January 12, 2012

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.

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday, Noon - 12:45 PM

Community Center Presents - GUIDED MEDITATION & AFFIRMATIONS

meditate New sessions starting using guided imagery and affirmations as narrated by Belleruth Naparstek. You'll gain deeper relaxation, healing and wellness. Just show up to the Meditation Room on designated days and time. Lower anxiety, stress and depression.

First and Third Tuesday Every Month, 4:30 - 6:00 PM

Community Center Presents - POZITIVELY POSITIVE

D.A.P. Community Center is pleased to support this peer-led group for HIV+ men striving to live a more empowered and healthier life. Discussion topics are chosen by group members. For more information please contact the group's facilitator, Tim Neuman, @ 323.854.3248. Stay strong!

Every Thursday, 1:00 PM - Movie & Pizza

Community Center Presents - LETS GO TO THE MOVIES

Thursday, January 19 - The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

In late 1950's New York, Tom Ripley, a young underachiever, is sent to Europe to retrieve a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy, named Dickie Greenleaf. Directed by Anthony Minghella. Starring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow. Come out for a good flick!

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.

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D.A.P. News

What is D.A.P.'s Client Advocacy Committee (C.A.C.)?

The Client Advocacy Committee (C.A.C.) at Desert AIDS Project is a group of D.A.P. clients who endeavor to:

Help D.A.P. improve their services to clients through client suggestions and comments;
Create advocacy for funding for all people with HIV/AIDS;
Educate and increase awareness of services offered to clients through D.A.P.

The C.A.C. has created subcommittees to:

Review monthly suggestion box contributions;
Create open forums for clients;
Organize town hall meetings;
Maintain the bulletin board in the hallway at D.A.P.;
Contribute to the DAPCAN newsletter

We are currently recruiting new members - LIKE YOU! All meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month at 2:00 PM at Desert AIDS Project. Applications are available at Desert AIDS Project's front desk, or you may apply by attending C.A.C. meetings held at the D.A.P. community center, or by writing the acting C.A.C. secretary at Cletus.Warren@yahoo.com.

Projects that the CAC has successfully completed are:

June 2011: C.A.C. members met with DAP CEO David Brinkman to help reach out to clients regarding health center changes and create the event, "Meet the Providers".
May/June 2011: created a new "client status" for D.A.P. clients that are over the poverty guidelines set by Ryan White Care Act. Previously anyone over the guidelines could not be called a "client." That has now changed as a result of client feedback!
April 2011: created emergency medical contact information packets distributed by D.A.P. for clients.
Previous accomplishments by the C.A.C. have included no smoking signage by the bike racks, the development of the waiting room, town hall meetings, and focus groups to measure customer service effectiveness for the health center and client services.

Comment/Suggestion Cards:

Clients are encouraged to give suggestion and comments to the C.A.C. These cards are available in the hallway at D.A.P. and at the front desk. They are collected by C.A.C. members, not staff. The C.A.C. reviews all comments and suggestions and discuss new ideas during our their meeting, deciding how best to take action. All actionable items are brought forward to D.A.P. staff for brainstorming and planning. All individuals who drop off cards are responded to with an update if they have left contact information. If the card is a grievance it is given directly to staff to be dealt with in a formal grievance procedure by D.A.P. staff.(rv)

DAPCAN survey feedback

82 persons responded
4.2 score was our score (5 being highest)!

A sampling of the responses:

Very good as-is. Really like the articles about new treatment therapies. Many of my friends have received benefit from these.
Some jokes or lighter news!
It's so well done, I can't think of any improvements.
Although informative, I feel that more personal stories would generate more interest and participation of the audience. On a broader level, the organization should evaluate the base of newsletter recipients to determine if there are elements that could be added (for example, hispanics, women, etc.)
Encourage and provide an easy format for HIV activist (we all are) to communicate with local, state and federal government officials, through phone calls, emails, and petitions. Especially in times when issues and budget cuts are pending. Awareness of aging HIV population and discovering new ways to cope with aging and HIV. I know this is a tough one, but maybe readers could input some thoughts along the way as well. Thanks for all you do. I enjoy reading the newsletter each month. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for offering your services via email. I have not attended many functions but knowing it is a link away is comforting.

