Recent News (click on blue to read more)
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Difficult to Amend Birthright Citizenship
 Davis, CA: In the ongoing debate over illegal immigration in the U.S., and over the reform of America’s immigration system, the voices calling for politicians to put a stop to automatic U.S. citizenship for babies who are born to illegal immigrants in the United States, are steadily increasing in both strength and number. Today, all who are born in the United States automatically become U.S. citizens. This birthright is protected by the 14th Amendment to the U.S. constitution. The 14th Amendment was designed to ensure U.S. citizenship for slaves after the civil war, and today many of those who favor a tougher approach toward illegal immigration argue that it was not the intention of the founding fathers of the United States to grant U.S. citizenship to children of illegal immigrants. This is why many call for a change of the constitution. Two Republican U.S. senators, Rand Paul from Kentucky and David Vitter from Louisiana, have introduced a resolution to change the constitution in order to prevent children of illegal immigrants from getting U.S. citizenship. But an expert in immigration law and civil rights says that attempts to amend the constitution in order to deny citizenship to anybody born in the U.S. will not likely succeed. The Expert, Kevin R. Johnson, who is dean of University of California – Davis School of Law, says that changing the Constitution is a long process, and the amendment would first have to be enacted by Congress and then approved by the states. |
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The DREAM Act Dies in United States Senate
 Washington, D.C.: The US Senate voted against the DREAM Act in December, by 55 votes against 41. While three Republican senators voted for the passing of the act, and five Democrat senators voted against it, the vote followed party affiliation for the most part, with Democrats voting for and Republicans against. The purpose of the DREAM Act was to give certain illegal immigrants, particularly some of those who were brought to the U.S. as children, a chance at becoming legal residents of the U.S., and even provide them with a possibility of becoming U.S. citizens. As the DREAM Act failed to pass in the Senate is also a clear indication of how slim the chances are for comprehensive immigration reform to make it through Congress. President Obama promised during his presidential campaign in 2008 that he would reform the immigration system, and he called the DREAM Act vote “incredibly disappointing.” Obama said that “there was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation. But opponents of Obama’s immigration reform sais that the DREAM Act would have been as reward for illegal activity, as it would have given people who are in the U.S. illegally a chance at becoming U.S. citizens. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the DREAM Act would have helped 300,000 to 500,000 illegal immigrants. The DREAM Act would have made it possible to become conditional legal residents for illegal immigrants who are less than 30 years old, and who came to the U.S. before they turned 16, lived in the country for five years without committing serious crimes, graduated from high school and went to college or joined the military. |
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Napolitano Says Immigration Enforcement is Effective
 Washington, D.C.: The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, says that U.S. border security has been improved drastically over the past two years. Napolitano specifically mentions the Southwest border, saying that it has been strengthened more than many thought was possible. She also says that Mexico works well together with the U.S. to secure the border, preventing smuggling and illegal immigration. It is the Southwest Border Initiative, along with “a reinvigorated, smart and effective approach to enforcing our immigration laws,” that has improved border security, according to Napolitano. She admits that there are concerns still, and she points to drug-cartel violence on the Mexican side of the border, and says that the U.S. must protect itself so that the violence doesn't spread to the U.S. side of the border. With the Southwest Border Initiative that was launched by President Obama in March of 2009, the Border Patrol has grown to twice its size, as has the Border Enforcement Security Task Forces. In addition there are now four times as many border-liaison officers as before the initiative, and 1,200 National Guard troops have been dispatched along the border to assist the civilian border authorities. The southwestern states have had $123 million in grants to help them with their own enforcement activities, and the number of unmanned aircraft, drones, to patrol the border has also been increased. Napolitano says the efforts and resources that are spent on securing the border are giving great results in combating illegal immigration. She says that the number of apprehensions made by the Border Patrol is a good indication of illegal immigration, and Border Patrol apprehensions are down by 36 percent over the past two years. |
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Millions Enter the U.S. Without Proper ID
 Washington, D.C.: While the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative officially came into effect in the summer of 2009, requiring U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to enforce strict ID regulations for crossing the border into the United States, millions of travelers are still entering the U.S. without the required ID documentation, such as a passport of other secure Identification. It was the Office of the Inspector General who recently released a report that describes how the Customs and Border Protection has failed to implement the new and stricter border protection rules, even after 18 months. Only travelers who repeatedly fail to properly identify themselves are subjected to additional inspection. According the report that is about 9,000 people. Meanwhile over a million travelers crossed the border without proper identification in Texas alone. The report also says that until the stricter ID requirements are properly enforced the CBP is putting the U.S. at risk, as travelers who falsely claim to be citizens of the U.S., Mexico, Canada or Bermuda is allowed to enter the U.S. The CBP has been working on the implementing the new ID requirements since 2008. Back then, U.S. citizens could enter the U.S. after orally declaring themselves citizens. The CBP has received over $360 million to fund the implementation of the new ID requirements, and have added both personnel and technology, but still lack proficient resources at several border ports of entry to the U.S. |
