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DAPCAN
Desert AIDS Project - Community Action Newsletter
February 9, 2012
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Editorial Staff
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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
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Saturday, February 11, 7:00 AM - Noon
Tour De Palm Springs
More information here. (jl)
Saturday, February 11, 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala
More information here. (jl)
Saturday, February 18, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Palm Springs Drug Take-back Day
More information below. (jl)
Tuesday, March 6, 6:00 PM
A Positive Life - The Series 
The next seminar in the Positive Life Series will focus on HIV and Depression and will feature Dr. Neva Chaupette. A light supper will be served 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 the event, sponsored by Jewish Family Services of the Desert, is always free. ASL translation will be provided. Questions? E-mail positivelifeseries@gmail.com, or call 760-566-6POZ (6769). However, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RSVP!
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| 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.
Beginning Friday, February 10th 2:30 PM
Community Center Presents - 
SKIP WARREN AND THE STORY TELLERS "IMPROV"
Creators of the "Tell Your Story " presentation are adding an IMPROV component to their program. They are looking for a few committed and interested people to join this group. For more information contact Skip at 760.835.2492 or E-mail Cletus.warren@yahoo.com. Improve your Quality of life through education
Friday, February 10th 12:00 - 1:00 PM
 Community Center Presents -
UNDERSTANDING YOUR LABS ViiV Healthcare Luncheon
Speaker Sue Lalla-Reddy, HIV Specialist from Orange County will be here to talk about reading your Labs. Bring a copy of your labs if you have questions. Lunch starts at 11:45 AM. RSVP to Ray Robertson at 760.323.2118, ext.295 or E-mail rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org. Improve your Quality of life through education
Monday, February 13th 1:30 - 3:30 PM
 Community Center Presents- CHESS IS ROMANTIC
FREE 2-HOUR INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION
The first five to register will get to use chess sets for actual practice. Concentration and planning ability may greatly improve. A free 5 week course will be entertained, depending upon response. R.S.V.P. to Frank 760.327.0439.
Improve your Quality of life through education.
Every Thursday, 1:00 PM - Movie & Pizza
Community Center Presents - LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES
February 16
Michael Clayton (2007) A law firm brings in its "fixer" to remedy the situation after a lawyer has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit. Starring George Clooney and Tilda Swinton. 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. and Community News |
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
 In addition to February being Black History Month, Tuesday, February 7, was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States. There are four specific focal points: education, testing, involvement, and treatment. You can read more at their website. Additionally, the Federal Government, is conducting research to learn the most effective ways to prevent and treat HIV infection among Black Americans. To check out the research NIAID supports in this area, click here. (jl)Back to top
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 D.A.P. is undergoing an electronic health record conversion
In an effort to improve the delivery of care and the coordination of services to its clients, Desert AIDS Project has elected to convert its aging electronic health record system, ALTEER, to a new system, thanks to the generosity of grant funders. The implementation of this new system, Greenway, will occur over several weeks beginning January 31, 2012. During the implementation process, the providers and staff will have changes in their schedules that may occur on short notice. D.A.P. management recognizes and apologizes for any inconvenience or disruption this may cause its clients. We are making every effort to keep any disruption to a minimum. We request and appreciate your patience and understanding while we are going through this transition to improve your care. Please contact any of the following directors at 760.323.2118, if you need any assistance during this transition: (rv) Joy Hamilton, MD, MBA, Clinical Services - ext. 251
Brande Orr, MBA, Program Services - ext. 256
Robin Johnson, Social Services - ext. 229 |
Revivals launches Designer Clothing Consignment
 A collection of more than 800 items with labels reading like a "Who's Who of Important Clothing Designers" will be unveiled at 4:00 PM on Monday, February 13 at the Revivals store in the Palm Desert Costco Center at 72750 Dinah Shore Drive. To mark this as the start of its new Designer Clothing Consignment Department, the store will stay open an extra hour, closing at 7:00 PM, on February 13 only. Read more here. (jl) |
D.A. P. Ryan White Client Satisfaction Surveys are coming
D.A.P. receives funding from the Ryan White program to link low-income people living with HIV/AIDS to services if they meet federally-mandated eligibility criteria, and have no other insurance options. Our local Ryan White program office at the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health will be mailing out Client Satisfaction Surveys to D.A.P. clients who:
1. Have not opted out of receiving mail
2. Received any Ryan-White funded service this past program year
3. Are age 18 and over
Surveys will include a pre-paid return envelope. The survey is ANONYMOUS and OPTIONAL. Completing this survey is the client's choice. D.A.P. will never know who chose or chose not to participate. A client's eligibility for services is not affected by their choice either way. Surveys will be accepted until March 9, 2012. If you have chosen not to receive mail, printed copies will be made available shortly at D.A.P. (rv)
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HIV and Other Health News
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Project Inform requests quick FDA review of Truvada for prevention
 On January 25, Project Inform (PI), along with 25 other top HIV advocacy groups, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking them to give a speedy review to Gilead Science's application for the anti-HIV medication Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). PrEP involves having at-risk HIV-negative individuals take Truvada daily, in combination with practicing safe sex, to lower their risk of acquiring HIV. Read more.
