National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Join the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) in raising awareness about the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women of color this National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). Coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Women’s Health (OWH) and held annually on March 10, NWGHAAD has never been more important. The World Health Organization announced in November 2009 that HIV/AIDS is now the number one killer of women and girls aged 15-44 worldwide, and in the United States, a woman is infected with HIV every 35 minutes.

Dr. Kim Johnson, NMAC’s Director of Technical Assistance, Training and Treatment Division says: “Often lost in the discussion about the disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in minority communities and the increase in HIV infections among women overall is the potential impact on future generations. Women and girls – and particularly women and girls of color – tend to be the primary caretakers at home, putting the health and welfare of their partners, children and elders ahead of their own. Compounding this barrier to HIV prevention and care are cultural stigmas around HIV and condom use, as well as socioeconomic disparities – such as high rates of poverty and homelessness – and an overall lack of access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and information.”

Women now account for 25% of all HIV and AIDS cases in the U.S., a sharp increase from 11% in 1990. And though women of color represent only a quarter of the total female population in the U.S., they account for nearly 80% of all AIDS cases among women nationwide. Black women in particular have been impacted. AIDS is a leading cause of death among African American women in all age groups, and it is the number one killer of Black women aged 25-34.

Evelyn Ullah, Director of HIV/AIDS at the Miami-Dade County Health Department and a member of NMAC’s Board, says: “We call on everyone to take a stand and engage in open discussions about sexuality and sexual risk – and the importance of HIV prevention and testing. Otherwise, we will continue to see women and girls of color being infected with HIV and, worse, testing late. All too often, women of color are simultaneously diagnosed with HIV and AIDS – or progress to AIDS within a year of testing positive for HIV.”

NMAC hopes you will join us in supporting the recommendations for action outlined in the National Black Women’s HIV/AIDS Network’s report: “Recommendations for HIV/AIDS Policy for Black Women and Girls and Their Families Living with and Affected by HIV/AIDS.” Though these refer to African American women, they are relevant to all women of color:

• Support HIV-positive and non-positive Black women and girls and their organizations and networks;
• Ensure equal access to care, treatment and health insurance coverage;
• Ensure that Black women and girls and their families have the knowledge and means to prevent HIV infection; and
• Ensure that Black women and girls have access to research.

Concerned that the vast majority of HIV infections among women and girls of color stem from heterosexual contact and lack of access to health education, NMAC established the Women of Color Leadership Institute (WOCLI) to build the advocacy skills of current and future minority women leaders working on their own, at faith- and community-based organizations and/or attending historically-black colleges and universities.

A former WOCLI participant living with HIV/AIDS, Rev. Vanessa D. Sharp, says: “WOCLI helps women of color develop their skills – their political voices – so they can successfully weigh in on decisions related to HIV/AIDS taking place in every arena, whether in their homes or in Washington, D.C. More than just another training, NMAC’s WOCLI program empowers women to overcome their fears of stigma – from their family, churches and community – and speak truth to power about this epidemic.”

In addition to several WOCLI trainings, NMAC will holding a number of town hall forums in 2010 focusing on women’s rights and HIV, as well as building its video library of interviews with community leaders discussing AIDS in communities of color. The agency also has an ongoing public service announcement (PSA) campaign called “African American Women GET REAL about HIV/AIDS,” which may be seen here. A similar campaign, SOY, launched by the Kaiser Foundation and Univision, includes several videos featuring women discussing their lives with HIV/AIDS.

Other helpful resources include:

• The official NWGHAAD site, which offers a listing of all events taking place nationwide, as well as e-cards and other resources;
• Womenhealth.gov’s women and HIV/AIDS section;
• NMAC’s African American Women GET REAL about HIV/AIDS PSA collateral material, which is available in limited quantities, free-of-charge, by sending an e-mail to communications@nmac.org; and
• NMAC’s training manual, “Using Social Marketing to Take Action Against HIV/AIDS for African American Women,” also available for free by sending an e-mail to communications@nmac.org.

About NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) builds leadership within communities of color to address challenges of HIV/AIDS. Since 1987, NMAC has advanced this mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous publications and a website: http://www.nmac.org/. Today, NMAC is an association of AIDS service organizations providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. NMAC’s advocacy efforts are funded through private funders and donors only.

