Mayor Promises Continued Momentum as City Improves HIV/AIDS Report Card Grade

On Thursday, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and DC Appleseed Executive Director Walter Jones released a third “report card” that assesses the government’s performance in 11 areas around HIV/AIDS in the District. As a follow-up to DC Appleseed’s August 2005 report, HIV/AIDS in the Nation’s Capital: Improving the District of Columbia’s Response to a Public Health Crisis, DC Appleseed has periodically issued report cards to monitor the District’s progress. The District’s release of the 2007 HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report included the first-ever data on HIV in the District and updated AIDS statistics, earned the District an “A”. The report is also being praised as providing the city a critical tool that will be used for targeting a response. “This is not a time to rest on our laurels and congratulate ourselves for our success,” said Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. “All progress is good progress, but we have much farther to go.” The District’s Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration (HAA) is developing and implementing strategies to meet the large scale of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Some of the District’s promising approaches include: Working to ensure that all medical providers are offering routine HIV testing and all hospitals have rapid testing available in their emergency rooms by 2009. Making local dollars immediately available for new comprehensive interventions as soon as Congress lifts the ban on syringe exchange services in the District. Increasing availability and education about condoms and planning to distribute three million by 2009. Reassuring District taxpayers that HAA has full accountability among its community providers with their services. Collecting accurate data on services and bringing in the technical expertise available from federal and other partners to work with providers. Working on interagency coordination with stronger agreements with sister District government agencies to mainstream HIV prevention, testing and linkages to care and treatment. Other areas that were highlighted include the commitment by top city leaders to reforms and the administrations continued HIV testing program and other HIV prevention services at the DC Jail. Summary: DC Appleseed’s Third HIV/AIDS Report Card Grades From First Report Card Grades From Second Report Card Grades From Third Report Card Leadership B- B- B+ Interagency Coordination N/A C- B- HIV Surveillance & Data Incomplete B A Grants Management B B- B Quality Assurance N/A B- B- Rapid Testing B B B+ Routine HIV Testing C Condom Distribution D D+ B D.C. Public Schools B- C- D Syringe Exchange Services B- B- B+ Substance Abuse Treatment D+ D+ C+ HIV/AIDS among the Incarcerated C+ B+ A Website B+ N/A N/A View the entire report card here.

Voice of America Report: HIV in DC

Just days before the international observance of World AIDS Day December 1, a new report by the government of Washington, D.C., offered some grim statistics. One in 50 people in the nation's capital has AIDS. One in 20 is infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The city has the highest HIV infection rate in the nation. City officials are calling it a "modern epidemic." When Washington, D.C. mayor Adrian Fenty came into office last January, he made HIV/AIDS his number one public health priority. He reaffirmed that commitment this week with the release of the city's first annual Epidemiology Report. "It's the first time the District of Columbia government has its own statistics on the infection rate and, most importantly, it will allow us to do something about it." continue reading at Voice of America.

DC Must Watch Needle-Exchange Closely

From Kaiser Daily: Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty and other district leaders should "remain vigilant" as the Senate this month likely will vote on a $21 billion appropriations bill that would lift a ban on city funding for needle-exchange programs, Grant Smith -- legislative assistant for the Office of National Affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance -- writes in a Washington Post letter to the editor in response to a Nov. 30 Post editorial (Smith, Washington Post, 12/4). The House in June passed the appropriations bill after lawmakers voted to remove language that prevents the district from financing the programs. The ban was first imposed under a federal law signed by former President Clinton in 1998 that prohibits the district government from using local tax money to fund any organization that operates a needle-exchange program. The House has added the ban each year to the district's appropriations bill (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/2). According to Smith, the bill has "languished in the Senate since July." District leaders should be aware this month, "when the Senate will be in a rush" to pass the bill, Smith writes, adding that the Senate "should reject any last-minute attempts to restore the ban." Only after President Bush "signs the bill can the district focus on delivering on its promise to infuse critically needed money" into needle-exchange programs, Smith writes, concluding, "We cannot afford to assume Congress and the president will do the right thing" (Washington Post, 12/4).

