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DAPCAN
Desert AIDS Project Community Action Newsletter
May 3, 2012
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Thank a nurse during
National Nurses Week!
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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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Tuesday, June 5, 6:00 PM
A Positive Life - The Series: Aging well with HIV - What you can do
 The next seminar in the Positive Life Series will feature Dr. Richard Loftus discussing HIV and aging. 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? Email positivelifeseries@gmail.com, or call 760.566.6POZ (6769). However, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RSVP! Also, remember to mark your calendars - In July and August The Positive Life will take its usual two month summer hiatus. (jl)
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Wednesday, June 27, 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
FREE Pathways to Health and Well-Being HIV Conference
See more information below. (jl)
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Friday, July 13, 8:00 PM - Midnight
5th Annual Mid Summer Dance Party
Do Ask, Do Tell everyone you know that D.A.P.'s Mid-Summer Dance Party V will be better than ever! The dance party will feature DJ Michael Antonio, dancers from SHARE Nightclub in Las Vegas and a performance by dance music icon Kristine W whose long list of #1 hits include "Feel What You Want," "One More Try," "Land of the Living," "Save My Soul" and many more. More information and tickets here. (jl)
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| D.A.P. Community Center Events |
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The D.A.P. Client Community Center hosts regular activities and events every week (listed below). Community Center special events and other activities can be found on the main D.A.P. website. Click here for the complete list of upcoming special events.
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Community Center Presents - SMOKING CESSATION CLASSES!
 If you are ready to give up your nicotine addiction, this may be the help, direction, and support you have been looking for! There are no scare tactics, patches, or drugs involved. Just safe and healthy techniques, and positive support as you finally leave behind this expensive and unhealthy habit! The first classes started in mid February, with eight participants. Out of that eight, five have managed to stop smoking and have not resumed! IT CAN BE DONE! Call now and sign up for the next classes. We will start them when we have at least eight enrolled. Facilitated by D.A.P.'s Ray Robertson, Certified Chemical Dependency Specialist. Call or email 760.323-2118 ext. 295 or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org and FINALLY KICK THE HABIT! (rv) (jl)
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Every Thursday, 1:00 PM
 Community Center Presents: MOVIE & PIZZAThursday, May 10 - 8 Mile (2002) A young rapper, struggling with every aspect of his life, wants to make the most of what could be his final opportunity but his problems give him doubts. Directed by Curtis Hanson. Starring Eminem and Brittany Murphy. Let's all go to a good flick!
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Ongoing Client Community Center activities include:
- Support groups
- Spiritual Living 101
- Hepatitis C Therapy Education
- Diabetes Education
- Stitch in Time (needlecraft)
- 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. Employee Spotlight - Meet Candace Green
 Nurse Practitioner Candace Green, MSN, FNP, BC, is a provider in the Specialty Clinic of the Wells Fargo HIV Health Center at Desert AIDS Project. A Nurse Practitioner since 1981, Candace has over 30 years of health care experience including 16 years with the San Bernardino Department of Public Health. She became affiliated with Desert AIDS Project as a result of her favorable interactions with D.A.P. staff at the H Street Clinic in San Bernardino. Candace specializes in performing High Resolution Anoscopy (HRA) examinations and related services on-site, in the HIV Health Center Specialty Clinic. HRA exams are becoming an increasingly important tool in the fight against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the prevention of anal cancer in men. HPV is currently the most common sexually transmitted disease and is especially dangerous to people with compromised immune systems. When asked what motivates her work at D.A.P. her response is simple; "Thanks to early detection and treatment of HPV infection in women we've seen yearly cervical cancer deaths drop from 40,000 to 4000. My hope is that we can have the same kind of success with early detection and treatment of HPV in men." (jl)
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After-Hours Preview at Revivals Palm Desert, tomorrow, Friday, May 4
 No truly dedicated shopper is going to want to miss this very special, RSVP-required event at the newest Revivals store in the Palm Desert Costco Center at 72750 Dinah Shore Drive! Wine and hors d'oeuvres - catered by the fabulous Pacifica Seafood Restaurant on El Paseo - will be served at this one-day only event this Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. A newly consigned, appraised art collection is being offered by David Peet and the late Earl Greenburg. But if your walls are already filled with art, maybe it's time to let the rest of your room have a bit of fun ... with a purchase or two from the "Hollywood Swank" line of new furniture by Michael Amini and Jane Seymour. If home décor is not your current interest, Revivals Palm Desert is sure to tempt you with its "new" offerings of consigned and donated designer clothing. And, if you're more the kind to sit and enjoy a new book with your wine and hors d'oeuvres, you're going to want to meet Bill Kobrin, author of "Stars and Celebrities" who will be at this special After-Hours Preview. Don't wait. RSVP now to 760-992-0499 or by email to jerickson@desertaidsproject.org. (jl)
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Desert AIDS Project celebrates National Nurses Week
 As we prepare to observe National Nurses Week we asked our own dedicated staff of nurses at D.A.P. (who have over 100 cumulative years of nursing experience!) to reflect and provide their own thoughts on what nursing means to them. Here is what some of them had to say:
Jennifer Calderon, LVN
"I love helping people"
Nancy Redler, RN
"I enjoy the patient contact and seeing patients reach their optimal health status."
