DAPCAN - January 3, 2013

pos life The next Positive Life program on January 8 will be on "HIV and Your Heart Health", focusing on preventing cardiovascular disease for PLWHA. The speaker will be Dr. David Shamblaw of San Diego--sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb. 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. Plan to attend--and bring a friend! (rv)

D.A.P. Community Center Events

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.

Wednesday, January 9th, Noon - 1:00 PM LUNCHEON!

Community Center Presents - MANAGING YOUR HIV - STAYING ON TREATMENT!

Speaker Jack Degnan will discuss managing your disease, prevention and staying on treatment. Lunch starts at 11:45 AM. Registered D.A.P. clients only. ASL Interpretation upon request. Contact Ray at least 48 hours in advance. Sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb, you are requested to RSVP to Ray Robertson @ 760.323.2118 ext 295, or email rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org BETTER HEALTH THROUGH EDUCATION!

Starting Tuesday, January 15th 3:00 to 4:00 PM & Friday, January 18th 3:00 to 4:00 PM.....and every Tuesday and Friday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM for four weeks!

Community Center Presents - SMOKING CESSATION CLASSES!

If you are truly 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 medications involved, instead safe and healthy techniques and positive support as you finally leave behind this expensive and unhealthy habit! Commit to make 2013 the year you stop! Show up for the first session and give it a try! Facilitated by: Ray Robertson, Certified Chemical Dependency Specialist. Call Ray to sign up, ask questions, or just show up for the first session. WE WILL HELP WITH YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTION TO STOP THIS ADDICTION SO YOU CAN FINALLY KICK THE HABIT! (rv)

First and second Wednesday of each month, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Community Center Presents - ACUPUNCTURE FOR CLIENTS!

Suffering from headaches, insomnia, anxiety, stress or depression? Having neck pain? Pain in lower back or shoulders? Askat Ruzyev, L.Ac., MSTCM, Dipl.O.M.Licensed Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture & Herbology, Nationally Certified by the Commission of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) will be Dr.

providing free acupuncture treatments twice monthly at D.A.P. Contact Ray at 760.323.2118, ext. 295 or rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org to schedule your appointment. Registered D.A.P. clients only. (jl)

Improve your quality of life through new ideas!

Third Friday of every month, 1:00 - 4:00 PM

Community Center Presents: HAIRCUTS BY MITCH and JOSE!

clippers The D.A.P. Community Center is pleased to announce free HAIRCUTS FOR CLIENTS, the third Friday of each month from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Sign up outside the Walgreens room in the Community Center. Six slots are available--first come, first served. NO appointments or reservations taken by phone ahead of time. Please show up with clean hair. (jl)(rv)

Look your best with a clip 'n snip!

Every Thursday, 1:00 PM Movie &Pizza

Community Center Presents: January 10th

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan.

Ongoing Client Community Center activities include:

Support groups
Hepatitis C therapy education
Diabetes education
Stitch in Time (needlecraft) - Third Wednesday of each month
Community Center Computer Lab
Lending Library
Free films, Thursdays, 1:00 PM
Afternoon tea, every Wednesday, 3:00 PM

Follow this link to see recurring activities on the Community Center Calendar.

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D.A.P. News

Stitch in Time is accepting new members!

If you like to sew, or want to learn how, call Rick, or just show up!

HIV & Other News

HIV+ smokers on anti-retroviral therapy lose more years to smoking than to virus

Researchers in Denmark, where antiretroviral therapy (ART) is free and widely used, found that HIV-positive smokers tripled their risk of death, and that mortality associated with tobacco use was greater for people with HIV than for the general population. This according to a study published in the December 18, 2012, advance edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Their study showed, among other things, that of the HIV-positive participants, 26% died due to AIDS-related causes, while 64% died of non-AIDS-related conditions. Also noteworthy is that the risk of death associated with smoking was 61.5% for people with HIV, compared to 34.2 % for HIV-negative people. This informative article based on recent research is one more reason to "kick the habit" in 2013! (rv)

Top twelve HIV/AIDS and/or Hepatitis stories of 2012

HIVandHepatitis.com, in their last issue of 2012, reviews some the year's major HIV and viral Hepatitis news highlights. On the HIV front, U.S. treatment guidelines recommended antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-positive people, Truvada was approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and HIV criminalization and cure research were highlighted at the International AIDS Conference in July. Promising findings were reported for several interferon-free oral regimens for Hepatitis C, experimental tuberculosis (TB) drugs showed good results, and the Affordable Care Act remained on track. Read the twelve biggest stories of 2012 here. (rv)

Six promising HIV drugs in the pipeline

Despite the current availability of 26 FDA-approved antiretroviral drugs, we continue to need newer drugs that are more potent, less toxic, more tolerable, more convenient, and/or have improved virologic activity against drug-resistant viral strains. The current antiretroviral agent pipeline is full, with new investigational nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), protease inhibitors (PIs), entry inhibitors (EIs), integrase inhibitors (IIs), and other compounds with new mechanisms of action. Investigational agents that have unique properties and those that are the farthest along in clinical development are discussed here. (jl)

Editorial

113th Congress installed, fiscal cliff averted

by Rick Vila

The media's exhaustive coverage of both the fiscal cliff and the U.S. Congress' legislative agenda has made many terms now-familiar to most of us. But have we taken the time to learn more about the inner-mechanics of policies and legislators? For those of us fighting for dollars to save our lives, there's no more important action to take than to learn more about our government, our decision (or indecision) makers, and what we must do to retain and improve benefits and programs that serve our community. I recommend you visit the US House of Representative website, which is vastly informative, as well as read about the "fiscal cliff", which I did at this site, where I learned a few things more. There's strength and fortitude to be gained with more knowledge. And more knowledge is a good springboard for action, which is both empowering and enlivening.

