|
DAPCAN
Desert AIDS Project - Community Action Newsletter
October 6, 2011
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Staff
| |
David Brinkman
Chief Executive Officer
Barry Dayton
Director of Marketing and Communications
Alexis Ortega
Interactive Marketing
Specialist
Rick Vila
Volunteer Co-editor
John Lewis
Volunteer Co-editor
Steve Bolerjack
Volunteer Co-editor
|
|
|
|
| Save the Date | |
Monday, October 10, 2011
D.A.P. closed for Columbus Day
Desert AIDS Project and LabCorp will be closed on Monday, October 10, in observance of Columbus Day. Walgreens pharmacy will be open. (jl)
Tuesday, November 1, 6:00 PM
Positive Life Series - Accessing HIV Benefits
 The next presentation in the monthly Positive Life HIV education series, sponsored by Jewish Family Service of the Desert, will focus on accessing HIV benefits such as Social Security, Medicare Part D, etc. A light supper will be served starting at 6:00 PM, and the program will begin at 6:30 PM. The location is the Sinatra Auditorium at Desert Regional Medical Center (at the corner of Tachevah and Via Miraleste in Palm Springs), and is always free. ASL translation will be provided. Please email or call Jeff Taylor at jefftaylorps@gmail.com, or 760.835.1926, with any questions. Also, mark your calendar for December 6 for a presentation on Aging with HIV by noted author and advocate, Nelson Vergel. (jl)
Saturday, October 22, 7:30 AM
Palm Springs AIDS Walk 2011
 It's time for YOU to sign up! The 24th annual Palm Springs AIDS walk is coming up soon! Follow this link for information and registration.
Editor's note - Your editor signed up last week and just by doing email blasts and contacting Facebook friends raised over $1000 in a matter of days! Even small donations add up quickly. This is such a simple way for you to raise money for YOUR community. Please check it out and sign up today. (jl)
|
| Community Center Events | |
The Client Community Center hosts regular activities and events every week (listed below). Community Center special events and other activities can now be found on the main D.A.P. website. Click here for the complete list of upcoming special events.
Friday, October 7, Noon to 1:00 PM
Community Center Presents -
WHO WANTS TO BE AN HIV EXPERT?
Join us for a luncheon presentation sponsored by ViiV Healthcare and facilitated by Jeffrey Bach, Clinical Specialist. Lunch will be served at 11:45 AM. Please RSVP to Ray at 760.323.2118 ext. 295 or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org.
Protect your health, sign up now!
Tuesday, Octber 18, Noon to 1:00 PM
Community Center Presents - HIV and NUTRITION
 Luncheon presentation sponsored by GILEAD. Topics will include eating on a budget, good foods vs bad, and better eating for better health! Facilitated by Michael Roy, Sr Community Liaison Specialist. Lunch served at 11:45 AM. Please RSVP to Ray at 760.323.2118 ext. 295 by 3:00 PM Monday October 17 or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org. Protect your health sign up now!
Friday, October 21, Noon to 1:00 PM
Community Center Presents - HIV TREATMENT UPDATE  Luncheon presentation sponsored by Joseph Leahy Community Liaison Manager, Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Biotech, Inc. with speaker Dr. Mills. Lunch served at 11:45 AM. Please RSVP to Ray at 760.323.2118 ext. 295 by Wednesday October 19 @ 3:00PM or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org.
Every Friday, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Community Center Presents - EMOTIONAL WELLNESS GROUP  Discover the "Gifts of Your Emotions" and how to turn the negatives into positives. This group is ongoing and you may join at anytime. Curriculum will repeat at the end of each cycle. For more information please contact the group's facilitator, or just show up. Ray Robertson 760.323.2118 ext: 295 or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org.