Fenty Fires DOH Director Dr. Gregg Pane

The Washington Post reports that "D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty fired Gregg A. Pane today as director of the city's Department of Health, three years after Pane was selected by former Mayor Anthony A. Williams to run the long-troubled agency." Dr. Gregg Pane had also been serving as the interim Director of the DC HIV/AIDS Administration, until this week, when Dr. Shannon Hader began her roll as the new Director. Although Dr. Pane never received a grade from DC Appleseed during his time as interim director, one could argue that his performance overseeing the HIV/AIDS Administration was not significantly better than previous directors. read the whole Washington Post article here

Squidoo: Adrian Fenty and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in DC

Check out the latest Squidoo.com page which looks at Adrian Fenty and the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in DC. Mayor Fenty is the person who ultimately oversees both the HIV AIDS Administration within the DC Department of Health and the HIV/AIDS Program within the DC Public Schools. Bookmark the new Squidoo.com: www.squidoo.com/adrianfenty.

New York Rejects 'Financing Ignorance': Will DC Follow?

Today New York State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines announced that New York is joining the growing number of states that are rejecting the Bush Administration's Abstinence Only Program. Daines stated "The Bush administration's Abstinence Only Program is an example of a failed national healthcare policy directive, based on ideology rather than on sound scientific- based evidence that must be the cornerstone of good public healthcare policy." While the policy has been in effect for some time, Daines comments coincided with the release of the report Financing Ignorance: A Report on Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Funding in New York. Daines continued: "In keeping with the Governor Spitzer's progressive healthcare agenda for New York, on July 2rd the department cancelled all existing abstinence only contracts under the federal Title V program that began under the previous administration. Earlier this year, the department made a conscious decision not to reapply for funds under this program due to the increasingly rigid federal standards imposed on New York and other states that were contrary to our commitment to fully educate adolescents about the risks associated with sexual behavior." On numerous occasions, concerned DC residents have asked Adrian Fenty to unequivocally reject Abstinence-Only-Until Marriage Funding. I asked Mayor Fenty if he would reject this money at a Gertrude Stein Democrats Meeting in May 2007. A coalition of local youth serving organizations also asked Mayor Fenty to reject this money in May. The organizations that signed on to this request include: City Year Washington DC, DC Primary Care Association, Girls Incorporated of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, The Latin American Youth Center, Metro TeenAIDS, Sasha Bruce Youth Work, Young Womens Project, and Youth Action Research Group. New York is one of eleven states that has rejected abstinence-only-until-marriage funding. The other states are California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Let's hope the District of Columbia is next.

Trojan Expected to Donate 350,000 Condoms to DC

The Washington Blade Reports that "Mayor Adrian Fenty is expected to announce within the next week that Washington will receive a donation of at least 350,000 condoms from the Princeton, N.J., corporation that produces the Trojan brand condom, according to sources familiar with the city government." read the entire story here.

DC Fights Back Sends Letter to Adrian Fenty

Newly elected DC Fights Back Co-Chairs, George Kerr & Larry Bryant, sent a letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty last week to update him on the results of the DC HIV/AIDS Speakout held in May. They included a copy of the Final Speakout Report. Also included in the letter was a plea to Adrian Fenty to appoint a full-time Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration. They write... "... at the moment one of the most pressing concerns regarding HIV/AIDS in the District is the lack of a full time Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration. Six months into your administration, you are the first Mayor since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic who has operated without a full time HIV/AIDS Director. We urge you to appoint a Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration and we stand ready to work with the individual you appoint."