Accessing Benefits

ADAP may pay Medicare Part D premium

Part D Since we at are the start of a new policy year, this bears repeating... 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.

Editor's note: I took advantage of this program last year and have already reapplied for this coming year. The application is simple and doesn't require a great deal of effort. I strongly urge you to look into this if you are on ADAP and paying for Part-D coverage! (jl)

Help with paying private health insurance premiums may be available

If you are HIV-positive and are paying for private health insurance, you may be able to get help paying your premiums. The California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS (OA) administers the Health Insurance Premium Payment (OA-HIPP) Program. OA has expanded OA-HIPP to make this program available to more individuals with health insurance who are at risk of losing it and to individuals currently without health insurance who would like to purchase health insurance.
Editor's note: A friend of mine got approved and OA-HIPP is paying his entire Kaiser premium, saving him $7500/year! Follow this link to see if you qualify. (jl)

Quote of the Week

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."

-- Melanie Beattie

Ongoing Benefits, Resources & Information

Desert AIDS Project holiday closings for 2013

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2013

January 21 - MLK Jr. Day

February 18 - Presidents' Day

April 1 - Cesar Chavez Day

May 27 - Memorial Day

July 4 - Independence Day

September 2 - Labor Day

October 14 - Columbus Day

November 11 - Veteran's Day

November 28-29 - Thanksgiving

December 25 - Christmas Day

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Contact information for D.A.P. comp8

phonesmart The Desert AIDS Project local phone number is 760.323.2118. The toll-free phone number is 866.331.3344 and the website can be found at desertaidsproject.org. (jl)

Help with Medicare
The State Health Insurance medicare9

Assistance Program (SHIP) offers one-on-one counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their families. This includes information about original Medicare, Medicare Health Plans, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans, Medicare Supplemental policies and Long Term Care Insurance. The California Department of Aging (CDA) is responsible for statewide administration of SHIP, which is delivered through the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). HICAP services can be accessed via a toll-free line at 800.434.0222. The local HICAP office is located in Riverside and the phone number is 951.241.8723. Follow this link for more information. (jl) (sb)

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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)

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DAPCAN archives always available online
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Need another look at something you read in DAPCAN? You can find past issues online by clicking this link. As always, you can also read the most current edition of DAPCAN on the D.A.P. website at www.desertaidsproject.org/newsletter. And we've recently updated these links to ensure that the very latest issues of DAPCAN are always available. (jl)

Medically Indigent Services Program (MISP)

AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP)

*Note: MISP has changed its scheduling policy and now recommends that applicants call for their appointments no sooner than four weeks before their ADAP expiration date. (Our previous recommendation of six to eight weeks is no longer valid.)

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 across the driveway, south of Desert AIDS Project, at the Palm Springs Family Care Center. 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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ATTENTION RCHC PATIENTS

LAB DRAW LOCATIONS

RCHC Lab services are provided at both RCRMC in Moreno Valley and Quest Diagnostics. All RCHC patients currently going to LabCorp, are now being directed to Quest Diagnostics. Please call Quest before arriving at the location to ensure that they have received the lab order. If Quest states that they have not received the lab order, please contact your provider. If Quest states that they do have the lab order, please have your labs done 2 weeks prior to your next appointment. (rv)

Listed below are a few local Quest Diagnostics locations for your convenience.

Quest Diagnostics - Palm Springs - Tachevah

555 Tachevah Drive, Suite 102W

Palm Springs, CA 92262

(760) 323-8833

Quest Diagnostics - Rancho Mirage - Bob Hope

36101 Bob Hope Drive, Suite E6
Rancho Mirage, CA

(760) 318-4387

Quest Diagnostics - Beaumont - Highland Springs

701 Highland Springs Avenue, Suite 6
Beaumont, CA

(951) 845-8013

Quest Diagnostics - Hemet - Devonshire

1011 E Devonshire Avenue, Suite 103
Hemet, CA

(951) 652-3674

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)

Help with paying private health insurance premiums may be available

If you are HIV positive and are paying for private health insurance, you may be able to get help paying your premiums. The California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS (OA) administers the Health Insurance Premium Payment (OA-HIPP) Program. OA has expanded OA-HIPP to make this program available to more individuals with health insurance who are at risk of losing it and to individuals currently without health insurance who would like to purchase health insurance.
Editor's note: A friend of mine got approved and OA-HIPP is paying his entire Kaiser premium, saving him $7500/year! Follow this link to see if you qualify. (jl)

Call 211 for essential human services in Riverside County

riv211 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 Raul Ruiz (we'll provide contact information for Rep. Raul Ruiz next week)
Congressman Jerry Lewis
Governor Jerry Brown
State Senator Bill Emmerson
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