US Conference on AIDS Wrap Up

Well the conference went by quickly. Pictured to the left are myself and Danielle Pleasant at the conference. There are a lot of things I didn't get to write about. Here are a few final thoughts:

1. Overall I'm really encouraged by the direction that the DC Administration for HIV Policy and Programs is taking. They had a very strong presence at the conference. But more importantly they have a lot of very smart and engaged professionals thinking strategically about how to address the epidemic in DC over the long haul. I've written about Dr. Martin before, but other folks who are working for or consulting for DCAHPP include Bill Bryant (who you may know from Whitman Walker and AIDS Action), Michael Gipson (who you may know from Advocates for Youth), and Donald Hitchcock (who you may know from The National Coalition for LGBT Health). I've worked with each of these individuals, and had the opportunity to witness their personal and professional commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS.

2. Discussion about reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act was pretty much what I expected it to be. During the panel presentation on this topic, there was a predictable conflict between the cities where the epidemic began and the states where the epidemic has gone. We all know that places like San Francisco and Washington DC receive more ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) dollars per AIDS Patient then other places that currently have ADAP waiting lists (like South Carolina). Yes, we need a bigger pie, but until then we also need to make the slices of the pie more even (See my previous blog post on this.

3. Based on the increased visibility of Microbicides at the International Conference on AIDS in Toronto, I was expecting to see Microbicides visible at this conference. Unfortunately, there was just one workshop, and some of the information presented was quite out-of-date.

4. There was renewed energy to call attention to the HIV/AIDS epidemic among black gay men. A recent CDC study found that 46% of the black gay men who participated were HIV positive (more about this study). It is mind-boggling to consider that almost half of black gay men in the United States are positive.

For another perspective on the Conference check out the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland USCA Blog. There are some very interesting posts there.