For more information, call NMAC directly at (202) 483-NMAC (6622) ext. 309 or communications@nmac.org. Visit the agency online at http://www.nmac.org/, as well as on http://www.facebook.com/ and on http://www.wikipedia.com/. Pictures and video clips from past NMAC events are available from MyPhotoAlbum.com (nmacpics.myphotoalbum.com/), and http://www.youtube.com/, respectively.



NMAC Commends Ban Lift on Syringe Exchange

From the NMAC:

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) applauds Congress for lifting the federal funding ban on syringe exchange programs, in the appropriations legislation passed by the Senate on December 13th.

“Yesterday’s vote demonstrates Congress’ continued commitment to science-based health policy,” says Paul A. Kawata. “In light of health care funding cuts in many states during the recent economic downturn, increased support for syringe exchange programs will help agencies nationwide continue their work mitigating the impact of HIV, particularly in communities of color, which have been hardest hit by AIDS epidemic since it began.”

NMAC in particular praises the leadership of U.S. Representative David Obey (D-WI), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in calling for the end of the funding ban. Ravinia Hayes-Cozier, NMAC’s Director of Government Relations and Public Policy says, “Far from promoting drug use, harm reduction programs, like syringe exchange, help prevent transmission of HIV and its co-morbidities, like hepatitis A and C, and offer injection drug users a safe gateway to treatment.”

President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law soon, which will grant local agencies and law enforcement flexibility in deciding where syringe exchange programs may operate in their communities. “While NMAC applauds this move forward,” Hayes-Cozier says, “we are concerned that the FY2010 appropriations bill includes only minimal increases in domestic and international HIV/AIDS funding overall. These levels reflect an ongoing belief in the U.S. by many – including government officials – that AIDS is no longer a threat. This couldn’t be further from the truth.”

In the U.S., injection drug use accounts for 12% of the more than estimated 55,000 new HIV cases that occur annually. African American and Latino communities alone account for 70% of all new infections. If unchecked, HIV will undermine the health of future generations around the world, as indicated in the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report stating that AIDS is the number one killer of women in their childbearing years – ages 15-49 – globally. WHO also estimates that AIDS will be the leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.

“The global AIDS pandemic is far from over,” says Hayes-Cozier. “Supporting syringe exchange is a positive step in the U.S. to mitigating HIV here and around the world.”

About NMAC
The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) has advanced its mission, “to develop leadership within communities of color to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS” since 1987 through individualized capacity building assistance; technical assistance trainings; public policy education programs; national and regional conferences; treatment and research education programs; online and printed resource materials; and a website: http://www.nmac.org/. The agency also serves as a membership association for its constituent AIDS service organizations and minority faith- and community-based organizations delivering HIV/AIDS services in communities of color and advocates on their behalf in Washington, D.C.

NMAC: The Continued Impact of HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

From the NMAC:

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) is honoring World AIDS Day (WAD) this December 1 with a special message on its website’s home page, NMAC.org, about the continued impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic domestically. The video features public officials, educators, activists, community organizers and other leaders discussing how we must come together as a nation to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic head on in this country. The video also takes visitors to the site’s comprehensive list of events http://tinyurl.com/NMAC-WAD being held nationwide in honor of WAD.

Ravinia Hayes-Cozier, NMAC’s Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, who introduces the video, says “This year’s World AIDS Day theme, ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’, is particularly timely in light of the nationwide conversation taking place around the formation of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the future of health care overall.

“Unfortunately, many people, including the media, the public and even some government officials, both here and abroad, think of AIDS as a disease occurring elsewhere that no longer impacts the U.S. This is a dangerous misconception, and has played a significant role in fueling HIV infection rates in this country.”

HIV/AIDS has disproportionately impacted undeserved and marginalized populations in the U.S. since the epidemic began in 1981. An August 2008 report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that HIV incidence is 40% higher in the U.S. than originally believed, with over 55,000 new cases occurring annually. Alarmingly, communities of color represent 65% of all new HIV infections. These statistics reflect the socio-economic disparities – including limited access to education and high rates of homelessness, malnutrition, incarceration, substance use, incarceration and poverty – that have undermined the overall health and well-being of marginalized populations, particularly communities of color, in this country, and have created significant barriers to care.

“Since its inception in 1988 by the World Health Organization, World AIDS Day has given us an opportunity to remember the more than 25 million people lost to global AIDS pandemic since it began nearly three decades ago,” says Paul A. Kawata, NMAC’s Executive Director. “More than a million of these deaths have occurred here in the U.S., most of them men, women and children of color and/or gay men/men who have sex with men (MSM).