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U.S. Government Resumes Deportation of Haitians
 Miami, FL: Temporary Protected Status means illegal immigrants who come from countries at war, or that have hit by natural disasters, can stay and work in the United States for 18 months. Only Haitians who were already in the U.S. illegally when their home country was hit by the large earthquake are eligible to apply for TPS, and so far over 61,000 have. Half of them have applied from Florida. Government officials say they have expected 70,000-100,000 applications by the application deadline in January. At the same time, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirms that they will soon resume deporting Haitians who have been convicted of crimes. Haitian advocates has said that deportation to Haiti is a death sentence, as the country is not only ruined by the catastrophic earthquake, but also plagued by a cholera outbreak killing thousands of people. Part of the reason for ICE to deport the convicted Haitians is that they cannot, by U.S. law, be detained indefinitely, but must be released if they cannot be deported. Immigration authorities in the U.S. plan to depart some 700 Haitians next year, a spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement says. In the capital of Haiti more than a million people are homeless after the earthquake, and there is a travel warning in effect issued by U.S. Department of States after the unrest that followed the Haitian presidential elections in November. |
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Illegal Immigrant Unchanged in the U.S.
 Washington, D.C.: According to an annual report by the Pew Hispanic Center, the decline in the number of illegal immigrants living in the U.S. has come to a halt, and the number is now virtually the same as last year. In 2009 it was estimated that 11.1 million people were living in the U.S. illegally, whereas in 2010 the estimation is 11.2 million; statistically speaking the same as the year before. In the ongoing controversy over the issue of illegal immigration in the U.S., proponents for both sides of the issue rely on the reports that come each year from the Pew Hispanic Center. According to the reports, 2007 saw the highest number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. while illegal immigration declined steadily during the economic crises that followed in the years after. The report does not suggest any reasons for the decline in illegal immigration, or for the stabilization, but the director of the Pew Hispanic Center says that common sense suggest that both the state of the U.S. economy and the heightened level of border security and immigration enforcement come into play. The same report found that last year illegal immigrants in the U.S. had 5.5 million children; 4.5 million were born in the U.S. and therefore have U.S. citizenship. Of all the babies that were born in the U.S. last year, eight percent had at least one parent that is an illegal immigrant. |
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Immigration Authorities Find Heroin Worth $1.3 Million
 Brownsville, TX: The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) arrested a 31-year-old woman who came to the United States from Mexico by driving her car across the Veterans International Bridge in Brownsville, Texas. According to a press release issued by the Customs and Border Protection the woman was referred to a secondary screening at the immigration checkpoint. During the second inspection the CBP found more than 13 pounds of heroin in the woman’s car. The heron has a street value of $1.385 million, according to the CBP press release. The woman was arrested and handed over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who made investigations and launched a sting operation. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement had the arrested woman set up a meeting to deliver the smuggled heroin to a contact in the United States. In the operation orchestrated by ICE, the arrested woman met with her U.S. contact who was subsequently arrested by the immigration authorities. Both have been charged for carrying or trying to obtain the drugs with the intend of selling it, and a U.S. Magistrate Judge ordered them both held without bail until they will appear in a detention hearing. In addition to the drug charges, court records show that the arrested man had been an illegal immigrant in the U.S. for many months. |
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Immigration Policies Complicate Employment
 Aurora, CO: Business owners who rely on seasonal workers to get through the busy season say immigration rules are complicated and wastes resources. They are not confident that policies will change for the better any time soon either. Mike Leman, owner of Singing Hills Landscape, Inc in Aurora, has relied on seasonal workers from Mexico since the mid 90s. The reason is that it is hard to get American workers or workers with permanent residency that are willing to take seasonal jobs. He says the H-2B program that allows the workers to come to the U.S. to work should be simplified. For example, people who have been working the busy season for Singing Hill every year for decades still have to spend two days each year to do background checks and interviews. And each year the workers have to take the driver’s test again, because the license expires along with the visa. |
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UNITED KINGDOM: "Britain Boosts Funds for Hepatitis C-Infected Patients"
Agence France Presse (01.10.11)
On Monday, Britain's government announced it will provide more support for patients infected with hepatitis C virus through state health services in the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately £100 million to £130 million (US $159 million to $203 million) in additional support will be provided over the next five years for patients with serious liver disease linked to HCV infection through blood products or transfusions during the period.