Embrace your feelings! Every Thursday, 1:00 PM Community Center Presents - LET'S ALL GO TO THE MOVIES October 13, Sordid Lives (2000) As three generations of a family in a small  Texas town gather for a funeral, we learn the hilarious, sad, trashy truth of the "Sordid Lives." Directed by Del Shores. Starring Delta Burke, Bonnie Bedelia, Olivia Newton-John. Roll film! Ongoing Client Community Center activities include:
- Support groups
- Spiritual Living 101
- Hepatitis C Therapy Education
- Diabetes Education
- Stitch in Time (needlecraft), Wednesdays, 10:00 AM
- Community Center Computer Lab
- Lending Library
- Free films, Thursdays, 1:00 PM
Follow this link to see the recurring activities on the Community Center Calendar.
Back to top
|
|
D.A.P. accepts GLAAD Amplifier Award for "AIDS is not over" campaign
 Desert AIDS Project was honored when they heard that their "AIDS is not over" public service announcement (PSA) campaign had been chosen as the recipient of a national award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "While we were delighted, we knew that we weren't going to travel to New York City to attend the award ceremony on October 4," said David Brinkman, CEO of Desert AIDS Project. "But when our friends at DST Studios here in Palm Springs offered us free studio space, we got busy writing our acceptance speech to tape and send to them. Thanks to our loyal supporter, the legendary Carol Channing, the end result was too good NOT to share with our friends." All parts of the acceptance speech, except for Miss Channing's, were scripted. "What she ad libbed was pure gold," said Brinkman. "This is an actress who definitely knew what her audience would love to hear. She is a treasure to D.A.P." The lighthearted acceptance speech by D.A.P. and their creative partners, the Jones Agency, can be seen here. (jl)
Back to top
|
Help honor those lost to AIDS at Steve Chase Awards
 If you have photographs of friends and loved ones who died of AIDS, we invite you to help us pay tribute to them at a special, on-screen remembrance at the 18th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards next February. They need not have been clients of Desert AIDS Project. Please email digital photos, with names and birth and death years to info@desertaidsproject.org. Print photos may be dropped off at or mailed to the main Desert AIDS Project, 1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262. Please be assured we will handle your treasured photos with the utmost care and will return them to you along with a digital copy of any photo you are generous enough to share. (jl)
Back to top
|
|
Check out the new Revivals Store in Palm Desert, now on YouTube!
 Your editor had an opportunity to visit the new Revivals in Palm Desert this week. The store is conveniently located behind the Costco (and next to Power of Fitness) at Dinah Shore and Monterey and is quite impressive! The place is huge and has a great selection of gently used, consignment, and brand new items. You owe it to yourself to check it out... there are some great deals! (jl)
Back to top
|
Spanish HIV vaccine shows 90% success in early trial
Medical researchers in Spain say an experimental vaccine against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has produced a 90% immune response among a small group of healthy human test subjects. The promising results pave the way for further clinical trials on HIV-infected volunteers. Read more here. (jl) Back to top |
| Cervical cancer virus fuels oral cancer
A prolonged sore throat once was considered a cancer worry mainly for smokers and drinkers. Today there's another risk: A sexually transmitted virus is fueling a rise in oral cancer. The HPV virus is best known for causing cervical cancer. But it can cause cancer in the upper throat, too, and a new study says HPV-positive tumors now account for a majority of these cases of what is called oropharyngeal cancer. If that trend continues, that type of oral cancer will become the nation's main HPV-related cancer within the decade, surpassing cervical cancer. Read more here. (jl)
Back to top
|
HIV/AIDS Resource Center for Women
 When the HIV epidemic first hit the U.S., it was believed to be a white, gay man's disease -- in 1985, women and girls accounted for a mere 7% of newly diagnosed HIV cases. But 30 years later, HIV has silently become a serious issue for American women. Women and girls account for almost 30% of newly diagnosed HIV cases. Not to mention that it is the No. 1 killer of African-American women ages 25-34. This is why TheBody.com created the HIV/AIDS Resource Center for Women. Read more here. (jl)
Back to top |
| A message from a long-term survivor: Be your own advocate!
In our ongoing series highlighting 30 years of AIDS we've run stories about fellow survivors. We've also asked you to tell us YOUR story. Since turnabout is fair play your editor will now tell you his.