The use of Truvada as PrEP is not without controversy and has sparked debate among public health advocates who argue that the wide availability of the drug would discourage safe sex and would, in fact, increase the incidence of HIV. Read more. (jl) Back to top |
California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program again faces major budget threat
 People living with and at risk for HIV and the programs that they depend on were hit with severe budget cuts three years ago that eliminated state support for prevention and education, as well as many care programs. Only the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) was left intact as a result of aggressive community advocacy. ADAP provides free, life-saving prescription drugs to more than 40,000 low-income, uninsured, and underinsured people in California. Now, the Governor's 2012-13 budget proposes to cut $76.8 million in state general funds from ADAP. Read more. (jl)
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NIH launches "Clinical Research Trials and You" website
 Today, the lack of public awareness about clinical research trials is one of the greatest challenges to recruiting volunteers for these potentially life-saving studies. In response, the National Institute of Health (NIH) has launched the "Clinical Research Trials and You" website as a resource for volunteers, health care providers, and voluntary advocacy groups to learn the basics about clinical research and to find out about ongoing studies in their area. Visit the website. (jl)Back to top
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Gardasil protects against recurrence of pre-cancerous anal lesions in HIV-negative gay men
The genital wart vaccine Gardasil significantly reduces the risk of high-grade pre-cancerous anal lesion recurrence in men who have sex with men. The vaccine reduced the risk of lesion recurrence by approximately 50% in the first two years after immunization. "This is the first study to demonstrate an association between Gardasil after primary disease and decreased risk of recurrent HGAIN [high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia]," comment the investigators, who believe the vaccine may be "an effective post-treatment adjuvant to prevent recurrent HGAIN". Read more.
Here are some other recent relevant articles concerning the HPV Vaccine: Study Finds No Link Between HPV Vaccine and Autoimmune Disorders (jl)
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Majority of HIV-positive patients in US not receiving regular medical care
 If you are HIV+ and receiving regular medical care, count your blessings! Recent research indicates that only 45% of HIV-positive patients in the US are receiving regular medical monitoring. The study also showed that a third of patients were not being linked with specialist HIV care within the first year of their diagnosis with the infection. Individuals of Black or Hispanic race were less likely to be retained in care than White patients. Especially low engagement in ongoing care was observed in injecting drug users. Read more. (jl)
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Pets help women cope with HIV/AIDS
 Researchers conducted 12 focus groups with 48 women with HIV/AIDS to find out how they stay healthy. The women, whose average age was 42, said that five social roles helped them manage their illness. These roles included being: a pet owner; a mother/grandmother; faith believer; an advocate and an employee. Having a pet may also help those with other chronic diseases, a new study says. Read more. (jl)
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ACTION ALERT! SIGN before next week:
Petition to Reinstate Syringe Exchange Federal Funding
 This past December, just two years after Congress ended a 21-year ban on federal funding for syringe exchange programs (SEPs), GOP leadership, ignoring mountains of evidence otherwise, induced Congress to reinstate a ban on the use of federal funds for these life-saving programs. We cannot afford to go through another 20 years of this political strong-arm based on antiquated notions of SEPs and drug usage. It has been shown time and again that SEPs can reduce HIV transmission rates among drug users and provide critical points of interception for drug treatment, all without increasing drug use or crime. These programs embody sound health and drug policy. GOP leadership responsible for the ban need to hear support for these programs from us. Join us in letting Speaker Boehner (OH - R) and Chairman Hal Rogers (KY -R) know that we strongly object to their actions by signing this petition today and sharing it with your networks. You can be sure this won't be the last action alert regarding syringe exchange programs. We appreciate your time and effort to get these critical programs into areas that really need them, like Riverside County. If you'd like to do more work to bring syringe exchange programs to our local area, consider joining our Client Advocacy Committee. (jl)
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Do-it-yourself Advocacy
 There was an interesting article in the February 4 issue of the New York Times about how new Internet tools are allowing very ordinary people to defeat some of the most powerful corporate and political interests around - by threatening the titans with the online equivalent of a tarring and feathering. A group of fourth graders read the Dr. Seuss story "The Lorax" and admired its emphasis on protecting nature, so they were delighted to hear that Universal Studios would be releasing a movie version in March. But when the kids went to the movie's web site, they were crushed that the site seemed to ignore the environmental themes. So last month they started a petition on Change.org, the go-to site for Web uprisings. They demanded that Universal Studios "let the Lorax speak for the trees." The petition went viral, quickly gathering more than 57,000 signatures, and the studio updated the movie site with the environmental message that the kids had dictated. Read about other online advocacy successes here. (jl)
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The Legend of St. Valentine  Every February 14, across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint, and where did these traditions come from? The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Read more. (jl)
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"It is enough to say that Proposition 8 operates with no apparent purpose but to impose on gays and lesbians, through the public law, a majority's private disapproval of them and their relationships, by taking away from them the official designation of 'marriage' with its societally recognized status. Proposition 8 therefore violates the Equal Protection Clause."
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- From the Ninth Circuit Court ruling upholding the decision that Proposition 8, banning same-sex marriage in California, is unconstitutional.
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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)
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DAPCAN archives now available online
 Do you need to take another look at something you read in DAPCAN last month only to find that you already deleted the issue from your inbox? Now you can find past DAPCAN issues online by clicking this link. As always, you can also read the most current edition of DAPCAN on the D.A.P. website by visiting www.desertaidsproject.org/newsletter. (jl)
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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
***NEW YEAR REMINDER!: Your annual appointments to continue qualifying for ADAP are usually scheduled on or before your birthdate. Avoid risking loss of coverage and long call hold times. Don't let the date creep up on you without making an appointment! The earlier you call, the better. (sb)
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)
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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)
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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:
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Additional Contacts/Social Networking
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