The infections occurred before heat-treatment of blood began in 1985. A test for HCV was introduced in 1991.
Among hemophiliacs, 4,675 were infected through blood products or transfusions supplied by the National Health Service. Of these patients, 2,807 are still alive. Another 1,300 were infected with HIV.
The most seriously ill will be given a new sum of £12,800 (US $20,266) annually in addition to a lump sum now doubled to £50,000 (US $79,164). A three-month compensation review also resulted in the government's decision to provide funding to charities that offer counseling and to cover any prescription fees.
"Taken together, these announcements represent a significant rise in the support available to those affected by this tragedy," Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told Parliament. In a separate statement, he said, "I fully recognize that the unintended and tragic consequences of these treatments have seriously impaired the lives of many people, together with those of their families.
CANADA: "Report Says Government Delayed Saying HIV Vaccine Plant Plan Scrapped"
Canadian Press (01.05.11):: Winnipeg Free Press
Institutions bidding to host an HIV vaccine production facility in Canada were in the dark for more than six months about the government's decision to end the program, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. The newspaper based its report on documents obtained through an Access to Information request.
Announced in 2007, the $88 million (US $88.9 million) venture would have been backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bidding began in the spring of 2008, and four institutions were ultimately short-listed: Winnipeg's International Center for Infectious Diseases; the International Consortium on Antivirals at Trent University; Laval University; and the University of Western Ontario.
In 2009, the Public Health Agency of Canada still supported the joint project, according to internal briefing notes and memos to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones, the agency's head. In a June 2009 conference call with Gates officials, Butler-Jones acknowledged financial sustainability concerns, but he also noted benefits including technology, infrastructure, and human resource support for HIV vaccine development.
Two weeks after that call, the Gates Foundation presented a study suggesting adequate vaccine production capacity existed in the private sector. Critics said it ignored qualitative factors and the difficulty of academic research programs accessing trial facilities.
"Given this evidence . it was agreed the government of Canada take the position of not moving forward with the facility project," a July 30 briefing note for Butler-Jones said. The goal was to develop a communications plan to that end by August. Nonetheless, none of the applicants knew of the decision until late January 2010, when the information was accidentally posted on the agency's website.
NIGERIA: "Nigeria Records Positive Results in Battle Against HIV/AIDS"
Xinhua News Agency (12.04.10)
Nigeria is "recording a number of positive results in the battle against HIV and AIDS," Dame Patience Jonathan, the country's first lady, said in World AIDS Day remarks. "These results include an increase in the level of awareness [of] the virus. There is also a reduction in stigmatization, an increase in the number of pregnant women who receive HIV counseling and testing, as well as an increase in the number of people receiving antiretroviral drugs," she said at a dinner she organized for people living with HIV/AIDS. Jonathan said that of the 2.9 million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS, 58.3 percent are females. "The National Agency for the Control of AIDS confirms that orphans and vulnerable children are mostly affected, and the target for 2010 would be to focus on children, orphans, and the vulnerable." Jonathan added, "Fighting HIV and AIDS is a collective responsibility. I appeal to our village heads, traditional rulers, religious and political leaders to take concrete steps towards ensuring universal access to HIV prevention and treatment."
GLOBAL: "Kenyans Rally Against EU-India Deal on AIDS Drugs"
Reuters (12.09.10):: Katy Migiro
On Thursday, protesters in Kenya rallied against a free-trade agreement between India and the European Union, claiming it would undercut access to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). EU and Indian trade negotiators were scheduled to discuss the proposal in Brussels on Friday.
Outside the EU's Nairobi offices, hundreds gathered and waved signs of protest against the proposed deal, which a UN study suggests could make generic drugs more expensive. Under the deal, drug patent rights would be extended beyond 20 years, and data-exclusivity provisions would force Indian generic-drug makers to conduct their own clinical trials, rather than rely on existing data. Registration of generic ARVs could be delayed several years, the UN said.
