 DAPCAN 
Desert AIDS Project Community Action Newsletter
September 5, 2013
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Time to Say Goodbye...
Farewell to Marilyn Concert This Weekend
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Editorial Staff
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David Brinkman
Chief Executive Officer
Barry Dayton
Director, Marketing & Communications
Alexis Ortega
Integrated Communications Associate
Steve Bolerjack
Senior Editor
Rick Vila
Volunteer Co-Editor
John Lewis
Volunteer Co-Editor
Eric Jannke
Volunteer Co-Editor
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September 7 - Farewell to Marilyn Free Concert
 The time has come. Marilyn will leave us in the next few weeks (exact date is not yet specified). Come say farewell at the Forever Marilyn statue with a free concert featuring Beatles and Beach Boys tribute bands this Saturday, September 7, from 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM. Click here for the concert's Facebook page and full information. (We reiterate the entertainment is "tribute bands," not the actual Beach Boys and remaining Beatles, but still promises to be fun.)
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September 19 - 22 - Cinema Diverse Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
 The popular annual Festival always held at Camelot Theatres is just around the corner! See article below for schedule and ticket information.
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October 1 - Positive Life Series: New healthcare changes and what they mean for you and your insurance needs
Open enrollment under the new Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obama Care," will begin on October 1, 2013. Learn how the new healthcare options will affect you, along with changes to the Ryan White CARE Act, Riverside County Health Care and other programs. Positive Life presentations are always on the first Tuesday of each month at the Sinatra Auditorium of Desert Regional Medical Center (corner of Tachevah and Miraleste). A light supper is served at 6:00 PM, and the program begins at 6:30 PM. ASL provided. Email positiveliveseries@gmail.com with any questions. You need not RSVP. This will be one of our most important programs, covering new insurance issues that will affect everyone for many years!
Future programs:
Nov. 5: HIV and kidney health, with Dr. Ruben Gamundi
Dec. 3: Aging well with HIV
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October 19 - Desert AIDS Walk: "Walk, Get Tested, Stop AIDS"
Now in its twenty-sixth year, the Desert AIDS Walk is a grassroots community event supporting HIV/AIDS services, prevention and advocacy at Desert AIDS Project. This year's Walk will benefit both D.A.P. and dozens of community partners collaborating on Get Tested Coachella Valley, a new regional campaign dedicated to reducing transmission of HIV. This campaign is critically needed because of higher risk factors and lack of information in the area. It's easy to participate and contribute. You can even get a team together. Click here for full information about the Walk. (sb)
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DAPCAN resumes regular weekly schedule
 We hope everyone had a great summer and avoided too much heat as well as the fires and smoke! With today's issue, DAPCAN is back on our weekly Thursday schedule. Over the next few months, we hope to introduce some new features and volunteer client writers as well as a new volunteer co-editor, Eric Jannke. (One change to note: we've eliminated the 'back to top" function at the bottom of each article as it takes up valuable line space and scrolling up and down at the right of the screen with your cursor seems just as easy.) As always, we appreciate hearing back from our readers on how we can make DAPCAN better, along with any suggestions for story and feature ideas. Contact us at dapcan@desertaidsproject.org. (sb)
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Director of Social Services, Robin Johnson, resigns  After a decade at the Ranch Recovery Center--a residential addiction treatment program where she was instrumental in its growth and expansion to five facilities and over 120 beds--Robin Johnson came to Desert AIDS Project. As a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor, she began at D.A.P. as an Addictions Specialist. Over the next 15 years, Robin's set of responsibilities grew and she became Director of Social Services, helping us to more fully realize our goal of treating each client as a "whole person" as a key component of maintaining their connection to care. Her leadership has truly made her a sage for thousands of individuals to find and maintain their own well-being, despite living with HIV/AIDS, and news of her resignation brings sadness to the D.A.P. family. From the bottoms of our collective hearts, we wish only the best for you, Robin.
