Tuesday, October 2, 6:00 - 8:00 PM - Positive Life Series   

Positive Life series continues on Tuesday, October 2 with Chicago physician Daniel Berger, M.D, speaking about treatments for HIV lipodystrophy. As always, a light supper is served at 6:00 PM and the program begins at 6:30 PM.  The location is the Sinatra Auditorium at Desert Regional Medical Center (corner of Tachevah and Via Miraleste in Palm Springs) and the event, sponsored by Jewish Family Service of the Desert, is always free.  ASL translation is provided.  Questions?   Email positivelifeseries@gmail.com or call 760.566.6POZ (6769).  However, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RSVP!  Due to the elections on Nov 6 (be sure to VOTE!) the November Positive Life program will be delayed one week to Tuesday, November 13.  This will be a special town hall forum on the HIV cure--featuring "Berlin Patient" Timothy Brown who is the only person who has been cured of HIV to date.  Timothy will share his amazing story, followed by three leading HIV cure researchers talking about their work and upcoming clinical trials here in Southern California.  This special program will be 3 hours, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, to allow for all the presentations and a panel discussion.  Plan to attend! (jl)(rv)

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Wednesday, October 17, 9:00 AM - Noon -

Sunline Transit at D.A.P. to offer Disabled/Medicare Half-fare I.D. Card

Personnel from Sunline Transit, which operates bus service throughout our desert cities, will be at D.A.P. on Wednesday, October 17, from 9:00 AM to Noon to accept applications from clients for half-price fare cards.  To qualify, clients must present a government-issued identification card, proof of residence (such as a utility bill, driver's license with current address, lease agreement or property tax statement) and one of the following:    

• Medicare card
• Sunline ADA certification card
• SSI award letter
• SSDI award letter
• Veteran's Admininstration award letter for 50% disability
• Physician's verification of disability form (which must be completed and signed by your doctor)  

Friday, October 26, 12:30 - 1:30 PM

Meet D.A.P.'s new Medical Director, Dr. Homayoon Khanlou

Desert AIDS Project invites all clients to join in a dialogue with its medical providers at its Palm Springs campus at 1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs. While attendees enjoy lunch, Dr. Homayoon Khanlou, D.A.P.'s Medical Director, and others on his medical staff will speak briefly about their experience and expertise in treating HIV and AIDS. As they listen, clients will be able to anonymously write any questions or concerns they have on cards, creating discussion between clients and the panel of medical providers. Dr. Khanlou recently joined Desert AIDS Project as its new Medical Director, responsible for providing primary and HIV-specialty client care through the organization's various clinics. Dr. Khanlou comes to D.A.P. from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) in Los Angeles where he had been employed since 1999, most recently as Medical Director and Principal Investigator. Dr. Khanlou is also a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Receiving his undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Paris, School of Medicine, Khanlou did his residency in internal medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. He became licensed in California in 1998 and was appointed Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine the following year. "We are delighted to have someone of Dr. Khanlou's stature join our organization and guide the care of our more than 2,200 patients," said David Brinkman, CEO of Desert AIDS Project. "Because he wants to make sure that our clinics are providing the best standards of care, he is carrying a patient caseload of his own, in addition to his administrative duties. Dr. Khanlou feels this is the best way to stay personally connected to D.A.P.'s client base and to know first-hand that patient satisfaction is always our first priority." "Superior medical care, provided by compassionate, well-trained professionals, resulting in positive health outcomes for every patient we serve is my first priority," says Dr. Khanlou, and adds "But it's also important to me that all patients are made aware of and screened for eligibility to participate in the wide variety of wrap-around services offered by D.A.P. As I work with my team to continuously improve D.A.P.'s central medical clinic and its subsidiary clinics, I welcome patient feedback as the most valuable measure of our performance."  (rv) 

Sunday, November 4, 7:30 AM - 12:30 PM   

25th Anniversary of Palm Springs AIDS Walk  

Friday, November 16, 6:00 PM    

Dancing with the Desert Stars returns!    

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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Register now to join Palm Springs AIDS Walk and Palm Springs Pride in marching together! 

The Palm Springs AIDS Walk has become one of the most important annual events for D.A.P. over the last 25 years.  Our supporters have continued to "show the love" by ever-increasing participation in the Walk, raising much-needed funds for D.A.P. client services.  In its first quarter-century, the AIDS Walk has netted nearly $6.25 million through individual walkers who secure donation pledges from friends and family, as well as through significant sponsorships from community partnerships.  This year we'll make history as we walk together with Greater Palm Springs Pride, honoring the AIDS Walk legacy and all of our community supporters.  The AIDS Walk is also honored to receive the inaugural 2012 Spirit of Stonewall Advocate of the Year Award from the Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade.  Register for AIDS Walk here and come out to walk with us! (jl)

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Common application now available for HIV patient assistance programs 

Uninsured HIV-positive people with low incomes may begin using a single common form to apply for multiple antiretroviral assistance programs, said Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the XIX International AIDS Conference. The new form is in effect as of September 12. The Common Patient Assistance Program Application is the result of partnerships between HHS' Health Resources and Service Administration and seven major HIV drug-producing pharmaceutical companies. In the past people living with HIV and their health care providers have had to complete multiple sets of paperwork to be filed with different drug companies. The new common application "streamlines and simplifies the process, reduces barriers to medication access, and speeds access to lifesaving drugs," according to Secretary Sebelius. The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) assisted in the development and implementation of the application. (rv)

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In a recent letter, HHS clarified that provisions in the Affordable Care Act prohibiting sex discrimination in health insurance coverage apply to transgender people. With HHS declaring that it would be discriminatory for employers, insurers and others to deny health insurance coverage or benefits based on "gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity," the hope is that transgender people -- those who identify with a sex other than the one they were born as -- will take another step toward achieving equality in health care. (rv)

Sir Elton John op-ed from The Washington Post: The price paid by HIV prisoners

Sir Elton John is the Founder of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the author of "Love Is The Cure: On Life, Loss, and the End of AIDS."

