DAPCAN
Desert AIDS Project Community Action Newsletter
April 18, 2013
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Desert AIDS Project is in solidarity with
all Bostonians during this week of cowardly murderous bombings!
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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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Thursday, April 25: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner!
Dining Out For Life
 Last year, more than 40 restaurants participated in and contributed to Dining Out for Life. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, bagels or a drink at the bar, these restaurants and diners like you supported client services at Desert AIDS Project! We're thrilled and wowed by all the community support. Do Good. Eat Well. And remember, all you have to do is go out to eat to fight AIDS! Click here for more information and make some reservations now! (jl) (rv) (sb)
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Tuesday, May 7, 6:00 - 8:00 PM: Positive Life Series
CROI Update
 Updates on the latest in HIV treatments and cure research from the Retrovirus Conference (CROI), with D.A.P. medical director Dr. Homayoon Khanlou, and local treatment activist Jeff Taylor. 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. No need to RSVP. Questions? Email positivelifeseries@gmail.com. Plan to attend and bring a friend! Upcoming Programs: June 4: HIV & Sex--What You Need to Know About STDs, with Dr. Rick Loftus. In July and August, we'll be on hiatus--have a great summer! September 3: HIV & the Law--What You Need to Know, with local attorney Andrew Alder.
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Desert AIDS Project's Community Services Wing, also known as the Community Center, houses many activities and programs including arts and crafts workshops, bingo, movies, lending library and drop-in hours when clients may come in to just hang out with friends. The Community Center also hosts educational programs and classes designed to increase health literacy and empower clients to participate more in their own care. Follow this link to see details about next week's featured events listed below. If you would like to attend any of these events, please RSVP to Ray Robertson at 760.323.2118, ext. 295 or email rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org.
Upcoming Community Center featured events:
Every Thursday, 1:00 PM (no RSVP needed)
Ongoing Community Center activities:
- 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
Check out the complete Community Center Schedule for all programs and drop-in hours.
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D.A.P.'s Annette Bloch Cancer Center offers free cancer screening during Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week 
The new Annette Bloch Cancer Care Center at Desert AIDS Project invites anyone in the community to receive a free screening on Friday, April 19, from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM at 1695 N. Sunrise Way in Palm Springs. The Comprehensive Cancer Care Center at Desert Regional Medical Center and City of Hope both join D.A.P. in offering this service. Oral, head and neck cancer can occur in nasal cavities, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat or larynx. Besides skin and thyroid cancers, it is the sixth most common form of cancer in the world, with more than 50,000 cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. resulting in more than 12,000 annual deaths. Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, especially common in HIV-positive gay men, is a primary risk factor for oral, head and neck cancers, as well as tobacco use and excessive consumption of alcohol. Popular film critic Roger Ebert, who recently died, is the latest high-profile victim of oral and neck malignancies. Others include p residents Ulysses Grant and Grover Cleveland, Babe Ruth, George Harrison, Sammy Davis Jr. and Humphrey Bogart. Last year during Awareness Week, more than 10,000 people were screened at 337 sites nationwide; 263 of those people were referred for immediate consultation for suspected developing cancers. Please call 866.866.2645, 24 hours a day to RSVP. Walk-ins without appointments will be accommodated as quickly as possible. And click here for a good summary article about HIV and cancer from the American Cancer Society. (sb) (rv)
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Inland Empire HIV Planning Council Empowerment Committee meeting at D.A.P. on April 25
 The Inland Empire HIV Planning Council (IEHPC) is the local policy-making body in charge of prioritizing services and allocating funds granted from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part A to Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Desert AIDS Project is a grant recipient. Last year, more than 2,000 clients benefited from services funded by this program. Usually convening in the City of San Bernardino, IEHPC is holding meetings at D.A.P. this month. The Planning Committee recently met and the Empowerment Committee will meet on Thursday April 25, 10:00 - 11:30 AM in the D.A.P. Situation Room and is open to the public with opportunity to comment. This is a unique opportunity for you to learn more about allocation of HIV/AIDS services funding that affects you directly as a D.A.P. client. For more information, including agenda packets, visit www.iehpc.org or call 909.693.0750. (jl) (sb)
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Have extra time and need to get out more? Volunteer at Revivals!