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Desert AIDS Project enters thirtieth year of service as one of nation's
"Top 20 HIV/AIDS Charities"
In 1984, a group of concerned volunteers offered their help to a growing number of people who were becoming terribly ill--often dying within weeks or months--from what came to be known as acquired immune deficiency syndrome: AIDS. This group evolved into Desert AIDS Project, which has offered care, prevention and advocacy services to the area's HIV/AIDS community ever since. D.A.P. recently was named in a national survey as one of the top ten HIV/AIDS charities in the country. The standards included spending at least 75% of its cash budget on bona fide programs, raising $100 from every $15 spent fundraising and operating with complete financial transparency. "While we are immensely proud to be recognized in this way, we know that it really does take a global village, with each community in each country fighting the continuing spread of HIV, while caring and advocating for those who are already infected," said David Brinkman, our CEO. "Our collective community gratitude goes out to the volunteers who started it all on August 22, 1984. The spirit of those volunteer warriors against AIDS lives on at D.A.P. today and we shall continue to honor their commitment every day we serve this community." Various celebratory events and remembrances are planned for next year, beginning with the Steve Chase Awards in February. Watch DAPCAN for more information. (jl) (sb)
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Desert AIDS Project's Community Center, houses many activities and programs including arts and crafts workshops, bingo, movies, lending library and drop-in hours. The 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 for details about next week's featured events listed below. If you would like to attend any of them, please RSVP to Ray Robertson at 760.323.2118, ext. 295 or email rrobertson@desertaidsproject.org.
Upcoming Community Center featured events:
First &Third Friday, Every Month, HAIRCUTS BY ROBERT!, 1:00 - 4:00 PM
Sign up outside the Walgreen's room in the Community Center. Twelve slots are available. First come first served. NO appointments or reservations taken by phone ahead of time. Please show up with
clean hair.
Come in for a good clip 'n snip!
Every Thursday, 1:00 PM, Movie & Pizza (no RSVP needed)
September 11 - Jumper (2008)
 A teenager with teleporting powers suddenly finds himself in the middle of an ancient war between those like him and their sworn enemies. Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Hayden Christensen. Directed by Doug Liman.
Let's go out to the movies!
Ongoing Community Center activities:
- Support groups
- Hepatitis C therapy education
- Diabetes education
- Stitch in Time (needlecraft) - third Wednesday 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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Good news: life expectancy with HIV increases by 15 years...for some
 A new study announced at July's International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference shows that with earlier and increasingly effective antiviral treatment options, people with HIV can expect to live longer than previously thought possible. But as always, there are cautionary notes: the longer life expectancy is greater in newly infected younger people, only among North Americans and not surprisingly, is not as evident for people of color and minorities. Still, it's encouraging news. Click here to read details about the study. (sb)
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HPV cancer risks heightened by HIV
 A new study by health professionals chaired by Danbury Hospital in Connecticut is calling for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to expand the classification of AIDS-related illnesses to include all HPV-related cancers, which affect as many men as women. HPV is one of the most common of all sexually transmitted infections. Click here for a summary article and here for more about HPV cancer risks for men. The virus may look like an innocuous blue sphere here but its effects are anything but. (ej)
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A reminder about viral load, treatment and sexual HIV transmission
 As we all know too well, viral load is the amount of HIV, measured as the number of virus copies in a milliliter of blood--a matter of routine labwork. A viral load between zero and 75 is considered low, but anything higher is a warning sign, and above 350, treatment is recommended. A high viral load often means reduction of CD4 cells and a higher risk of opportunistic infections, along with a greater risk of transmitting the virus to someone else through sex. Often overlooked is the fact that a viral load reading measures only the HIV in blood, not in other bodily fluids and tissues. It's estimated that only about 2 % of a patient's total virus may be in the blood--the rest may reside in various fluids and organs, especially in the brain and semen. So an undetectable viral load is no guarantee against infection. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increase the risk as do missed doses of meds or resistance to them. Infection risk is also generally higher for anal sex than for vaginal sex. This may sound familiar, but it's always worth a reminder that "undetectable" does not mean "cured" or "safe." Click here for more. (ej)
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Canadian researchers find no links found between marijuana use and liver disease for HIV-Hep C coinfected patients
 New research has allayed some concern about the effect of marijuana usage--medical or recreational--on those with HIV and Hepatitis C. A Canadian study showed no apparent association between the use of marijuana and progression of liver fibrosis, which often happens in end-stage liver disease. The study also showed that self-medication with marijuana increased as the disease progressed. This seems an understandable development and another reason to promote pot for medical purposes. To read more in aidsmeds.com, click here. (ej)