"Unless the attacks by the European Commission on the future of generic production in India are stopped, costs will rise, ARV access will be rationed, and patients will die," said Hussein Kerrow of Doctors Without Borders.
Worldwide, just one-third of people who need ARVs are receiving them. In developing nations, more than 80 percent of those using ARVs get them from India, advocates say.
"We depend on these drugs from India because they are cheap and they are very good," said demonstrator Tom Osongo.
The protestors presented a petition to the head of EU's delegation in Kenya, Eric van der Linden, who said he would pass on the message but made no promises. "I am not a magician," he said.
PERU; UNITED STATES: "Circumcision May Not Curb Gay HIV Transmission"
Reuters Health (12.07.10)
Male circumcision does not confer significant protection against HIV infection among men who have sex with men, a new study has found. However, circumcision may reduce HIV risk for MSM who mostly practice insertive anal sex, and study authors recommend continuing to assess male circumcision's effect for this subgroup "across diverse cohorts of MSM."
Researchers evaluated circumcision, insertive anal sex practices, and HIV acquisition among 1,824 herpes simplex virus type 2-infected, HIV-negative MSM from Peru and the United States. The men were screened for HIV every three months for up to 18 months, and partner-specific sex practices were analyzed for up to the last three partners.
Over the period of 18 months, 5 percent of the 1,365 uncircumcised MSM had seroconverted, as did 4 percent of the 457 circumcised men. Among MSM who practiced insertive anal sex for at least 60 percent or more of the time with recent partners, circumcision was associated with a 69 percent reduction in HIV acquisition (relative risk=0.31, 95 percent confidence interval 0.06-1.51); but the difference was not statistically significant. Generally, the data "indicate no overall protective benefit from male circumcision" for the MSM, wrote Dr. Jorge Sanchez, of Impacta Peru in Lima, and colleagues.
The results for MSM stand in contrast to several studies among heterosexual men in Africa finding male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male HIV infection by up to 60 percent. In countries and regions experiencing heterosexual HIV epidemics, the World Health Organization recommends male circumcision by well-trained health professionals.
One reason circumcision is apparently ineffective among MSM could be that it would have no impact for receptive anal sex. In wealthier countries, the effect of antiretroviral therapy might overshadow any protective effect of circumcision, some experts say.
Especially for MSM, public health messages should "reinforce the importance of condom use for HIV prevention," Sanchez and colleagues wrote.
The study, "Male Circumcision and Risk of HIV Acquisition Among Men Who Have Sex with Men," was published online ahead of print by the journal AIDS (2010; doi:10.1097/QAD.0b013e328340fd81
UNITED STATES: "NNPA Announces Year-Long Series on AIDS in Black America"
Mississippi Link (Jackson) (12.02.10)
The National Newspaper Publishers Association has joined a cooperative effort using enhanced media coverage to re-engage African Americans in the fight against HIV/AIDS. NNPA will partner with the Greater Than AIDS (GTA) initiative and the Black AIDS Institute (BAI) on the campaign.
Educating the African-American community about HIV "has never been more important than it is today," said Dorothy Leavell, chair of the NNPA Foundation board of directors and publisher of the Chicago and Gary, Ind., Crusader newspapers. "We have a lot to do. This epidemic is not over and we all have to redouble our efforts."
NNPA represents 200 member newspapers reaching more than 15 million readers. The historic partnership will see weekly coverage of HIV/AIDS in black newspapers across the country. In addition, public service announcements and public forums on the epidemic's impact on African Americans are planned for each of NNPA's five regions.
"We are at a crossroads. This is our best chance yet for ending the AIDS epidemic. The NNPA is uniquely positioned to mobilize black communities all across this nation," said Phill Wilson, BAI's founder and CEO. "We need to use the infrastructure we have to mobilize black people to be engaged in the design and implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, and the black press is one of the few institutions in black America that can accomplish that."
"With this partnership, the black press will create opportunities to engage the whole of black America in a conversation about HIV and AIDS in a way that no other institution in our community can," Wilson said.
For more information on GTA, visit www.greaterthan.org/.
UNITED KINGDOM: "Britain Boosts Funds for Hepatitis C-Infected Patients"
Agence France Presse (01.10.11)
On Monday, Britain's government announced it will provide more support for patients infected with hepatitis C virus through state health services in the 1970s and 1980s. Approximately £100 million to £130 million (US $159 million to $203 million) in additional support will be provided over the next five years for patients with serious liver disease linked to HCV infection through blood products or transfusions during the period.