Between Promise and Performance: Leadership

Promise & Performance: Leadership | Condom Distribution | HIV Testing | X-Pres Leadership The District of Columbia still does not have a Director for the HIV/AIDS Administration. For six months now, the HIV/AIDS Administration has been a ship without a captain. Mayor Adrian Fenty announced at the beginning of his term, that he would not reappoint Marsha Martin to the position. At that time, Gregg Pane, head of the Department of Health, appointed himself as interim leader. Gregg Pane continues to split his time between his responsibilities as the head of the Department of Health and as the interim leader of the HIV/AIDS Administration. Both Pane and Fenty have referred to HIV/AIDS as the top health priority in the District, yet for six months now, we have settled for part-time leadership. The Promise: On February 9th, the Washington Blade reported that: "he (Gregg Pane) said he and Fenty would name a new director of the administration in 30 to 60 days after Pane 'gets to the bottom' of what AIDS activists and health advocacy groups have said has been a problem-plagued agency for years." The Performance: Gregg Pane failed to make good on this statement. Now, five months later, we are still waiting for a new Director. Adrian Fenty now bears the awkward distinction of being the only Mayor of DC without a full time Director of the HIV/AIDS Administration since the beginning of the epidemic.

Washington Post Article on 'New' Testing Initiative

On National HIV Testing Day Mayor Adrian Fenty and DOH head Greg Pane announced a new HIV testing plan without offering any additional information about the outcome of the last HIV testing plan. The Washington Post reports: Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and city health director Gregg A. Pane used National HIV Testing Day to announce the effort, which aims to boost by 25 percent the number of young people who know their HIV status. It will be one of several new undertakings, all of which target some of the city's most at-risk populations, and could force the often-criticized school system to implement a comprehensive, up-to-date HIV/AIDS curriculum. While the focus on young people is encouraging, and the reference to comprehensive sexuality education is much needed, I still find myself wondering if we accomplished any of the goals we set with the last HIV testing plan. Where is the accountability? Even after the Washington Post filed a Freedom of Information Act Request to get this information, we are still in the dark. The biggest challenge the HIV/AIDS Administration faces is not setting goals, it is meeting them. As I have been blogging this week, the challenge is getting from promises to performance. If there is no accountability for accomplishing the last plan, it's hard to imagine anyone will be held accountable for accomplishing this one. While I would like to be optimistic, I can't help but wonder how this plan is any different from all the other plans that have fallen by the wayside.

New York Times Editorial on DC Needle Exchange

From Kaiser Daily: Congress' ban on locally financed needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C., is an "insult to the city's voters and a clear hazard to public health," a New York Times editorial says (New York Times, 6/4). A federal law signed by former President Clinton in 1998 bans the district government from using local tax money to fund any organization that operates a needle-exchange program. Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) recently said he will make it a priority to push for the removal of language from a district appropriations bill that prevents the city from financing needle-exchange programs. District Mayor Adrian Fenty has said that he will provide funds for needle-exchange programs as soon as Congress removes the language (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/29). According to the Times, the large number of HIV cases in the district that can be traced to injection drug use is "partly the fault of Congress," which has "wrongly and disastrously used its power" over the district's budget to ban the city from funding needle-exchange programs to curb the spread of the virus. "Ideologues" in Congress "need to get out of the way and let public health officials save lives" by implementing a needle-exchange program in the district, the editorial concludes (New York Times, 6/4).