 Our area Revivals stores can always use volunteers and the Palm Desert location needs some helpers right now! If you have extra time and would like to contribute to the efforts that help fund D.A.P. client services, call Melanie Jones, Volunteer Coordinator at 760.413.6613.  It looks like fun!
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In case you missed it, check out D.A.P.'s Spring Progress Report
 The Spring Progress Report is a concise and comprehensive look at everything that's going at Desert AIDS Project. Click here to learn about the donors, events and activities that help maintain client services. (sb)
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HIV/AIDS and Other Health News
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Desert AIDS Project offers free meningitis vaccination
With the recent news coverage surrounding the death of a West Hollywood man who may have contracted bacterial meningitis at the recent 2012 White Party in Palm Springs (and other West Hollywood and New York City cases reported in the media), D.A.P. wants to help allay the fears of those who are concerned with contracting the disease. Bacterial  meningitis is a disease that can be treated with antibiotics if identified quickly. Symptoms include sudden fever, severe headache, and sensitivity to light. People in very close contact with someone infected with meningitis are at higher risk for contracting it because it can be spread by kissing or coughing, not necessarily via sexual contact. Noting that the incubation period of bacterial meningitis is an average of four days, Dr. Homayoon Khanlou, Medical Director of Desert AIDS Project, said "It is likely that if anyone attended the White Party and came in contact with someone with meningitis, they would have become seriously ill by now. Each day that goes by without an identified case of bacterial meningitis should greatly decrease the anxiety of the community." For anyone who feels they may have close contact with a person likely to be infected with meningitis, has had intimate sexual contact with someone met through online websites, phone apps, or at a bar or party - or is simply concerned about their risk of contracting meningitis - D.A.P. will provide a free meningitis vaccination, regardless of HIV status. Contact 760.323.2118 for more information. (rv)
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Want to be read?
DAPCAN is a client and volunteer driven newsletter published every Thursday to a  growing list of subscribers, now numbering over 1000. Do you have a message to relate? Have you fantasized about being published? Do you have a personal story that will help or inform others? Even if you don't consider yourself a good writer, we welcome your submissions and we will help you craft and edit your message. We welcome all nice non-offensive submissions and encourage each of you to always let us know what type of stories you want to read about in DAPCAN. (rv)
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Ick! a monster is eating away at my liver - no, it's just a virus
by Larry Gibson
Ick! I got this awful thing in me! A monster eating away at my liver. It intends to kill me! I feel so ... so ... tainted and soiled and I don't want anybody to know my terrible secret. Pretty typically that's how most of us react upon a diagnosis of hepatitis C, or HCV. It's a mind-blowing event, but it didn't happen so much like that when I was diagnosed in 1996. I'd already tested positive for HIV in 1988. Everything about the two viruses is so similar that I  call them cousins. I went through my 'Ick Factor' way back then. HCV was just another bump in the road. My mechanisms and philosophies were already in place. All I needed was to slightly alter the fabric of me to fit this unwelcome guest who'd set up residence inside the country of my skin. I started by turning face to it. No denials. No bargaining. Just the facts, ma'am. Right away I began studying because, as a wise man once told me, there are three keys to any hope for survival. They are education, education and - you guessed it - education. But another important thing was to get to know my co-traveler, this virus, just as I'd done with HIV years before. I started from the start. I didn't sweat too much about being invaded by a virus. After all, it wasn't an intentional thing either time. Since the rising of humanity, viruses have been with us. In fact, without them we wouldn't survive. Some theorists claim that it may have been a viral infection that jump-started our superior brain power. It means some viruses are our friends and others our enemies. There is nothing inherently icky about being virally invaded. It's the normal course of biology. I've never felt dirty or ashamed or flung epithets at the virus. I don't call it a dragon, a monster, the creeping cruddy slime, or anything else that's negative. It's a virus. It's at least minimally intelligent and does what viruses do. I accept it for what it is because, however I react to it, there it is anyway. I suspect the power we give it by hating it could be better, and more effectively, employed in dealing with it. Yes, and living life. We can be all the more alive in the light of knowing we will one day die. So many people forget that simple fact in their everyday lives. This time after diagnosis could be, should be, golden. A time, as I say, to do your 'good works'. It is a time to reflect. A time to love a little more, laugh a little more and dance as never before. It is a time to connect with the loveliness of living and our God-given gifts of lightness and brightness of being. It is a time in which we can freely give. Give in our own way selflessly and joyously. It is not a death sentence. We ALL live with one of those in any case. It's a life gift and each of us knows, even those who won't admit it, that life is beautiful. (rv)
Larry Gibson is a former DAPCAN editor and long time D.A.P. volunteer. He lives in Palm Springs, California, with Dennis Golay, his partner of 32 years. Born in Oklahoma, Larry worked as a fine finish carpenter for many years. He currently works for AIDS Assistance Program which provides food assistance to low income HIV patients. This article first appeared in the blog hepatitiscnews.com, and is reprinted here with Larry's permission.