Pat Walthers, PHN
"What I love most about nursing is making a positive difference in the lives of my clients/patients."
Coleen Earhart, LVN
"The best thing about being a nurse is the feeling I get when I am helping others who are in need."
Trista Baker, LVN
"I love working with my patients. I love knowing that the work I do truly invokes positive change in my patients lives. Being a nurse is one of the few professions where I get to make brighter tomorrows."
Christine Bielawa, RN "I like helping people."
Candace Green, MSN, FNP, BC
"What I love most about nursing is how many different types of jobs there are for nurses. You can work directly with patients or, you need never touch a patient. If you are skilled with computers, there is a nursing job that uses those skills. The choices are endless."
In honor of National Nurses Week we ask that you take a moment and join us in a collective THANK YOU to the D.A.P. nursing staff for all that they do for their patients at Desert AIDS Project! (jl)
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Pathways to Health and Well-Being HIV Conference coming to Palm Springs
 The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has informed recent changes in the State of California's HIV prevention and education priorities to focus on linking newly diagnosed individuals with care, making HIV testing part of routine medical care, re-connecting individuals who have fallen out of care, and supporting medication adherence programs. On Wednesday June 27th, National HIV Testing Day, the Pathways to Health and Well-Being HIV Conference will address these changes as well as provide an exciting program of nine breakout sessions targeted to those infected with HIV, their caregivers, family and friends. The Pathways to Health and Well-Being conference is a collaboration between the County of Riverside departments of Public Health and Mental Health, Desert AIDS Project, and other community-based organizations. The conference will provide the latest information on such topics as Treatment as Prevention, Hepatitis and HIV Co-Infections, HIV & Holistic Health, HIV & Aging and much more. The goal of the conference is encourage all individuals to know their HIV status, and to empower those living with HIV to become better advocates for their own health, stay connected with care, and optimize their health and well-being. Registration opens at 8:00 AM. The conference, at the Palm Springs Convention Center, begins at 9:00 AM and will run until 3:30 PM. Spanish translation services will be available. Free lunch will be provided. There will be drawings for door prizes at the conclusion of the conference. Anyone wishing to learn more about HIV/AIDS is welcome to attend the conference. Free and confidential HIV testing - with results in about 20 minutes - and "HIV 101" sessions will be offered. In addition, a Resource Room staffed with eligibility workers and early intervention counselors will be available throughout the day. (rv)
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May is National Bike Month!
Come Celebrate THIS SATURDAY, May 5, starting at 9:00 AM at the Camelot Theater. FREE Bike Lights & Helmets while supplies last - just fill out a brief survey
9:00 AM Give-Away and registration begins
9:30 AM Doors open and seating begins
9:45 AM Film Showing of "True Fans" - an inspirational story of Dan Austin's cross country bicycling journey and the kindness of the human spirit.
