Talk About HIV/AIDS in the District

Are you or someone you know living with HIV/AIDS? What is the most important thing community based organizations could do to get people to come regularly for primary medical care? What could community based organizations do to help reduce the transmission of HIV/AIDS? You are invited to a forum to discuss these and other issues on Thursday May 15, 2008, from 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. Please pass on this information to any friends who are living with HIV/AIDS. The discussion will be held at the Charles Sumner School Museum at 17th and M Streets, NW. It is about 3 blocks north of the Farragut North Metro Station and a block from Connecticut Ave. and the #42 bus line. Incentives and a light lunch will be provided to participants. Please call 202.449.7741 to reserve a space. Sponsored by the DC HIV Prevention Community Planning Group and the DC Delegation of the Ryan White Planning Council.

Are Preventive and Therapeutic HIV Vaccines on the Horizon?

The Capital Area Vaccine Effort (CAVE) and Us Helping Us, People into Living, Inc. (UHU) invite you to our HIV Vaccine Awareness Day (HVAD) Forum: Are Preventive and Therapeutic HIV Vaccines on the Horizon? The forum takes place on Friday, May 16, 2008 at 6:00 PM, at the Academy for Educational Development (AED), Greeley Hall, 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW. Reception to follow. Please RSVP to: Sterling Washington, (202) 446-1100 x1123 swashington@uhupil.org.

A Message from Mark Fischer

I am pleased and honored to tell you that on May 1, 2008 I was sworn in by Mayor Adrian Fenty as a member of the Metropolitan Washington Regional HIV Health Services Planning Council. The Planning Council serves Washington, DC as well as multiple counties in Northern Virginia, Suburban Maryland and West Virginia. These jurisdictions comprise the Statistical Metropolitan Area (SMS) as defined by the Census Bureau. Based upon the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the SMA it became an Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA) as defined by the Ryan White Care Act of 2006 (and the previous multi-year Ryan White Acts). Requirements for administration of federal Ryan White funding require each EMA to have an all-volunteer Planning Council that is responsible for needs assessment and funding allocation. The selection of provider agencies is made based upon the plan developed by the Planning Council. There is a governmental agency in each jurisdiction that selects providers, dispenses funding and monitors performance. In Washington, DC, that role is carried out by the HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) in the DC Department of Health. The Planning Council members represent and reflect the diversity of our communities. In addition, the Planning Council uses professionally conducted surveys, focus groups, community forums and other means to seek substantial community input. My purpose in posting this message is to assure all that I am anxious to secure input of service needs and service availability that any of you may have to share. If you or someone known to you is having difficulty obtaining HIV/AIDS related services, I would be able to help direct you to an appropriate source. Washington, DC offer one of the most comprehensive sets of HIV/AIDS support services of any city in the nation. There is no need for anyone to go without such assistance. Please contact me directly via email at fischerwdc@msn.com with any input you may have to offer. If appropriate, include your contact information (telephone and best time to call) along with a brief summary of your input. I will respond in a timely manner. The full Planning Council meets monthly on the fourth Thursday of the month at 64 New York Avenue, NE in the Fifth Floor Conference Room from 5:30 to 8:00 PM. The public is welcome to attend. The next meeting is Thursday, May 29, 2008 (actually the fifth Thursday this month). The HIV/AIDS Administration main telephone number 202.671.4900 if you need to verify future meeting dates. Again, I welcome the opportunity to serve our region in addressing the very pressing challenge represented by HIV/AIDS and to work with any of you if you feel I may be able to offer assistance. Mark Fischer fischerwdc@msn.com Dorchester House PS The Planning Council and its members DO NOT have any role in selecting provider agencies or in resolving complaints or concerns about their performance. Those matters are handled by the administrative agency in each jurisdiction. In DC, that is HAA for which contact information was given above.

Save the Date: Reflections of Life and Hope

Andromeda Transcultural Health presents Reflections of Life and Hope at the Gala Theater at Tivoli at 6:30 PM on July 25th. The evening will benefit Andromeda's support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS in DC. This unique event will combine an art exhibition with live music and performances, bringing our community together to celebrate life and hope in the midst of an ongoing struggle against HIV/AIDS in the District of Columbia. You can find out more about Andromeda Transcultura Health at www.andromedatransculturalhealth.org. For more infomation about this event, e-mail Antonio Pineda.

National HIV Testing Day

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. HIV counseling and testing enables people with HIV to take steps to protect their own health and that of their partners, and helps people who test negative get the information they need to stay uninfected. For more information about National HIV Testing Day, visit www.napwa.org.

FREE RETREAT February 7th-9th

During the retreat you will get a chance to talk to other individuals about issues that you face everyday and discuss ways to help overcome issues by listening to others that have overcome similar issues, all while being away in a relaxing retreat. Healthy Relationships is a program for small groups off people living with HIV/AIDS. Knowing that the lives of persons living with HIV/AIDS are stressful, this retreat aims to build coping skills to reduce stress. Some of the skills involve: Solving problems Making decisions Negotiating choices These skills can be used in situations such as: Disclosing HIV status to family and friends Disclosing to sex partners Building healthy and safer relationships Healthy Relationships does not tell people they should disclose. Participants use the skills to make informed decisions about disclosure and sexual behavior. For more information: call 202-446-1100 or Email Ken Pettigrew Kpettigrew@uhupil.org Kenya Hutton Khutton@uhupil.org

NHBS Community Advisory Board Meeting

The Center will host the next NHBS (National HIV Behavioral Surveillance) Study community advisory board meeting on March 10th, starting at 5:00 PM. This year, the NHBS Study will focus on men who have sex with men. Information gained from this study will help guide HIV prevention and HIV counseling and testing services in Washington, DC. It will also help improve overall HIV/AIDS surveillance, and contribute to a better understanding of trends in HIV infection in the District of Columbia. The study is being conducted through a partnership between the DC Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (GWU SPHHS). The NHBS collects important information about HIV, but it is not limited to HIV. Washington DC has the option of adding local questions to our survey that our specific to our community. As this is quite likely the largest and most academically rigorous study of men who have sex with men in our city, this is an important opportunity to also collect other crucial health information about gay and bisexual men in the District. That's why your participation in this meeting is so important. Please be sure to join us on March 10th, starting at 5:00 PM. The Center is located at 1111 14th Street NW, Suite 350, closes to the McPherson metro stop.