From the editors: We continue to listen to your feedback, and discuss ways to improve the newsletter, making it more informative, and relevant to a broader demographic. Thank you for your feedback. You can write us directly at dapcan@desertaidsproject.org. (rv)

Tour de Palm Springs scheduled for February 11

If you and your bike would like to participate in Tour de Palm Springs (the annual bicycle tour/ride that benefits many organizations, including the Desert AIDS Project), now is the time to sign up here. The ride will be February 11, 2012 and you can designate D.A.P. as your beneficiary charity. (sb)

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HIV Health News

Many HIV/AIDS conferences, workshops planned for 2012

Your editor finds the wording of the graphic at left a bit odd, but Road to AIDS 2012 is a nationwide tour to engage communities on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and to gather local input to the platform of the XIX International AIDS Conference in July. There are many other conferences, workshops, seminars, etc. this year. Click here for a general list and here for POZ magazine's calendar of HIV/AIDS related events. A Google search of "AIDS 2012" returns a huge number of hits. We realize there are various motivations behind some of these events, and often we hear nothing about them afterward. But we remain optimistic about anyone addressing better HIV treatment and a cure for AIDS so we will try to follow them and report any significant, proven and hopefully, good news that they may produce. (sb)

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This & That

Dr. Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career, leading the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. He helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. King's efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his now famous "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he expanded American values to include the vision of a color blind society, and established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other nonviolent means. By the time of his death by assasination in 1968, he had refocused his efforts on ending poverty and stopping the Vietnam War. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986. (rv)

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Benefits & Resources

Discounted gym memberships for D.A.P. clients

workout Maybe your New Year's resolution involves getting back to the gym. Did you know that several of the area gyms offer discounted memberships to D.A.P. clients? World Gym in Palm Springs and WorkOUT Gym (a new gay men's gym located behind Toucan's) both offer D.A.P. discounts. Keep this in mind when choosing where you will work out and be sure you ask about the discount when signing up as the savings can be significant. And take it from your editors--even on days you don't feel up to the gym, you never regret going afterward! (jl)

D.A.P. Resources: website and toll-free number

Remember that the Desert AIDS Project toll-free

phone

number is always available at 866.331.3344, as is the website at www.desertaidsproject.org. (jl)

Quote of the Week

"The issue is this country does, in fact, have a serious deficit problem, but the reality is the deficit was caused by two wars - unpaid for; it was caused by huge tax breaks for the wealthiest people in this country; it was caused by a recession that was the result of the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior on Wall Street. And if those are the causes of the deficit and the national debt, I will be damned if we're going to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the sick, the children and the poor. That is just wrong."
-- Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (I)

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Medically Indigent Services Program (MISP)

AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)

For those who qualify, medical care and help paying for your medications are available through the MISP and ADAP programs. You can find out if you qualify by scheduling an appointment by calling the numbers below. You can schedule your MISP and ADAP appointments together for Moreno Valley office ONLY. If you qualify for ADAP only, there is a local ADAP office right here at Desert AIDS Project. Specify the Palm Springs office when you call to make your appointment. Here are the numbers:

877.501.5085 - toll free

951.486.5375 - English

951.486.5400 - Spanish

951.486.4635 - fax

NOTICE: Faxed MISP applications can get lost in the process. Most persons who have faxed their application have had to re-apply later. It's best to apply in person in Moreno Valley, and get a "receipt of application", and use that as proof that you applied to avoid any uninterrupted services with your DAP medical doctor visits. (rv) (jl)

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ADAP may pay Medicare Part D premium

ADAP-eligible clients who have to purchase Part D prescription drug coverage may qualify to have their Part D premium paid by the State of California. Follow this link to the Part D Premium Payment Program Application. You can also call the State of California at 916.449.5900 for more information. (jl)

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)

To contact state and federal officials click on name:

President Barack Obama
Senator Diane Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack
Congressman Jerry Lewis
Governor Jerry Brown
State Senator Bill Emmerson
State Senator Juan Vargas
Assembly member Brian Nestande
Assembly member Manual Perez

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

Additional Contacts/Social Networking