The infections occurred before heat-treatment of blood began in 1985. A test for HCV was introduced in 1991.
Among hemophiliacs, 4,675 were infected through blood products or transfusions supplied by the National Health Service. Of these patients, 2,807 are still alive. Another 1,300 were infected with HIV.
The most seriously ill will be given a new sum of £12,800 (US $20,266) annually in addition to a lump sum now doubled to £50,000 (US $79,164). A three-month compensation review also resulted in the government's decision to provide funding to charities that offer counseling and to cover any prescription fees.
"Taken together, these announcements represent a significant rise in the support available to those affected by this tragedy," Health Secretary Andrew Lansley told Parliament. In a separate statement, he said, "I fully recognize that the unintended and tragic consequences of these treatments have seriously impaired the lives of many people, together with those of their families."
CANADA: "Report Says Government Delayed Saying HIV Vaccine Plant Plan Scrapped"
Canadian Press (01.05.11):: Winnipeg Free Press
Institutions bidding to host an HIV vaccine production facility in Canada were in the dark for more than six months about the government's decision to end the program, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. The newspaper based its report on documents obtained through an Access to Information request.
Announced in 2007, the $88 million (US $88.9 million) venture would have been backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Bidding began in the spring of 2008, and four institutions were ultimately short-listed: Winnipeg's International Center for Infectious Diseases; the International Consortium on Antivirals at Trent University; Laval University; and the University of Western Ontario.
In 2009, the Public Health Agency of Canada still supported the joint project, according to internal briefing notes and memos to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones, the agency's head. In a June 2009 conference call with Gates officials, Butler-Jones acknowledged financial sustainability concerns, but he also noted benefits including technology, infrastructure, and human resource support for HIV vaccine development.
Two weeks after that call, the Gates Foundation presented a study suggesting adequate vaccine production capacity existed in the private sector. Critics said it ignored qualitative factors and the difficulty of academic research programs accessing trial facilities.
"Given this evidence . it was agreed the government of Canada take the position of not moving forward with the facility project," a July 30 briefing note for Butler-Jones said. The goal was to develop a communications plan to that end by August. Nonetheless, none of the applicants knew of the decision until late January 2010, when the information was accidentally posted on the agency's website.
OHIO: "Cuts in Aid for HIV Drugs Bring New Set of Troubles"
Columbus Dispatch (02.06.11):: Misti Crane
Cuts made last July to Ohio's AIDS Drug Assistance Program resulted in nearly 1,000 people being dropped off the rolls by December. Facing a $3.9 million deficit three months into the current fiscal year, ADAP instituted a waiting list, and eliminated altogether dental care, money for travel and medications unrelated to HIV.
Although the cuts and an infusion of federal money fixed last summer's dire financial situation, 390 Ohioans remain on the waiting list, the most recent figures from the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors show. Jay Carey, management analyst for the state Ryan White program for low-income HIV/AIDS patients, says a recently awarded federal grant for $1.2 million will remove more than 100 additional people from the list.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Department of Health is working swiftly to change state rules to serve only ADAP's sickest patients. If instituted, the changes would eliminate some clients' assistance and cover the drugs of others who are currently waitlisted.
Clinics and drug companies have worked to ensure patients are getting medicines through sources other than ADAP, said Dr. John Davis, director of Ohio State University Medical Center's infectious-diseases clinic. However, Davis wonders "how long that is going to last." Columbus AIDS Task Force President Peggy Anderson said she does not know of anyone who has stopped HIV treatment since the cuts. Both Davis and Anderson worry that demands for assistance will overwhelm drugmakers, who are lobbying the federal government to provide more money to help state ADAPs.
In addition, Anderson is concerned about people who have switched medication for financial versus medical reasons. Side effects and potencies among HIV drugs vary, and changing them for reasons other than clinical ones is not ideal, she said.
U NITED STATES: "Vaccine Sharply Cuts Risk of Shingles in Seniors, Study Finds"
Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) (01.12.11):: Thomas H. Maugh II, Los Angeles Times
A Kaiser Permanente study of Zostavax shows the vaccine against herpes zoster can reduce the incidence of painful shingles outbreaks by 55 percent, even in the oldest populations. The varicella zoster virus causes chickenpox and shingles, and can remain dormant in a person's body for decades before erupting. The most severe complication is post-herpetic neuralgia, in which the virus causes inflammation inside nerves - a persistent, painful condition that is "extremely challenging to control," said infectious-disease expert Dr. Bruce Hirsh of New York's North Shore University Hospital, who was not involved in the study. Zostavax, made by Merck & Co., was introduced in 2006; it currently reaches only about 11 percent of the US elderly population. CDC recommends the vaccine for all people over age 60 unless they are immune-suppressed, are HIV-positive, have leukemia or lymphoma or are allergic to any of the vaccine's components.
