DAPCAN
Desert AIDS Project Community Action Newsletter
July 11, 2013
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This summer - be proud and play SAFE!
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Editorial Staff
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David Brinkman
Chief Executive Officer
Barry Dayton
Director of Marketing and Communications
Alexis Ortega
Integrated Communications Associate
Rick Vila
Volunteer Co-editor
John Lewis
Volunteer Co-editor
Steve Bolerjack
Volunteer Co-editor
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Friday, July 19, 8:00 PM: Sixth Annual Mid-Summer Dance Party!
 Bust out your sexiest neon beachwear (this year's theme) and head to The Commune at the ACE Hotel on Friday, July 19 from 8:00 PM to 1:30 AM for the Sixth Annual Mid-Summer Dance Party, which benefits client services at Desert AIDS Project. DJ phenomenon Kimberly S (pictured) will spin music through the night. With convenient valet parking near the event entry and upgraded air conditioning, you're sure to have a great time. And get creative with that neon beachwear--fabulous prizes will be awarded for most creative and best attire!  General admission tickets at $45 include Commune access beginning at 8:00 PM, as well as cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, while the VIP wristband for $75 includes valet parking, catered hors d'oeuvres and premium liquor, with access to two VIP lounges as well as The Commune. Those preferring just the Late Night Party Pass at $20 will have Commune access beginning at 10:30 PM and complimentary cocktails. Click here for more information and tickets! (jl) (sb)
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See you in September when Positive Life Series returns
The popular and informative Positive Life Series will be on hiatus for the remainder of summer. But mark your calendar for the September 3 program: HIV & the Law--What You Need to Know, with local attorney Andrew Alder. Watch future issues of DAPCAN for schedule information. Meanwhile, have a great summer! And Positive Life is now on Facebook! Sign on, visit and like us here. 
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DAPCAN Summer Schedule
 D.A.P.'s weekly online newsletter, DAPCAN, will publish bi-weekly in the months of July and August. (rv)
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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 Wednesday, 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM
ACUPUNCTURE THERAPY
Every Thursday, 1:00 PM (no RSVP needed)
MOVIE & PIZZA!
July 18: Buffalo Girls (1995)
First &Third Friday of Every Month, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
HAIRCUTS BY ROBERT!
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, activities and drop-in hours.
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HIV/AIDS & Other Health News
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Potential HIV remission in two transplant recipients
 Researchers have reported that two HIV-positive men who received stem cell transplants to treat their cancer have no detectable HIV despite interrupting HIV treatment for at least seven weeks. These data, presented Wednesday, July 3 at the 7th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Kuala Lumpur, don't mean - necessarily - that these men have been cured of HIV, but they are very promising and this result has not been seen before. Read the full Project Inform article here. (rv)
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New patient assistance program available for HIV-related diarrhea medication Fulyzaq
The manufacturer of Fulyzaq (crofelemer), Salix Pharmaceuticals, announced that it now  has a patient assistance program (PAP) established for their medication. The drug was approved by the FDA earlier in late December 2012 to treat HIV-associated diarrhea. For those individuals without insurance and who qualify for the PAP, they can get their Fulyzaq prescriptions for free. For more information on the PAP or to apply, click here. (rv)
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Some good news about anal dysplasia
 High-grade pre-cancerous anal lesions are more likely to regress than progress, according to Australian research published in the online edition of AIDS. The study involved 574 men, three-quarters of whom were HIV positive. Only 1% of patients progressed to anal cancer, compared to a regression rate of 24%. "Our data provide reassurance that high-grade ASILs [anal squamous intraepithelial lesions] diagnosed at any one point are much more likely to spontaneously regress than progress to cancer," write the authors. "Not all patients with high-grade ASILs warrant treatment." Read more here. (jl)
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PrEP works for injecting drug users too
 A daily tablet of tenofovir, a drug otherwise used to treat HIV infection, reduced the risk of HIV acquisition among people who inject drugs by 49% in a clinical trial. Those who took the medication most consistently had higher levels of protection, report scientists from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC). These findings from Thailand come from the only pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trial ever conducted with injecting drug users, and show that PrEP can reduce infections associated with sharing injecting equipment as well as sexual transmission among drug users. Prior studies of this approach showed it cut infection rates by 44 percent in men who have sex with men, by 62 percent in heterosexual men and women and by 75 percent in couples in which one partner is infected with HIV and the other is not. The new results showed that it also protects intravenous drug users. Read more here. (jl)
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HARC report details HIV risk in Coachella Valley
 Almost 67 percent of adults in eastern Riverside County have never been tested for HIV, according to a special report issued by the Health Assessment Resource Center.That rate stands out in an area where HIV prevalence is 67 percent higher and AIDS 500 percent higher than the national average, local HIV- and AIDS-related professionals said. And the Center for Disease Control estimates that approximately one in five of those who don't know their status are HIV-positive. You can read more here. (jl)
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"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." -- Confucius
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A word about DAPCAN links
 Once in awhile, a reader brings to our attention that a link in DAPCAN does not work properly or leads to an unexpected site. We regularly monitor and test all links before an issue goes out, but readers should keep in mind that we have no control over how external news sources manage and maintain their own links. Some links may be only temporary or soon altered, so it is very difficult to keep track of such changes, especially weeks out from our use of a particular link. We hope you'll keep that in mind as you read DAPCAN, especially any back issues. In any event, we always appreciate your feedback. (sb)
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Ongoing Benefits, Resources & Information
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Dedicated phone line for RCHC HIV patient medications
 The Warm Line, also being called the Compliance Program Line, is a separate phone line for Riverside County HealthCare's (RCHC) HIV patients to order refills and receive medications from Riverside County Regional Medical Center (RCRMC) pharmacy. The number below enables patients to reach a dedicated team of pharmacists to ensure they receive the medications needed. Call: 951.486.4442, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding holidays. Also p lease allow two business days for medications to be ready for pick up at the RCRMC Pharmacy in Moreno Valley, and seven business days for medications to be mailed to patient's home. If you leave a voice
mail with your contact number, phone calls are generally returned within one business day. (rv) (sb)
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Centers for Disease Control's HIV website
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains a website dedicated to HIV/AIDS issues. It covers the latest HIV science and public health information, as well as educational materials, policies and guidelines. The site is somewhat front-heavy on HIV prevention but has portals to many other types of information. Click through sub-sections for more on living with HIV, treatments, etc. Click www.cdc.gov/hiv for the website. (jl) (sb)
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Positively Aware's online HIV drug guide
  Check here anytime for the latest information about your antivirals: dosages, side-effects, interactions, classification, etc., courtesy of Positively Aware. (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.
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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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D.A.P. holiday closings for 2013
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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