places of work. It's about real people and real human beings. It's about men and women trying to lead successful lives with those they love. It's about parents hoping to raise a family and ready to accept the responsibilities of a lifelong commitment.

We need to tell these stories. And that's what Camp Courage is all about. Modeled after "Camp Obama," Camp Courage uses the "Story of Self" to transform personal experiences -- each participant's unique inspiration for supporting marriage equality -- into compelling and authentic narratives that can persuade undecided voters.

Camp Courage has received amazing reviews from participants -- most rating it a 9 (on a scale of 1 to 10) -- following recent trainings in Los Angeles, Fresno, San Diego and Oakland.

This will be an unforgettable experience. If you don't want to miss Camp Courage East L.A. on August 1-2, please make sure you register now before it fills up. Just click on one of those links below before Friday at 10 a.m.:

ENGLISH

SPANISH

To win back marriage equality, we need to change hearts and minds across California. That means reaching out to people who don't agree with us and having serious conversations about the effect of denying someone the fundamental right to liberty and happiness and the right to marry -- and the second-class citizenship that denial denotes.

That's why I hope you can be at Camp Courage East L.A. on August 1-2.

Thanks for helping the Courage Campaign bring full equality to California and our country.

Antonio Villaraigosa
Mayor of Los Angeles"

HIV Funding in Danger

Governor Schwarzenegger is still presenting signs and signals for his intention to cut $80 million from HIV/AIDS services. This can severely damage HIV/AIDS prevention programs and care throughout the state of California.

Please act now and contact the Governor’s office. Tell him about the importance to maintain and support HIV/AIDS resources and programs, and that he should not reject any extra funds to the State Office of AIDS.

Starting on Friday, July 24th, The State Legislature may support the budget deal that has been decided on by the Governor, Assembly, and Senate. The proposal will consist of reductions to state HIV/AIDS services that were predictable due to an economic climate that requires budget cuts in every section of state and local government.

The Governor still has time to reevaluate the option of getting rid of these more modest cuts in favor of his original proposal to remove many of these fundamental programs. Once the Governor has vetoed budget line items and signed the bill, these changes may be permanent.

Click here to Download the state budget crisis brief #2 to remind you of what these cuts involve. These cuts have potential to halt or end programs like Therapeutic Monitoring Program (TMP), HIV surveillance, Early Intervention Programs (EIPs), HIV counseling and testing, home and community-based care, and other necessary HIV prevention endeavors.

Please act now!

Contact Information:

Phone: (916) 455-2841

Fax: (916) 558-3160

Email: http://gov.ca.gov/interact

Other News

On July 22nd, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publicized that there will be housing assistance grants available for low-income families who are also HIV positive. There will be $310 million that will be of service to 58,000 U.S families. Some organizations that will be distributed grants are the Gregory House Programs of Honolulu ($1.3 million), the Frannie Peabody Center in Portland, Maine ($1.3 million), the city of Portland, Maine ($1.4 million), New Hampshire (over $716,000), and the Burlington Housing Authority in Vermont (over $392,000).

Click here

According to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, many people who test positive for HIV are diagnosed later in the course of their infection when treatment may be less effective. In a report by Reuters Health, data was taken of individuals who were diagnosed between 1996 and 2005. 45% of people developed AIDS within three years of their diagnosis, 6.7% were diagnosed within two years, and 38.3% were diagnosed within only one year of their HIV test. "R. Luke Shouse of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, said, "This means that they may have unknowingly transmitted HIV. It also means that there is a time when they had HIV when they were not under appropriate medical care, so there are missed opportunities for prevention and care."" Another CDC report concluded that 12.9% of all high school students have been tested for HIV.

Click here

A new study by the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University has found that "a receptor molecule involved in the recognition of HIV-1 responds to the virus differently in women than in men," might "explain why HIV infection progresses faster to AIDS in women than in men with similar viral loads." The study also discussed that in the early periods of the infection, the women's immune system responds stronger to HIV than men's immune system. HIV also progresses into AIDS more rapidly in women. The differences in the immune systems shows differences in T-cell activation, which causes the disease to progress. By looking into immune activity separately from replication can help find new approaches for treating HIV.

Click here

On July 19^th, the Department of Justice discussed a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. They spoke out and said that it is unethical to bar people for job positions, trainings, or licenses because of their HIV/AIDS status. Some of these occupations are barbers, masseuses, and home health workers. The AP/Los Angeles Times states that, “The government says that type of regulation is outdated and was not intended to bar people with HIV. The original goal of such a rule was to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other diseases, not prevent people with [HIV] from working in certain fields.”

Click here

Tell the Governor to Sign a Budget Without Additional Cuts to HIV Programs

It’s not too late to tell Governor Schwarzenegger about your views on California’s growing budget crisis. Tell him about the importance of signing a budget that protects HIV programs so they don’t get cut altogether.

Governor Schwarzenegger intended to make an $80 million cut to programs that assist low-income California residents with HIV/AIDS, and also make cuts to other programs that decrease the number of new HIV infections.

Legislators discarded the Governor's plan and instead decided on $35 million in cutbacks from AIDS programs through targeted reductions and available funds.