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Palm Springs needs volunteers for City boards and commissions
 If you are a Palm Springs resident, have some time on your hands and would like to serve your community, the City always needs volunteers to fill positions on various boards and commissions. While the spring deadline for new applications has just passed, vacancies can occur at any time, so there is always a need for interested volunteers. Click here for information about all Clty boards and commissions, their mission statements and scheduled meetings, which are always open to the public. If you are interested in one particular commission, now is the time to start attending meetings. Your editor served three years on the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission and found it a rewarding experience even if public comment periods can bring out all sorts of people along the scale of peculiar. (sb) |
Tell President Obama not to cut Social Security  In an effort to assuage Republicans and entice them to support long-term deficit reduction with increased revenues, President Obama has apparently been forced to include cuts to Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) and Medicare in his budget proposal (see above article). And he's getting plenty of static from progressives, Democrats and other supporters who are vocally expressing their disapproval. This week, lliberal groups, including MoveOn, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and Democracy for America, have mounted emergency online campaigns against the proposal, accusing Obama of turning on the very supporters who helped re-elect him to office. Click here for a good roundup article. While we've been generally supportive of the president here at DAPCAN, we vehemently oppose these cuts as they are potentially disastrous for many in the HIV community who have no other income, assets or insurance. Click here to sign the MoveOn petition to add your voice calling for preservation of Social Security COLAs and current funding of Medicare. (sb)
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8 years old
Boston bombing victim
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Ongoing Benefits, Resources & Information
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Keep track of healthcare reform changes
 The Affordable Healthcare Act is being implemented and it's important to keep track of changes in coverage and payment options. Regardless of your current insurance situation, click here for a government website that provides some guidance regarding Medicare, Medicaid and other possible insurance options (albeit limited) for those living with disabilities and/or chronic health issues (pay particular attention to the Medicare and Timeline tabs). And click here for an even more detailed summary. (sb)
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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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Help with Medicare
 The State Health Insurance 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 counselor is located at the Mizell Center in Palm Springs and can be reached at 760.323.5689. Follow this link for more information.
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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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Help paying for private health insurance premiums
If you or someone you are close to is HIV positive and paying for private health insurance, there may be help in paying 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 it. You do NOT need to be a D.A.P. client to access OA-HIPP. Follow this link to see if you qualify, and also check out the above links in the Healthcare reforms article. (jl) (sb)
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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.* Find out if you qualify: schedule an appointment by calling the numbers below. You can schedule your MISP and ADAP appointments together for Moreno Valley office ONLY. Call no sooner than four weeks before your ADAP qualifying expiration date (usually around your birthday). If you qualify for ADAP only, the local ADAP office is right across the driveway, south of D.A.P., at the Palm Springs Family Care Center. Specify the Palm Springs office when you call. Here are the numbers:
877.501.5085 - toll free 951.486.5375 - English
951.486.5400 - Spanish 951.486.4635 - fax
*NOTICE: Faxed MISP/ADAP applications can get lost in the process. 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 uninterrupted services with your D.A.P. medical doctor visits. Otherwise, follow up your annual meeting with ADAP with a call to ensure all your paperwork was received and is complete. Back to top |
D.A.P. contact information 
 The local phone number of Desert AIDS Project is 760.323.2118. The toll-free phone number is 866.331.3344 and the website is desertaidsproject.org.
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Back issues always available online
 Need another look at something you read in DAPCAN? 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 here. And we've recently updated these links to ensure that the very latest issues of DAPCAN are always available. (jl) |
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D.A.P. holiday closings for 2013
 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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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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Contact information for state and federal officials--click on name:
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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