Saturday, March 12

Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala.  GO (lg)

Tuesday, April 5

The next Positive Life Program will be Tuesday, April 5, at the Sinatra Auditorium at Desert Regional Hospital, Palm Springs (on the corner of Tachevah & Miraleste).  Dr. John Stansell MD, well-known HIV specialist, and activist Jeff Taylor, will give an update on all the new drugs and treatments presented at the 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Oppourtunistic Infections in Boston.  A light supper will be served beginning at 6:00 PM, and the program starts at 6:30 PM.  ASL translation will be provided.  This program is sponsored by Jewish Family Services of the Desert. (rv) 

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Action Alert - Call your representative now!

You can also be an advocate from the comfort of your home!  Members of the House of Representatives have submitted a budget that proposes to slash funding to health programs and Ryan White programs might be included. These cuts could mean loss of access to key services like oral health, nutrition support and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) for people living with HIV. The House will most likely be voting on these issues next week. As the House decides how to make these cuts tell them that the Ryan White Program needs more funding, not less. No cuts to Ryan White in 2011!

What You Can Do:

Call your Representative right now! Call toll-free: 1.800.828.0498 (or 1.202.224.3121. When you reach the Capitol Switchboard, ask to be connected to your Representative or Senator.  Tell your Members of Congress: 'Vote NO on any fiscal year 2011 continuing resolution that guts essential programs for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.  These cuts won't fix our nation's fiscal mess, but they will unjustly sentence people living with HIV and other Americans in need to unnecessary hardship and suffering.'  Take Action Now! (jl) 

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d4t should only be used as a last resort

The European Medicines Agency has issued new guidelines on the use of d4T (stavudine, Zerit), saying that the drug should be used only when no other alternative option exists.The drug has several well-established side effects that are either life-threatening, or may cause serious long-term harm. These include lactic acidosis (a build-up of lactic acid in the body), which may lead to death if not treated early enough; peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerves in the limbs, especially the feet and legs), which may be irreversible in some patients, and leads to pain and difficulty in walking; and lipoatrophy (subcutaneous fat loss, especially in the limbs, buttocks and face) which is usually irreversible except through reparative surgery. Most patients find the loss of fat highly disfiguring and stigmatising. Each side-effect is linked to long-term use of d4T, and each side-effect has been known about for at least a decade.The World Health Organization has also issued a series of treatment guideline revisions intended to discourage the use of d4T in resource-limited settings. The drug, however, continues to form part of first-line antiretroviral drug combinations in many countries due to its low cost in comparison to other treatments. (rv)

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. "