Send a message to Governor Schwarzenegger and tell him to sign a budget so HIV/AIDS programs do not lose any more money for resources. Call or send the Governor an email as soon as possible. Explain to him the importance of signing a budget that keeps Californians with disabilities, including HIV, healthy and secure.

Health Care Reform

Out of the 1.1 million HIV positive Americans, over 1/3 of them are living without any type of insurance. Half of Americans who are HIV positive are not receiving adequate health care coverage.

Health care reform must be put into action to help individuals living with HIV so they do not continue to live without insurance. Some plans to benefits those living with HIV are:

1. A public plan option
2. A minimal benefits package available in public and private insurance agencies
3. Increase Medicaid coverage and requirements for childless adults, or living 200% below the poverty line, and are HIV positive
4. Prevention requirements and coverage for services and programs, which include an increase in HIV screenings.


Click here

Funding for HIV

According to aidsaction.org, every 9.5 minutes, a new American is infected with HIV. The CDC states that there are 56,300 HIV infections each year. The CDC has also estimated that for each HIV infection, it would cost over $1,000,000. The infection rate has been increasing every year. In the past couple years, HIV/AIDS funding has been minimal amount of money for care, prevention, treatment, and research.

With a limited amount of funding, different organizations and programs will keep suffering. Some of these organizations are the Ryan White Program, Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS, and even teaching comprehensive sex education to schools. Research at the Centers for Disease Control has been put on hold due to lack of funding as well.

The CDC is requesting 877 million dollars in the 2009 Fiscal Year, and over the next 5 years, an additional 4.8 billion dollars to take in hand the HIV crisis.

The U.S has been extremely active in the fight against AIDS, and it’s important to help influence policy makers and our government officials to join in.

Click here

Elimination of Ban on Federal Funding for Syringe Exchange

Every year, tens of thousands of Americans contract HIV as well as hepatitis C from the use of sharing syringes. For every used needle an injection drug user brings into a certain location, they are able to receive a clean needle in return. The Centers for Disease Control have created a syringe exchange program. This will help prevent HIV by providing clean syringes at a low price.

Since 1989, Congress has removed funding for syringe exchange programs, even though there is proof that these programs lower the contraction of HIV between drug users who inject.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor excluded the banning for federal funding of syringe exchange programs in the 2010 Fiscal Year appropriations bill. On Friday, July 17th, the entire Appropriations Committee will be voting on the bill. Some new laws may be introduced that could possibly reinstate the ban.

Please contact your Representatives on the Appropriations Committee and speak to them about your views on the bill, the importance to block any reinstatement, and request their support for syringe exchange programs.

Source

Funding for NOLP and Treatment Education

The Priorities & Planning Commission of the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV met on Tuesday, June 23^rd, to re-evaluate its prior recommendation to get rid of fedeal Ryan White CARE Act funding for food pantry programs and treatment education services for low income people living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County.

With the help of the clients and staff from APLA, the committee has voted to reverse its recommendation and instead maintain a federal funding allocation for nutritional support programs, including NOLP. The committee has also proposed that the commission begin a complete analysis of Los Angeles County's available food resources to verify the quality and quantity of food alternatives, in case funding be reduced or eliminated in the future.

Unfortunately, the committee also voted not to change its decision to defund treatment education programs, stating that such services are already provided by case managers, doctors, and pharmacists. APLA's treatment educators act as a fundamental link between clients and care, and many times serve as the first point of entry for people not currently accessing services.

Tuesdays vote is not binding. Instead, it reflects a new recommendation to the full commission, which will discuss the issue again at its July 9^th meeting. We will continue to advocate for each of our programs, and we invite you to join us at the upcoming meeting.

Four ways you can respond to Governor Schwarzenegger's LA Times Article about California's Budget Crisis

1. Read the article and cast your vote in the poll. Go here

2. Write a letter to the LA Times to express your opinions about Governor Schwarzenegger's article. Please send letters to: letters@latimes.com

3. Spread the word. Tell your friends and family to get involved by voting in the poll and writing letters. You can contact the Governor by becoming a "supporter" of his on Facebook. Please go to: www.facebook.com/joinarnold

4. Thursday, July 9th, is the Call In Day of Action. Participate by calling and faxing to all of the Governor's offices:

Sacramento: Phone: (916) 445-2841 Fax: (916) 558-3160
Los Angeles: Phone: (213) 897-0322 Fax: (213) 897-0319
Inland Empire: Phone: (951) 680-6860 Fax: (951) 680-6863
San Diego: Phone: (619) 525-4641 Fax: (619) 525-4640
Central Valley: Phone: (559) 445-5295 Fax: (559) 445-5328
San Francisco: Phone: (415) 703-2218 Fax: (415) 703-2803

Other Contact Information:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: Phone: (916) 445-2841
Pro Team Darrell Steinberg: Phone: (916) 651-4006
Speaker Karen Bass: Phone: (916) 319-2047
Minority Senate Leader Dennis Hollingsworth: Phone: (916) 651-4036
Minority Assembly Leader Sam Blakeslee: Phone: (916) 319-2033