“It is unacceptable that HIV/AIDS remains unchecked in communities of color, and that AIDS is the number one killer of women worldwide between the ages of 15 and 44. Honoring their memory demands that we commit ourselves to mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on future generations. That means having difficult discussions about everything around AIDS – from the need to support HIV vaccine and microbicide research, to how homophobia, sexism and racism help spread HIV.”

To that end, NMAC launched the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) HIV/AIDS Peer Education Initiative, which will train HBCU students on how to get involved and educate one another about HIV/AIDS, at the September 25th “An Evening Without Politics: A Benefit Reception” (EWP) held during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. Many of the interviews featured in the special video report on NMAC.org were shot during the EWP, and include:

* Jim Brown, Football Legend, Actor, Activist
* G.K. Butterfield, Congressman (D-North Carolina)
* James Clyburn, Congressman, House Majority Whip (D-South Carolina)
* Danny Davis, Congressman (D-Illinois)
* Gregory W. Edwards, Executive Director, Flowers Heritage Foundation
* Debra Fraser-Howze, Vice President of External Affairs, Orasure Technologies
* Vincent Gray, Washington, DC City Council Chair
* Barbara Lee, Congresswoman (D-California)
* Sheryl Lee Ralph, Actress and Activist
* Julianne Malveaux, President, Bennett College
* Dr. Marsh Martin, Get Screened Oakland
* Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan, Television and Radio Personality
* Julianne Scofield, Executive Director, National Alliance of State and Territorial Directors
* Maxine Waters, Congresswoman (D-California)
* Beverly Watts Davis, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, SAMHSA Officer of the Administrator

“The HBCU HIV/AIDS Peer Education Initiative will train a new generation of leaders in our communities who can discuss the epidemic in the U.S. in relation to global AIDS pandemic,” says Hayes-Cozier. “This will be particularly important as we move into the new era of international collaboration sure to follow the official end of the HIV travel ban on January 4, 2010 and the hosting of the International AIDS Conference in the U.S. in 2012.”

More about  NMAC here!

From the U.S. Conference on AIDS – Ft. Lauderdale

I am here at the US Conference on AIDS in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, along with the National Minority AIDS Council which marks the 10th anniversary of the Minority AIDS Initiative.

Among the thousands in attendance, are representatives from various HIV/AIDS organizations from all across the country, as well as representatives from the U.S. government and private enterprise.

Ms. Milagros, one of the guest speakers who has lived with HIV for the past 17 years spoke at one of the opening ceremonies.

Her story is unique, in that she actually contracted HIV from her ex-fiance who has since passed away. When she first became infected and confronted him about it, he told her, “I knew I was going to take someone with me, I just didn’t know it would be you.”

At first, like everyone who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, she was devistated. But as time went on, she came to the realization, “I am HIV +, but I am not HIV”.

Her advice for those in relationships may seem as something you’ve heard before, but if you stop to think about it, it really affects every living person world-wide. “No matter how much you love someone, and trust that person, and even if you are married, unless you are with them 24/7, you do not know for sure that you can trust that person 100%. You really can only trust yourself. If you are in any type of relationship, where unprotected sex plays a role in that relationship, you need to get tested, tested, and retested on a regular basis.”

The reasons for testing, other than knowing your status, are pleantiful. It is important however to be tested if you are sexually active because early detection is the key to maintaining your health. Late diagnosis is the largest contributing factor to the early on-set of AIDS. If you catch it early, HIV can be treated and controlled, much like asthma or many other chronic illnesses.

Another reason for testing of course is knowing. HIV does not have physical features. Many people believe they know if someone has HIV because they are thin, have hair loss, or skin deftects , etc. This is not true. People with HIV do not have any altered physical appearances. There simply are no physical appearances associated with HIV. This is why an estimated 40 percent of people living with HIV still are not aware they are infected.

For Ms. Milagros, even after 17 years, she appears perfectly healthy, and aside from the fact she is HIV +, she is perfectly healthy. One thing she attributes to her well being however, is speaking about it. For her, speaking is healing. When she gets the chance to speak publically about her experience, her T-Cell count rises, and she feels a sense of worth. If sharing her story can help one person deal with the stress of being HIV +, or help prevent someone from becoming HIV +, then it has literally done a world of good. She is HIV +, but she is FULL of life.

Although the conference only runs a few days, there will be much, much more to come as I continue to provide GayAgenda readers with the vast amount of knowledge I am gaining, over the next couple weeks, and on.

Stay tuned. Much more to come.