I still remember the drive home from the testing center after getting the news. I was in a state of shock. My new boyfriend and I had gone together to be tested just to confirm we were both "okay". Turns out he was, but me... not so much. I remember feeling so relieved when he told me he wasn't going to leave me... it was like he knew what I was already thinking... I was "damaged goods" and I was going to die alone, and soon. It was 1988, and back then the conventional wisdom was that once you were diagnosed as positive, you got AIDS and died in a couple of years. Although AZT was around, it wasn't a panacea, and there wasn't much else available in the way of treatment. About all you could do was monitor your CD4's... talk about feeling powerless!
I decided early on that I wasn't going to just sit idly by waiting to die. I started attending educational seminars and presentations, trying to learn as much as I could. I found a great HIV specialist and joined every support group I could find. Those groups were a blessing in terms of camaraderie and emotional support but they were also one of the best sources of real-world information... the kind you didn't always get from a formal presentation. I also experimented with many types of alternative therapies including meditation, acupuncture, and supplements... does anyone else remember when everyone was taking garlic pills?
Fast-forward to 2011. I am 23 years into this and happy to still be here to write about it. It's been a long road with more than one or two bumps along the way but I am doing relatively well. I've no doubt that, in addition to some good luck, the reason I am still here is that I took a pro-active role in my treatment. I read early on that patients who did this were more likely to have favorable outcomes than those who just abandoned their care to their doctor and blindly followed orders.
If I were to offer any advice to someone newly infected it would be for them to get educated, become an active participant in their care and treatment, and don't be afraid to ask questions. Take advantage of educational seminars like the ones offered at D.A.P. and Positive Life, and join a support group. We've come a long way since that day in 1988 when my life changed forever, but fortunately, an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence.
Be well! (jl)
Back to top
|
Take Action: Tell Gilead to lower drug prices
Last Thursday, the Foster City, California headquarters of drug company Gilead Sciences, Inc. was flooded with phone calls from hundreds of people like you - people who care deeply about the more than 10,000 Americans unable to access lifesaving AIDS drugs through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). If you have not yet had a chance to make the call, it's not too late. Follow the instructions here and let your voice be heard. (jl)
Back to top
|
|
California's cost of living rises 15% over three years
 If you've been feeling like your money just doesn't go as far as it used to... it's not your imagination. A study released Tuesday shows the cost of paying for food, housing and transportation - basically, the price tag for living without public assistance in California - increased by 15% in the last three years. In Riverside County, costs grew slightly more, up 17% between 2008 and 2011. Read more here. (jl)
Back to top
|
|
Ten surprising health benefits of sex
 When you're in the mood, it's a sure bet that the last thing on your mind is boosting your immune system or maintaining a healthy weight. Yet good sex offers those health benefits and more. Read more about those benefits here. (jl)
Back to top |
|
AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) phone numbers
ADAP for Riverside County has a new fax number. Clients can now fax their verifications to the Moreno Valley office at 951.486.4434. You can also contact the County of Riverside directly at 951.486.5400 to make an ADAP appointment or get more information. (jl)
Back to top |
|
Call 211 for essential human services in Riverside County
2-1-1 is a toll-free service for residents looking for information about essential human services such as affordable housing, food pantries, help for an aging parent, free or low cost health services, addiction prevention programs, employment, support groups, volunteer opportunities, and 1,700 additional services! (jl)
Back to top
|
|
"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."
~ Steve Jobs - Stanford commencement speech, June 2005
|
|
Desert AIDS Project - Community Action Newsletter (DAPCAN) presents published material, reprinted with permission, and neither endorses or opposes any material. All information contained in this newsletter, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professional. Always discuss treatment options with a physician who specializes in treating HIV. Publication of the name or likeness of any individual in articles in this newsletter is not to be construed as any indication of the HIV status of such individual. If you do not wish to receive this e-newsletter, please notify us by using the email address below.
For questions, comments, or unsubscribe contact us at : DAPCAN@DesertAIDSProject.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