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Fifteen things to do to live to 100, even with HIV (maybe)
  We like headlines like this, even when the story turns out to recommend basic common sense (click here). Still, it's an upbeat read. See how many of the activities might apply to you. And pay attention to numbers 12 and 13 as particularly good advice. People with HIV ought to be extremely careful and picky about foods like sushi, soft cheeses and rare meats. And all raw vegetables ought to be hosed down hard before they go anywhere near your mouth. (That is, if you really want to go all the way from the picture at left to the one at right.) Thanks to HIVPlus.com for these bits of wisdom. (sb)
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How to learn about Affordable Care Act
 While the news is full of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a good concise source of information is the government's dedicated website, aids.gov. Click here for specifc portals to more information about implementation, timing, benefits, options, etc. As we get further into the ACA timeline, DAPCAN will keep you informed of developments. Be sure to attend the October 1 Positive Life Series (see above) on ACA and watch for a detailed column soon from legal contributor Andrew Alder to explain even more. One important note: if you are currently already on Medicare, you will not be affected by the new insurance laws. (sb)
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Marriage and community property--a reminder
 In the last issue of DAPCAN, Andrew Alder's excellent column reminded us that while marriage equality may once again be legal in our state, it ought not to be entered into lightly and certainly not without good legal counsel. It bears reminding that California is a community property state, which means that half of any assets accrued from the date of the marriage will belong to each partner--straight or gay. And this of course can have major ramifications in qualifying for disability benefits, drug assistance via ADAP and many other situations--taxes, inheritance, insurance, etc. We reiterate how important is to learn all you can before getting married and that a pre-nuptial agreement is usually a very good idea. As Andrew observed, love may well be blind but you don't have to be! You can contact him at andrewvincentalder@gmail.com
or at 760.424.9866. (sb)
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Medicare defines post-DOMA coverage, benefits for same-sex couples
 Gay married couples are now eligible for nursing home care through Medicare-funded private insurance in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid. On August 29, Danielle Moon, director of the Medicare Drug & Health Plan Contract Administration Group, explained that Medicare Advantage organizations, or private companies that contract with Medicare to provide coverage, must now cover services offered in a skilled nursing facility or nursing home for a gay married couple to the same extent they would provide them to an opposite-sex couple. And Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius added, "HHS is working swiftly to implement the Supreme Court's decision and maximize federal recognition of same-sex spouses in HHS programs. [It] is the first of many steps we will take over the coming months to clarify the effects of the Supreme Court's decision and to ensure that gay and lesbian married couples are treated equally under the law." Click here to read the Washington Blade's coverage. (sb)
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"Covered California" prepares for open enrollment under new healthcare law
 Under the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA), effective January 1, health insurance coverage will be mandated for most people in the country. Covered California, a state program designed to expand access to health care for everyone, creates an insurance marketplace that allows individuals and small businesses to purchase competitively priced health plans using federal tax subsidies and credits. Covered California also assists with paying premiums. The exchange will provide guaranteed coverage with no annual limits and rates that are not based on one's health status, among other benefits. Open enrollment begins October 1 and goes through March 31, 2014. People who wait until after open enrollment will have to wait until the next enrollment period to join, which will be October 2014. Click here for more information about Covered California. (ej)
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Haunted survivors: reflections of some HIV warhorses  Perhaps stories on aging with HIV/AIDS risk becoming as tiresome as recollections about pneumocystis and Kaposi's sarcoma, but considering all sides, we'll stick with the former for now. You may notice that DAPCAN increasingly is covering aging issues because, well...the demographics simply demand it. Statistics don't lie. We're surviving longer but aging faster. So we all better get used to keeping up with the latest. With that in mind, check out some stories here about how other poz boomers are coping. By the way, POZ magazine's online edition has improved greatly over the last year or two and is always worth a look. (sb)
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On Oscar Wilde, HIV and why it's good to get older