Education Town Halls Scheduled In Ward 7 and 8

Mayor Adrian Fenty wants to hear your ideas for improving the District's Public School System. The Mayor will hold town halls in every ward with to capture input from parents, teachers, and students. The first two of these forums are in Ward 7 and Ward 8. The Ward 8 Town Hall will be Tuesday May 29th at 6:30 PM at Johnson Junior High, 1400 Bruce Place, SE. The Ward 7 Town Hall will be Tuesday June 5th at 6:30 PM at Smothers Elementary, 4400 Brooks St, NE. click here to download the flyer with details on these two events. Mayor Fenty needs to hear that every young person has the right to honest and accurate information about how to be protected from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy, and that comprehensive sex education in our public schools must become a top priority. If you attend these events I encourage you to tell Mayor Fenty you support comprehensive sex education in our public schools. I also encourage you to ask the following important question. Is the Mayor ready to reject the abstinence-only-until marriage federal funding that the District currently accepts? As you may know, a broad coalition of youth-serving organizations have written a letter asking Mayor Fenty to reject the abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding. The broad coalition of organizations that signed on to the letter include: DC Fights Back, City Year Washington DC, DC Primary Care Association, Girls Incorporated of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, The Latin American Youth Center, Metro TeenAIDS, Sasha Bruce Youth Work, Young Womens Project, and Youth Action Research Group. To see the complete list read the letter. The American Medical Association has rejected abstinence-only-until-marriage education. They support teaching abstinence as well as honest and accurate information about HIV and pregnancy prevention. The Mayor however, has yet to commit to rejecting the abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding. (This funding also requires a local match, meaning your local tax dollars go towards an HIV prevention program that medical experts agree doesn't work).

Outcome Document from Mayor's Summit on HIV/AIDS

Those of us who attended the Mayor's Summit on HIV/AIDS received the outcome documents in the mail last week. If you didn't have a chance to participate, click here to download the outcome documents and see what we talked about.

Mayor Adrian Fenty on Comprehensive Sex Education

Mayor Fenty spoke last night at a meeting of the Gertrude Stein Democrats. I had six questions for Mayor Fenty, but only time to ask one. I decided on comprehensive sex education with a two part question. First: Is the Mayor ready to reject the abstinence-only-until marriage federal funding that the District currently accepts? Second: What will the Mayor do to make sure that DC schools are providing comprehensive sex education? As you may know, a broad coalition of youth-serving organizations have written a letter asking Mayor Fenty to reject the abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding. There are many reasons to reject this money, probably the most significant one being that abstinence-only-until-marriage programs simply don't work. Further, the federal funds require a local match, requiring us to spend our own local money on a program that we know doesn't make sense. The broad coalition of organizations that worked on this include: the letter include DC Fights Back, City Year Washington DC, DC Primary Care Association, Girls Incorporated of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, The Latin American Youth Center, Metro TeenAIDS, Sasha Bruce Youth Work, Young Womens Project, and Youth Action Research Group. To see the complete list read the letter. Unfortunately, Adrian Fenty did not say he would follow the recommendation of these organizations and reject abstinence-only-until-marriage money. He did commit, however to looking into the issue. On the second part of the question, Mayor Fenty said (and I quote) "The District of Columbia should have the leading comprehensive sex education program in the country". This quote is encouraging. The state of comprehensive sex education in the District is not. Don't get me wrong. There are some great programs out there like the City Year Project Hope Team, which plans to double their size next year. City Year is not welcome in every school, however. We know many schools in DC shut the door to Project Hope and to other medically accurate comprehensive sex education programs. This has got to change. The good news though, is that Adrian Fenty agreed to have a sit-down meeting to discuss these issues, which is a start. I hope that several of the organizations listed above will be able to participate. If your organization has not reached out to the Mayor's office on this issue, I encourage you to do so now.

