November 2009 Archives

The next CAVE meeting will take place December 9th at 7:00 PM at the DC Center, 1111 14th Street NW Suite 350. Our meetings normally take place the second Wednesday of each month. The meeting will include a mini-presentation and discussion on The HIV Vaccine Trials Network Group Meeting recently held in Seattle. Please join us!

CAVE (www.aidsvaccine.org) is the community advisory board for the Vaccine Research Center. Capital Area Vaccine Effort is a volunteer panel of individuals from the general public and from the diverse communities affected by AIDS. CAVE is organized to assist and advise AIDS vaccine trials in the metropolitan DC area by:

• Assessing the concerns and serving as an advocate for AIDS vaccine participants and the general public.
• Acting as a liaison & ombudsman between AID vaccine researchers and those interested in AIDS vaccine research.
• Reflecting affected populations in its own composition.As appropriate, encouraging participation in AIDS Vaccine Trials, and acting as community educators on AIDS vaccine research
• Assessing ethical and social implications & impact of the AIDS Vaccine Trials

Alpha Drugs invites you to attend their Survival Forum VII: Hepatitis C and HIV Coinfection: Current Issues and Challenges to Treating HIV presented by Dr. Michael Pistole, Private Practice HIV/HCV Specialist.

Thursday December 3rd at the Hotel Palomar (The Phillips Ballroom) - 2121 P Street, NW DC. (202)448-1800. (1/2 block from the Dupont Circle Metro).

Free Admission/Dinner Served
Registration: 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM
Dinner/Lecture: 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Sponsored by Alpha Drugs and DC Community AIDS Network (DC CAN) 1638 R Street, NW, Suite 230, Washington, DC 200009.

RSVP AND INFORMATION CONTACT: leigh@alphadrugs.com - (202)265-5757

 

What: Systems Failure - WORLD AIDS DAY Demonstration and Rally

When & Where: December 1st, 12:00 Noon, White House to the Wilson Building

It was just a little over three years ago when city leaders were "shocked" and "appalled" to find that one in 50 DC residents was believed to be living with full blown AIDS. We got another "wake up call" on March 17th of this year with the release of the new data revealed that that HIV & AIDS in the District is classified as a "severe epidemic" and another "wake up call" when the Washington Post exposed what many of us suspected.

How many "wake up calls" do we need? We were presented with plans that have no ambitious goals towards ending the epidemic. The FY 10 Department of Health Performance Plan's ( http://capstat.oca.dc.gov/Pdf.aspx?pdf=http://capstat.oca.dc.gov/docs/fy10/DOH.pdf ) ambitious goal for housing actually calls for 11 LESS units of HIV/AIDS housing than last year! Now DC's $12.2 million in federal HIV & AIDS Housing funding is threatened due to this gross mismanagement.

Today, our communities continue to be under attack and we will fight back! To end the HIV/AIDS epidemic we must fix the system!

Who: DC Fights Back, Campaign to End AIDS, Health GAP, Women's Collective; START at Westminster, National AIDS Housing Coalition, Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association, Housing Works, ACT UP Philly, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches

We Are Demanding:

A Washington DC Comprehensive HIV & AIDS plan* that identifies the gaps, describes the services needed to fill those gaps and sets ambitious time-framed goals and targets, and includes a strategy for accountability.

Doubling of the city resources allocated for HIV/AIDS to include housing, substance use/abuse, mental health, prevention of violence against women, comprehensive sex/sexuality education, prevention, stigma as well as care and treatment.

This comprehensive plan must include:

A. AIDS treatment for every person in need and programs that ensure continuity of care.

B. Housing for every person on the HIV & AIDS housing waiting list, and developing a strategy to prevent the list from growing again.

C. Access to high quality substance abuse and mental health treatment as part of a continuum of care.

D. Expanded prevention programs including harm reduction and clean needle programs to reach all in need.

E. A strategy implemented to address the role sexual violence and violence against women play in rising HIV infection rates as well as barriers to education, care, and other supportive services.

F. Competent, science-based HIV/AIDS education to reach all students, parents, and seniors.

G. A campaign to build unity among dc residents to fight HIV and the stigma that blames and attacks people for illness.

H. Remove barriers that restrict employment rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.

To end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, we must fix the system!

For more information on how to participate, questions about transportation, to add your organization as a partner, and to rsvp, please contact Larry Bryant at 202.408.0305.

 

Join us Thursday December 10th as editor Philip Clark reads from his new anthology 'Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS.' Forty-five of the most admired poets who died of AIDS are remembered in this new and groundbreaking collection

From Reinaldo Arenas, Tory Dent, and James Merrill to Paul Monette, Essex Hemphill, and Joe Brainard, Persistent Voices memorializes these poets and many others by presenting their work--often dealing with AIDS but also about other enduring topics--in the context of an unending epidemic that has profoundly affected our literature.

This event takes place Thursday December 10th at 6:30 PM at the DC Center, 1111 14th St NW Suite 350.

The editors' advance and all royalties from this book will go to the PEN Fund for Writers and Editors with AIDS.

 

Motley Bar is launching a brand new bar night for HIV positive guys and guys who don't have hang-ups about dating HIV positive guys. The party starts at 9:00 PM on November 24th and every Tuesday at Motley Bar, which is located directly above EFN Lounge at 1318 19th Street NW.

Tuesday night will feature HIV positive bartenders and DJ's. The event is being organized by HIV positive party promoter Jacob Pring. Of course, everyone is welcome, whether you are HIV positive or not!

You may recall that we normally do Packing Parties at 7:00 PM on Tuesdays at Motley. Due to Thanksgiving week, there will be no packing party this Tuesday. But going forward, we'll have packing parties on Tuesdays at 7:00, followed by the weekly POZ bar night. And Motley will still have great drink specials including $8 pitchers.

For more information, Join the POZ DC Facebook Fan Page.

Join us on World AIDS Day, Tuesday December 1st, for a special reception at the Center featuring the Our Heroes Exhibit.

Our Heroes is a collection of 150 striking black and white photographs honoring the people, places, and events that marked or charged the history of HIV/AIDS in Washington, DC in the last 25+ years.  The exhibit will be on display at the Center for the month of December.

Join us for this special reception honoring all of the heroes of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington DC. The Reception takes place Tuesday December 1st starting at 6:30 PM at the Center, 1111 14th St NW. Light refreshments will be served.