If you want to know what it was like to live with HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, state prisons in Alabama or South Carolina in 2012 offer some tragic examples. In the '80s, people infected with the AIDS virus faced horrendous, daily discrimination and injustice. Today, Alabama and South Carolina are blatantly and dangerously discriminating against HIV-positive prisoners. It's a policy that simply makes no sense. In Alabama, prisoners with HIV are made to wear a white armband to distinguish themselves from other inmates, a modern-day scarlet letter. In South Carolina, the 400 or so HIV-positive prisoners, even those convicted of minor offenses, are housed in maximum-security facilities alongside those on death row. Both states segregate HIV-positive prisoners from the rest of the prison population and arbitrarily exclude them from important opportunities to rehabilitate and re-enter society. Of course, prisoners waive certain rights when they break the law. But HIV is no longer a death sentence; simply having the virus merits neither cruel and unusual punishment nor the denial of opportunities to earn one's way back into society. When I established the Elton John AIDS Foundation 20 years ago, one objective was to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS. These policies are a reminder that our work is far from over. Some coldhearted people might ask whether it matters that prisoners are being mistreated in this way. In fact, there are very real implications for the rest of society. One study has found that nearly 17 percent of Americans living with HIV/AIDS in 2006 spent time in federal or state correctional systems. In 2008, roughly 1.5 percent of the U.S. prison population was estimated to be HIV-positive - a rate of infection that exceeds the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's definition of an epidemic. And then there's the small detail of the United States imprisoning a higher percentage of its population than any other nation. Nearly 1.6 million men and women are currently locked up in state and federal prisons. With a staggering number like that, what happens in the penal system should matter to anyone at risk of contracting HIV. Alabama and South Carolina insist their policies are justified by the need to provide medical care to HIV-positive prisoners and prevent the transmission of the disease to other inmates. Neither excuse has any evidence to support it. Even if prisoners engage in sexual activity, modern antiretroviral therapy has radically reduced the odds that HIV transmission will occur at all. The vast majority of HIV patients, including those in Alabama's prisons, will experience complete viral suppression, which reduces the risk that an individual will transmit HIV to nearly zero. Moreover, the policy does nothing to prevent the introduction of HIV through staff sexual misconduct. In a national study, about half the incidents of sexual aggression reported by former inmates were committed by staff members, not fellow prisoners. Alabama does not even test correctional officers for HIV. Many HIV-positive prisoners in these states will spend more time behind bars than uninfected inmates with similar convictions, because they are not eligible for programs that promote early release and provide re-entry opportunities. HIV-positive prisoners also face barriers to accessing the treatment they need to manage their disease and keep it from progressing - treatment, which we now know, doubles as prevention. And by depriving HIV-positive prisoners of equal treatment, Alabama and South Carolina promote fear, prejudice, and even violence against them. The ACLU has tried for years to work with the Alabama Department of Corrections to drop its discriminatory policies against the 0.8 percent of its prisoners who are HIV positive. Its class-action lawsuit against the department, Henderson v. Thomas, will go to trial Sept. 17. The state had moved to dismiss, citing a 1999 appeals court decision that upheld segregation on the grounds that HIV was an "invariably fatal disease." The motion was denied. There is no longer truth in that excuse. Institutionalized segregation and discrimination used to be the norm in U.S. prisons. In 1985, 46 of 51 state and federal prison systems segregated HIV-positive prisoners. But science prevailed over fear, resulting in a sea change in public attitudes and policies. Today, in 48 states - and around much of the world, for that matter - prisons have no issue providing medical care to HIV-positive patients without depriving them of the liberties that other prisoners enjoy and the basic humanity that all deserve. In Alabama and South Carolina, HIV-positive prisoners are repaying their debts to society in accordance with the law. They should not bear the additional punishment of being prisoners of the past. (rv) 

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Registering and voting is easier than ever before...and D.A.P. is here for anyone who needs help 

As your editor rather strongly notes below, voting this year is more urgent than ever before. And it's also much easier.  If you're not registered, here's what you need to know: the deadline for voter registration is Monday, October 22 and Election Day is Tuesday, November 6.  Plenty of time!  You can register online and request a ballot to vote by mail.  It's all quite simple.  Click here for the official State of California Elections site that will provide you with all the information you'll need.  Or click here for the Riverside County Registrar of Voters Q&A site.  And if health or mobility problems may threaten your ability to vote, contact us here at DAPCAN@desertaidsproject.org and we'll make sure you get the assistance you need!  (sb)

What is Spirit Day?

Millions of Americans wear purple on Spirit Day as a sign of support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and to speak out against bullying. Spirit Day was started in 2010 as a response to the young people who had taken their own lives. Observed annually, individuals, schools, organizations, corporations, media professionals and celebrities wear purple, which symbolizes spirit on the rainbow flag. Getting involved is easy -- participants are asked to simply "go purple" on October 19th as we work to create a world in which LGBT teens are celebrated and accepted for who they are. Click on the logo for additional information. (rv)

More help paying for prescription medications  

Among the resources available to HIV-positive people to help pay for prescription medications is NeedyMeds.  The mission of NeedyMeds is to make information about assistance programs available to low-income patients and their advocates at no cost.  Go  to www.needymeds.org, look up the  medications you need and you'll be directed to the patient assistance program website for that manufacturer.  The site  also offers a free drug discount card that is accepted at more than 62,000 pharmacies.  If you are having trouble paying for your medications this site is worth a look!  (jl) (sb) 

Medically Indigent Services Program  (MISP) 

AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)

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)

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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