Six Questions for Mayor Adrian Fenty

Mayor Adrian Fenty will be making an appearance at the Gertrude Stein Democrats meeting Monday May 14th. Mayor Fenty will be discussing several issues of relevance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, which is likely to include HIV/AIDS. I will be looking specifically for an update on progress made on the HIV/AIDS front since the Mayor’s HIV/AIDS Summit last month. While many of the issues raised at the summit are long-standing problems that will require long-term solutions, there are also several short-term issues that require immediate action. The most pressing questions are: 1. When can we expect the appointment of a full-time director of the HIV/AIDS Administration? 2. What will the Mayor’s Task Force on HIV/AIDS look like under the Fenty administration and when can we expect this task force to be operational? 3. What is the status of the outcome document from the Mayor’s Summit on HIV/AIDS, and when will this document be made available? What are the next steps to ensure that the recommendations from the summit are implemented. 4. During the summit, Mayor Fenty made a pledge to Raymond Blanks to come up with a plan for better communication between the Mayor’s Task Force on HIV/AIDS, the HIV Community Planning Group, the Ryan White Planning Council, the HIV/AIDS Admministration, and the Mayor’s office. Mayor Fenty said we could expect to see a plan in the next 60-90 days. What progress has been made in this area? 5. Given the overwhelming evidence that federally funded abstinence-only-until-heterosexual-marriage programs have no benefit and are damaging to LGBT youth , is the Mayor committed to join with the states who have rejected this federal funding? Given the Mayor’s new authority in DC Public Schools, how can we work together to assure that every student in DC receives comprehensive sex education? 6. How is the Department of Health responding to the new data on circumcision as an HIV prevention measure? How can we guarantee that men who want this procedure receive it regardless of whether or not it is covered by their health insurance or they can afford it. I hope to be at the meeting on May 14th, but it depends on how much work remains planning for the Speakout on the 17th, and HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on the 18th. I encourage you to attend this meeting and to print out these questions and take them with you. Let's make sure they all get asked and answered.

Blade Article on Mayor's HIV Summit

The Washington Blade has a good article covering the Mayor's Summit on HIV/AIDS. The article quotes Adrian Fenty stating: “You have my full support, as mayor of the District of Columbia, that we will show the kind of leadership, follow-through and engagement to make sure that we’re making fast and steady progress on this crisis." There's also some great quotes from Alex Lawson (pictured left). click here to read the whole article

Mayor Adrian Fenty to Deliver 10 Millionth Food & Friends Meal

Join special guest, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, and Food & Friends' clients, volunteers, board, staff and supporters as they commemorate the 10 millionth Food & Friends meal. Mayor Adrian Fenty will package Food & Friends' 10 millionth meal and deliver it to a Food & Friends client. The event takes place Tuesday, April 17 from 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. at Food & Friends, 219 Riggs Road, NE. Shuttle Service Available from Fort Totten Metro Station. To RSVP, click here

Mayor's Summit on HIV/AIDS

I will post my thoughts on the summit tomorrow hopefully. In the meantime, here is a review of the Post Article from Kaiser Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty on Wednesday pledged to "put an end to [the] crisis" of HIV/AIDS in the district, although he did not commit to declaring a state of emergency based on the number of cases in the city, the Washington Post reports. Fenty held Wednesday's summit -- which was attended by more than 150 health experts, service providers and advocates -- as part of his action plan for his first 100 days in office. Fenty said that within one week, district agencies involved with HIV/AIDS will be called on to work together and that he likely soon will select a new director for the city's Administration for HIV Policy and Programs. "This is the No. 1 (public health) priority of this government," Fenty said. Also at the summit, Department of Health Director Gregg Pane said that about 48,000 people in 2006 received HIV tests as part of the district's citywide testing campaign (Levine, Washington Post, 4/5). District health officials and HIV/AIDS advocates in June 2006 launched the campaign, titled "Come Together D.C., Get Screened for HIV," which emphasizes the importance of HIV testing. The campaign aimed to reach 400,000 men, women and children ages 14 to 84 in the district. According to statistics presented at the Mayor's Task Force on HIV/AIDS, which convened for the first time in June 2006, up to 25,000 people, or more than 4% of all residents, in the district might be HIV-positive. District health officials ordered 80,000 rapid HIV tests for the campaign, which organizers planned to distribute at no cost to hospital emergency departments, private physician offices, community health programs, detoxification and substance use centers, and sexually transmitted infection treatment clinics (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/18/06). According to Pane, the number of people screened in 2006 is the most recorded in a single year and a 75% increase compared with 2005. Half of people screened were tested at private medical facilities and more than one-third were tested in clinics or hospitals. Men and women in their mid-30s to mid-40s were the most likely to receive tests, while older teenagers and young adults were the least likely to receive tests, according to the Post. The campaign did not attain its goal of reaching the several hundred thousand residents in its targeted population, and Pane added that data collected at testing sites were not complete enough to provide the demographic information needed to develop the most effective prevention and treatment plans. According to the Post, officials are examining data to determine how many new HIV cases were identified among district residents who did not receive tests in more skewed settings, such as the city's prison facility. The district estimates that 17,000 to 23,000 people in the city are living with HIV, but "years of surveillance shortfalls mean that data-driven calculations are unavailable," the Post reports. According to Pane, 5,179 new AIDS cases were reported locally between 2001 and 2006 (Washington Post, 4/5).