10:30 AM Lecture, Dan Austin, Founder, 88 Bikes
Get your free ticket online here. (jl)
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Lipodystrophy drug may also provide other benefits
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Reclast boosts bone density for at least five years in HIV study Two annual doses of Reclast (zoledronate) improved bone health for up to five years in a small study involving HIV-positive people with bone mineral deficiency, according to a recent study. Bone mineral loss, known as osteopenia when it is mild to moderate and osteoporosis when it is more severe, is a disorder that most commonly strikes women after they've gone through menopause, people with thyroid problems and people who've taken corticosteroids for many years. However, there have been increasing reports in recent years, of younger HIV-positive women and men with bone mineral loss. Read more here. (jl)
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All HIV+ people should be screened for hepatitis C
 In the US, it's estimated that 1 out of every 3-4 people living with HIV also has the hepatitis C virus (HCV). That's nearly 350,000 Americans who could face serious liver disease at some point in their lives. However, most of these individuals are unaware of this serious condition. The March 2012 update to the Federal Guidelines for treating people with HIV recommends that all HIV+ people should be tested for HCV. There are three important reasons for this: possible increased risk of HCV disease progression, deciding when to start HIV treatment, and how to manage treatment regimens for both. Read more here. On a related note, May 19, 2012, has been designated by the CDC as the first national Hepatitis Testing Day. The CDC will use the first ever Hepatitis Testing Day as an opportunity to remind health care providers and the public who should be tested for chronic viral hepatitis. (jl)
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U.S. leads industrialized nations In health care costs
 Confirming what most of us already suspected, a recent study found that health care in America costs more than in other industrialized nation... and we aren't even getting the world's best care for our dollars! The United States spent $7,960 per capita on health care in 2009, the most of 13 industrialized nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, reports the Commonwealth Fund, a research institution. That's almost three times the amount spent in Japan, which has the lowest expenses of the countries reviewed. Read the full Huffington Post article here. (jl) |
Facebook to promote organ donation
 Social networking giant Facebook has announced a plan to encourage its 161 million U.S. members to advertise their organ donor status in their profiles, according to The New York Times. The move may avert thousands of deaths in the United States among people waiting for transplants, which ultimately includes many people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or HIV infection. According to transplant experts interviewed by the Times, Facebook members who declare they are organ donors could prompt others to sign up through online registries or state motor vehicle agencies. The plan, announced May 1, could also create an informal alternative to such registries, as it would provide evidence of consent that family members need when deciding whether to donate the organs of a loved one. Read more here. (jl) |
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State of California may pay YOUR Medicare Part D premium
My personal success story!
 For months we've been telling you about a program where 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. Your editor decided to take his own advice and apply for this benefit. I am happy to report that, after a simple application process, I was approved and my premiums were paid by the State for the entire year! If you haven't yet applied, just 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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ACT UP marks 25 years of AIDS activism
 No one knows where we would be today were it not for the actions of ACT UP more formally known as the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. Like the bar patrons who fought back against the police and started the Stonewall Riots almost two decades earlier, ACT UP was a grass roots movement started by everyday people who were fed-up and angry and spurred into action by that anger. The brainchild of playwright and activist Larry Kramer, ACT UP is a direct action protest organization widely credited with changing public health policy and widespread perception of people living with AIDS and awareness of HIV and AIDS-related diseases. As we note the 25th anniversary of ACT UP Rachel Maddow looks back at the history of AIDS activism by ACT UP and salutes their success at changing the world's awareness of a disease that has claimed the lives for 30 million people worldwide. Click here to watch the segment from her show. Also, click here for a great article from the Huffington Post along with a slideshow of some 25 different ACT UP posters, many of which were intentionally blunt and meant to shock people into action. (jl)
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Everything you ever wanted to know about dating but were afraid to ask
 Dating is tough in general, but being HIV-positive while seeking a mate presents a whole host of unique questions and issues. HIVPLUSMag.com has published a comprehensive piece designed to provide you with what you need to know when you have HIV and are "on the market". Check it out here. (jl)
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"Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made an art, it requires an exclusive devotion as hard a preparation, as any painter's or sculptor's work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or dead marble, compared with having to do with the living body, the temple of God's spirit? It is one of the Fine Arts: I had almost said, the finest of Fine Arts." ~Florence Nightingale
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Benefits & Resources Section - Ongoing
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Discounts at Revivals!
 Revivals stores continue to offer 10% discounts for "seniors"--anyone over 55--every Tuesday. In addition, Revivals offers 50% off men's clothing the first Thursday of each month and 50% off women's clothing on the first Friday of each month. Discounts are available on all donated items but does not include consignment or "new" items. Visit Revivals' website for store locations, hours and other information. (jl)
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D.A.P. Resources: website and toll-free number
 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 always available online
 Do you need to take another look at something you read in DAPCAN somewhere only to find that it's long gone from your inbox? 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
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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