NEW YORK: "AIDS Community Services Approved for $218,000 Grant"
Buffalo News (12.09.10)
AIDS Community Services says it will use a new $218,000 grant from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation to expand Evergreen Health Services, its HIV/AIDS specialty medical practice. Located at 206 S. Elmwood Ave. in Buffalo, that facility has seen its client base expand from 500 patients to 700 in the past two years. ACS expects to begin construction in early 2011 on three new examination rooms, a meeting area, and patient consulting space.
OHIO: "HIV Vaccine Trial Seeking Participants"
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH) (01.11.11)
For its role in a national HIV vaccine trial, Case Western Reserve/University Hospitals Clinical Trials Unit is seeking men who have sex with men who are HIV-negative, circumcised, and between the ages of 18 and 50; male-to-female transgender participants also are sought. The study, conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, is testing the safety and efficacy of a combination of two vaccines to determine whether they stimulate an immune response to HIV or decrease the amount of virus in the blood should a participant later become infected. The vaccines cannot cause HIV infection. Sites in 16 US cities are taking part in the study. For more information, visit www.hopetakesaction.org, e-mail info@case.edu or telephone Outreach Coordinator Bob Bucklew at 216-844-4444.
NEW YORK: "Youths Take Lead in Effort to Stop HIV"
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (12.02.10):: Patti Singer
Youths and adults in Rochester have banded together to respond to a local spike in HIV diagnoses among young people.
Public health officials recently reported that 27 of the 60 individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in the county through the first nine months of the year were under 25 years of age.
The message of the Rochester Coalition to Stop HIV, launched on World AIDS Day, is abstinence until both partners test negative for HIV, being monogamous, and using condoms faithfully.
Peer-to-peer contact will be stressed in the coalition's campaigns. "Adults are in another time period and can't relate to kids in the present," said Dahmeer Baker, a member of Youth 4 Change. "We know what kids are going through right now."
The coalition's Facebook page encourages visitors to "Stop It. Pop It. Protect Yourself." The phrasing and a song with the same theme is a reference to "bubble" as slang for HIV.
The coalition includes the Monroe County STD/HIV Program, Metro Council for Teen Potential, the city of Rochester, the University of Rochester Center for Health and Behavioral Training, MOCHA Center, Safe Sex Inc., Action Front Center, Youth 4 Change, and Rochester Community TV-15.
SOUTH CAROLINA: "Some AIDS Patients Face Longer Wait for Drug Assistance"
Greenville News (12.01.10):: Liv Osby
The waiting list for South Carolina's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) is growing. "Each week we continue to receive applications," said Noreen O'Donnell, manager of the Ryan White program for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. "And in the absence of additional funding, it will continue to grow for the foreseeable future."
South Carolina currently has 269 individuals on its ADAP waiting list, according to the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors. A waiting list of 289 began in March, O'Donnell said. That was cut to around 80 in August after the federal government provided emergency funding.
ADAP received $22.4 million in fiscal 2008, 26 percent of it from the state. This year, just $16.7 million was allocated, 11 percent from the state, said O'Donnell. ADAP currently serves an average of 2,000 clients each month, she said.
Eligible HIV/AIDS patients must have incomes no more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, or $32,490 for an individual. Most clients have much lower incomes, however.
O'Donnell said new federal ADAP money will be available in April. Until then, case managers are working with those on the waiting list to enroll them in pharmaceutical companies' assistance programs, which help offset the approximately $1,000-a-month cost of needed medicines.
MICHIGAN: "Raising Awareness: Lansing Area Marks World AIDS Day"
Lansing State Journal (12.02.10):: Laura Misjak
Some 50 people marked World AIDS Day Wednesday by taking part in a candlelight vigil at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center. "It's a critical day for all of us," said Jacob Distel, executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network, which sponsored the gathering and is celebrating its 25th anniversary. "AIDS changes faces," said Maxine Thome, LAAN's board president and a founder of the group. "It started painfully with gay men, and the stigma has affected every gay man in existence. Now it's touching youth and children." About 500 Lansing-area residents are living with HIV/AIDS.
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