Adrian Fenty's State of the District Speech

Mayor Adrian Fenty will be giving a State of the District address in Ward 8. Mayor Fenty will lay out his vision for the District and explain what he's done since taking office in January. We all know that we'd like to see Mayor Fenty do more to fight HIV/AIDS in DC. In fact, we're still waiting for a substantive response to the Letter from Campaign to End AIDS DC to Adrian Fenty. The speech takes place today, Wednesday, March 21st, starting at 12:00 pm at the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center, 3500 Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE. I probably won't be able to make it - but if you can please do, and let us know what Adrian Fenty says about HIV/AIDS in this speech.

Fenty ‘abstinence’ Proclamation Criticized

Local gay and AIDS activists expressed concern about a proclamation issued in Washington last week by Mayor Adrian Fenty that calls for educating young people about “abstinence from sex before marriage.” continue reading this Washington Blade article on the Blade website

DCist Blog Post on Mayor Fenty

Building on this post I wrote last week, DCist.com has a post up right now about Adrian Fenty's Response to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Be sure to check it out.

Adrian Fenty's Failure to Lead on HIV/AIDS

As many of you know, the Campaign to End AIDS Metro-DC submitted a letter to Adrian Fenty back on February 2nd, 2007. Disappointingly, we are still waiting on a response. We got a form letter back saying we could expect to hear from someone. More recently I was told that we would receive a written response this week but at this point, it seems unlikely that will happen. This is the latest in a series of disappointments. With Adrian Fenty's first 100 Days more than half over, it is clear that he has failed to lead on HIV/AIDS in the District. Let's review: 1. Adrian Fenty dismissed HIV/AIDS Administration Director Marsha Martin without having a replacement in mind, leaving the agency floating adrift without a full-time, devoted Director. Department of Health head Gregg Pane has temporarily added responsibility of the HIV/AIDS Administration to his currently full plate, but his part time efforts are not sufficient. And sadly, some decisions are being held up until a new Director is selected. 2. Fenty's 100 Day Plan said almost nothing about HIV/AIDS, and the goals that were related to HIV/AIDS were vague at best. 3. Mayor Adrian Fenty failed to keep his Campaign Promise to hold a summit meeting on HIV/AIDS in the first 90 days of his administration. Some Mayors get to choose the issues they work on; they get to select what they want to be remembered for. Other Mayors are forced to respond to the pressing emergencies of their time. Make no mistake Mayor Fenty, you will be remembered for how you respond to the HIV/AIDS emergency in DC. So far, your record is not looking good.

What Adrian Fenty Promised To Do

This is simply a direct quote from Adrian Fenty's Campaign Position Paper (emphasis mine). "Within the first 90 days of my administration, I will convene a HIV/AIDS summit of government, faith, and community-based organization leaders to develop a comprehensive strategy to tackle the epidemic. The Mayor's Task Force on HIV/AIDS would play an important part in the Summit and it would continue to meet regularly and be part of the oversight of implementation of action items. Further, I would direct the Summit members to focus on funding issues. The District must bill for and receive every federal dollar that is available for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS." What happened?

