Message from GLMA’s Executive Director Hector Vargas
Responding to the call to advocate for policy and services for people with HIV and AIDS, GLMA’s genesis was during the early days of the AIDS epidemic. In the three decades since our founding in San Francisco in 1981, GLMA has broadened its scope and mission to ensure equality in healthcare for LGBT people as well as people living with HIV/AIDS.
In this special edition of the LGBT Health Digest, GLMA wishes to welcome International AIDS Conference participants to our new home, Washington, DC, and to highlight some of the many affiliated events taking place during the conference.
July 19, 2012 Reposted at http://www.keystothecloset.blogspot.com,
News: FDA Approves PrEP Drug Truvada
News: FDA Approves At-Home HIV Test
International AIDS Conference
Conference Affiliated Events
HIV/AIDS Content at GLMA’s 30th Annual Conference
FDA Approves PrEP Drug Truvada
On July 16, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Truvada, the first drug approved to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals. Taken daily, Truvada is intended as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-uninfected individuals who are at high risk of infection. According to the FDA press release, a PrEP indication means Truvada is approved for use as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy that includes other prevention methods, such as safe sex practices, risk reduction counseling and regular HIV testing.
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FDA Approves At-Home HIV Test
In follow up to a May 17th LGBT Health Digest item, on July 3, 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first over-the-counter HIV test. According to the LA Times, the new test, OraQuick, which works by detecting antibodies in a swab from the gums, will allow people to test themselves at home and receive preliminary results in less than 30 minutes. The FDA emphasized that any results from a self-administered test should not be considered final and that anyone receiving a positive result should follow up with a healthcare provider. OraQuick will be available in supermarkets and pharmacies in October.
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International AIDS Conference
The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learnt and collectively chart a course forward.
The AIDS 2012 program will present new scientific knowledge and offer many opportunities for structured dialogue on the major issues facing the global response to HIV. A variety of session types – from abstract-driven presentations to symposia, bridging and plenary sessions – will meet the needs of various participants. Other related activities, including the Global Village, satellite meetings, exhibitions and affiliated independent events, will contribute to an exceptional opportunity for professional development and networking.
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Conference affiliated events include:
Return to Lisner
July 24, 2012 at 7pm
Whitman-Walker Health will be hosting Return to Lisner, the 29th anniversary of DC's first AIDS forum. In 1983, there was nothing but fear and uncertainty around AIDS. Today, there is hope and optimism for the future. Join us for an exciting and emotional forum on the future of the epidemic.
GLMA is proud to be a community co-sponsor of Return to Lisner.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt
As Washington, DC prepares to host the XIX International AIDS Conference, the AIDS Memorial Quilt will once again be unfolded in our Nation’s Capital. During the week of July 21, sections of domestic and international Quilt will fill parts of the National Mall and “blanket” the Capital Region with displays in more than 50 other public spaces and venues. The Quilt provides balm for the painful wounds of grief, calms waters made turbulent by controversy and enlists everyone who sees it to play a role in stopping the epidemic. With its unparalleled ability to educate and advocate effectively – not with facts and figures, but with emotion embedded in powerful personal expression – The Quilt will bring much needed visual strength, expand the audience, add levels of context, meaning and relevance, and help inspire a new generation of individuals to respond to HIV/AIDS with compassion and resolve. For more information, please click here.
Gay Men’s Health Summit
July 19-22, 2012
Since the first Gay Men's Health Summit in 1999, participants have gathered in what is now a biennial event drawing over 300 activists to: Replace the HIV-centric paradigm of health advocacy for gay men with holistic models that integrate (but do not default to) HIV; Rethink the crisis paradigm of HIV work and embrace contemporary understandings, meanings and implications of HIV for gay men of all colors and classes; Challenge deficit-based models for work with gay men and replace them with asset-based approaches; Strategically and politically confront structural forces challenging the well-being of gay and bi men; Embrace a "big tent" vision of community, respecting diverse ways of organizing sex and relationships among gay men: shame and guilt are the health hazards, rather than specific sex practices and sex cultures; Launch only efforts that are neither overtly or covertly sanitizing, sanctimonious or moralistic.
Making Sex a Crime and Spit a Deadly Weapon: The Criminal Treatment of HIV
July 20, 2012 from 10am – 5pm
This is a free event through the Positive Justice Project (PJP) to inform and mobilize against HIV criminalization in the US. PJP is a working consortium devoted to ending the abuse of the criminal law against HIV-positive people. PJP includes HIV advocates, researchers, health and social service providers, media representatives, policy analysts, law enforcement and people living with HIV. PJP engages in federal and state policy advocacy, legal resource creation and support and on educating and mobilizing communities and policy makers in the US. To register or for more information send an email.
MSM Pre-Conference Event
July 21, 2012 from 9am – 6pm
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) is organizing the fifth MSM Pre-Conference Event to the International AIDS Conference. This year’s theme is: From Stigma to Strength: Strategies for MSM, Transgender People and Allies in a Shifting AIDS Landscape. Since its inception in 2006, the MSM Pre-Conference has grown to become the largest global gathering of activists, researchers, implementers and donors focused on the health and human rights of men who have sex with men.
Nurse Models of HIV Care & Treatment: Addressing Health Workforce Shortages for Long-Term Sustainability
Monday, July 23, 2012 from 7:00 am – 8:30 am
This workshop will provide an overview of the various data on nurse models of care and treatment for HIV/AIDS and co-morbid diseases. The areas of the world with the greatest burden of HIV often have a dual challenge in human resources necessary for healthcare delivery. With an ever growing physician-patient ratio, vastly different models of care have been required. Data on nurse care models that incorporate treatment initiation and management as well as case management have been shown to improve access, be highly sustainable and produce patient outcomes that are non-inferior to the physician care models. The challenges, however, continue to impede this evidence-based intervention. Please click here to register.
Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll Art Exhibition
July 22-27, 2012
Opening Reception to benefit HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive):
July 24, 2012 from 6 – 9pm
This art exhibition will feature both local and national artists’ exploration of the physical, psychological and socioeconomic impact of sex work and drug use on individuals, families and communities.
Beat Goes On lV
July 26, 2012 at 8pm
Latin Music superstar Juanes will headline the Beat Goes On lV, a concert to benefit Lifebeat, Music Fights HIV/AIDS. This special event will take place at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC. Lifebeat’s mission is to deliver ‘music with a message’ and the concert will serve as a reminder to world leaders and policy makers that the AIDS epidemic remains a global threat to public health. 2012 marks Lifebeat’s 20th Anniversary; a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reaching America's youth with a message of HIV/AIDS and STD prevention.
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HIV/AIDS Content at GLMA's 30th Annual Conference
GLMA’s 30th Annual Conference is just two months away and features a number of HIV/AIDS-specific workshop, oral and poster original research and plenary sessions
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