C2EA-MetroDC Update

Campaign to End AIDS Metro DC met last monday and had our best turnout ever for a meeting. C2EA-MetroDC has joined the call to action for an HIV/AIDS state of emergency in DC. We submitted this letter to Mayor Adrian Fenty via snail mail & e-mail which calls for a state of emergency and requests a meeting with the Mayor's office. You can read the minutes from our last meeting here. And please be sure to join us for our next meeting on February 12th, starting at 6:00 PM at Housing Works (925 15th Street NW, 2nd Floor, McPherson Square Metro). Members of C2EA-MetroDC will be at various National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Events across the city getting the word out. Dorithia & I will set up a table and hand out info at the The Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative Reception from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Planned Parenthood Ophelia Egypt Program Center, 3933 Minnesota Avenue, NE. If you'd like to join us, just let me know.

Twenty Days and Counting

It has been 20 days since Mayor Fenty declined to reappoint Marsha Martin as Director of AHPP and still no word on a replacement. Nada. Zip. It makes me wonder whether or not the plan to restructure the Department of Health (as mentioned in Fenty's 100 Day Plan) includes eliminating the position all-together. Does that leave us with Gregg Pane (pictured left) as our new AIDS Czar/DOH head? I'm not convinced that Gregg Pane is focusing on HIV/AIDS. And I'm definitely not convinced that we are better off now (without a director) than we were when Marsha Martin was in office. Mayor Fenty, I thought HIV/AIDS was a top priority for your administration. What's going on? Twenty Days and counting. I suggested at the last Campaign to End AIDS Metro DC meeting that if the silence continues for 99 more days, we should plan a protest on day 100. I hope something happens soon, but if not, you know where I'll be on April 13th.

Washington Times Op Ed

The following op-ed appeared in the Washington Times. Dr. Gregg Pane, the director of the D.C. Department of Health, has named himself the interim director of the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs and has named Marie Sansone (currently in charge of HIV surveillance) as his chief of staff. Dr. Pane told the Washington Blade recently that his decision to take on the temporary role stemmed from wanting to "get to the bottom of the problems" the AIDS administration has seen in the past. We hope that Dr. Pane's 20-plus years of experience in the public health sector will revamp the AIDS agency, as the staggering infection rates in the District warrant urgent action. In what appears to be a step in that direction, the Washington Free Clinic closed its doors yesterday after nearly 40 years and will move its 12-person staff to the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Elizabeth Taylor facility so that comprehensive health care for the underserved continues. Health-care and insurance policies continue to undergo significant changes, and it has become increasingly difficult for small clinics "to stay viable," Gardiner Lapham of the Washington Free Clinic said. Whitman-Walker, no stranger to financial struggle, had been looking to incorporate primary care into its current operations to the homosexual community with a focus on HIV/AIDS care. The goal is to retain that mission, but to also expand its capacity. Both clinics have done tremendous work in the District. Advocates hope that, by joining forces, they will be better equipped to reach more people and provide more comprehensive health care. In terms of policy, it is long past the time for the city to stare down the atrocious HIV rate: 1 in 20 residents. Mayor Adrian Fenty has not yet articulated his administration's overall health-care policies, but we do support his decision to replace the Williams administration HIV/AIDS administrator. The District has to do far more than "blanket" the city with condoms to reverse the current HIV/AIDS crisis. Kim Mills, director of communications for Whitman-Walker, said she is confident that the Fenty administration will continue to spread the message of testing and prevention. We are reserving comment until we see the mayor's concrete plans. Going forward, the city and nonprofit groups need to take a head-on approach to HIV prevention and work diligently to ensure policies and public dollars are spent on practices that work. New directors and a new direction, coupled with the growing efforts at Whitman-Walker, are good first steps.

Adrian Fenty's First 100 Days

Adrian Fenty has released his plan for his first 100 days in office. The plan, which includes 200 action items, can be downloaded from the DC Government Website. There are a few things I find interesting. First, among the action items are plans to hire several permanent staff members (Director of Dep of Human Services, Director of the Office on Aging, Director for the Department of Disability Services, Director of the Department of Disability Services). The plan does not state, however, whether or not Fenty will hire a new Director for the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs in his first 100 days. This is one action item which is urgently needed. Also, the plan includes a cryptic goal, "Reorganize DOH to consolidate administrations and improve public health functions" which Fenty plans to do in the next 30 days." I can't help but wonder, what administrations are going to be consolidated in the next 30 days, and why didn't he just come out and tell us? I would think it's unlikely he's referring to the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs, but you never know. Regarding the other goals on HIV/AIDS, most of the action items are items DC is either already working on, or the action item is worded so broadly (i.e. "exploring") that you don't know if there will be an actual outcome. Here are some snippets from the plan, but you really should read the whole thing for yourself. "Preventing of sexually transmitted diseases through exploring implementation of needle exchange programs and broader condom accesibility (100 days)" "support mental health and wellness as well as offer HIV/AIDS prevention services through DMH provider agencies (100 days)" "Coordinate with medical service providers, especially those part of the Medicaid/Alliance safety net, to implement routine HIV testing for patients ages 14+ and up (100 days)." (isn't that what AHPP's been doing for the past year?) "Develop an East-of-the-River HIV/AIDS response capacity-building initiative (1st year)" "Increase community messages on testing and prevention of HIV/AIDS and explore establishing a medical home for low income residents testing positive (1st year)"

Fenty May Strengthen Smoke Free Workplace Law

Over at The DCist there has been a lot of discussion about a news report that Adrian Fenty may want to strengthen the Smoke Free Workplace Law. Currently, businesses that show a 5% drop in business can apply for an exemption. Fenty has suggested raising that standard to 15% to be more in line with other cities that have these laws, like New York. A while back I wrote a post on Why the DC Smoke-Free Workplace Legislation is Good News for HIV Positive Workers, so I won't repeat what I said in that post. I will say, however, that I think the proposed change is a good idea for the safety of HIV positive workers, and of course all workers in the District.

Adrian Fenty's Inaugural Address

Adrian Fenty's inaugural address is now available online. Unfortunately, the speech includes what is only a passing reference to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in DC. Fenty writes: "We also say, to our neighbors who are frail, that this Administration joins the residents of this city in decrying miserable health statistics in HIV/AIDS, heart and lung disease, cancer and diabetes that are worse here than in many impoverished nations throughout the globe. If we are serious about being an example to the rest of the world, District of Columbia residents must have access to medicine and physicians and insurance, no matter where we live in the city, nor what our income." Fenty fails to mention that we must not only treat HIV, but we must also prevent it. Mayor Fenty could create the best health care system any city in the United States has ever had, but it will be stretched to it's capacity with one in twenty DC residents being HIV positive, and it will surely break if our HIV rates continue to increase. I'm a fan of Adrian Fenty and I'm keeping an open mind. I hope to see some serious action on HIV/AIDS in the coming weeks.

Take Action: Call for a State of Emergency

A number of local HIV/AIDS advocates are calling on Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty to declare an HIV/AIDS State of Emergency in the District of Columbia. I have signed on and I encourage you to sign on as well. Both individuals as well as organizations can participate. 1. Read the Letter to Mayor Elect Adrian Fenty. The letter is available online at: http://www.fighthivindc.org/docs/fentyletter.doc. 2. Contact jenna@communityeducationgroup.org if you or your organization would like to sign on. Please include your full organizational name (or individual name) as you would like for it to be listed on the letter, as well as a contact person who is authorizing the sign-on. 3. Send an email to amfenty@hotmail.com to letting him know you support a State of Emergency. (cc:jenna@communityeducationgroup.org or tyoung@communityeducationgroup.org) 4. Print or write your version of the letter and make it available for others to sign on to at your agency, church, school, etc... Fax those signed letters to the Community Education Group at 202 543-9146 and they will make sure they get to the Mayor Elect. 4. Email a copy of this letter to your friends, colleagues, and neighbors asking them to also take action.