 Last year, writer Bob Bergeron's first book, The Right Side of Forty: The Complete Guide to Happiness for Gay Men at Midlife, was about to be published. It celebrated aging and the wonder of life, things not always easy for gay men. Then days before the book was to come out, Bergeron was found dead in bed, a plastic bag over his head. His suicide note wryly stated, "It's a lie based on bad information," an arrow pointed to his title page. A bit funny and quite tragic--that a gay man who positioned himself as an expert on aging in the end couldn't face turning 50. A recent column in the Advocate (click here) explores this unnecessary angst among aging gay men and reminds us of the grim fate of Oscar Wilde's vain character, Dorian Gray. And for a cautionary tale, click here for more about the sadly deluded Bergeron. This doesn't have to happen to any of us. Your 59-year old editor, by the way, is both amused and annoyed when men in their forties get all dramatic, self-pitying and describe themselves as over-the-hill. Becoming a wise and cranky old man is not so bad. Enjoy your life and survival! (Incidentally, Bergeron's publisher declined to posthumously publish his book.) (sb)
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New study on HIV, aging and the brain at UCSD needs participants
 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) are interested in understanding how HIV affects the brain, particularly among the growing older population of HIV-positive individuals. To meet this need, UCSD researchers are reaching out to the HIV community in the Palm Springs area who are interested in travelling to San Diego to complete a standard battery of cognitive and medical tests, and who are willing to agree to organ and tissue donation after death. This study, known as the California NeuroAIDS Tissue Network (CNTN), is part of a larger national research program, the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC). Together, these researchers use their shared knowledge and resources to develop uniform methods for studying HIV-affected populations with neurological disorders. Additionally, the NNTC serves as a resource for HIV researchers around the globe. Study  participants will be compensated for their time, and transportation will be provided to and from the research center in San Diego. Overnight accommodations will be provided as necessary. If you are interested in learning more about CNTN, please contact Susanna Concha-Garcia at 619.543.5098, or visit the researchers' website at http://cntn.hivresearch.ucsd.edu. (sb)
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Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Cinema Diverse begins September 19
 The sixth annual Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Cinema Diverse, will run from Thursday through Sunday, September 19 - 22. The Festival is always popular so it's wise to get your tickets early. "We're screening a total of 24 feature films and more than 30 shorts this year," said Michael C. Green, Managing Director of the Palm Springs Cultural Center. "This has been a banner year for LGBT filmmaking, which made the selection process even more difficult, but I think we've put together a schedule that may be our best ever." Included in the lineup are Del Shore's hilarious Southern Baptist Sissies and the intriguing titles Leather, Hot Guys with Guns, Greg's List, Meth Head and many more. All screenings will be at Camelot Theatres on E. Baristo Road in Palm Springs. Click here for the Festival website and all you need to know about schedules and tickets. (sb)
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Improbable early AIDS story becomes major movie: Dallas Buyers Club
 Ron Woodruff was a free-wheeling, heterosexual and troubled Texas cowboy/electrician. He was also a homophobe and occasional drug abuser. But when he tested HIV-positive in 1986 and was given 30 days to live, he began an unprecedented battle with the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies to obtain and smuggle whatever experimental drugs were available, for himself and fellow HIV patients. It sounds remarkable considering this was the early days of AIDS in Texas and nearly ten years before protease inhibitors. Matthew McConaughey (who is lean anyway) lost 50  pounds (pictured) to play the wasting Woodruff in the new movie, Dallas Buyers Club. The film co-stars Jennifer Garner and Jared Leto and will open this fall; early screenings have been favorable. Click here to view the trailer. Hollywood films about HIV/AIDS have been infrequent, so we're looking forward to reviewing it with our critic's pen (well, keyboard) ready to scrawl. (sb)
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Plague years retold: The AIDS Generation: Stories of Survival and Resilience
 In a few weeks, one of the most anticipated books about what we have all lived through will be coming out: The AIDS Generation: Stories of Survival and Resilience, by Dr. Perry Halkitis. It examines survival and coping strategies in a number of HIV-positive gay men, who together represent the first generation of long-term AIDS survivors. The stories describe the profound physical, emotional, and social challenges we've faced in living with HIV/AIDS and what it has cost us to survive. As an HIV-positve man himself, Halkitis is well-qualified to tell these tales. He is a behavioral science professor at New York University and has long focused on the burdens of HIV, substance abuse and mental health issues affecting the LGBT population. It will be of great interest not only for clinical and social science practitioners and historians, but for all of us who were there from the beginning. The book is available for pre-order on amazon.com (click here). We'll bring you our review as soon as the book is available. (sb)
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The poetry of AIDS: Clay, by David Groff
 Sometimes, we forget that it isn't just us who are living with HIV. If we're lucky, our families and friends are concerned and supportive. If we are truly blessed, there is a partner with the sensitivity and empathy of someone like David Groff, a leading writer and editor, and one of the major poets of LGBT literature. His new collection of poems is titled for his husband Clay Williams, who has lived with HIV/AIDS for many years. From their meeting amidst sand and flies at Fire Island, through illnesses and deaths all around them, through Clay's tenuous health, then middle age and an uncertain, sometimes ominous future, the reader feels nestled right alongside Groff as he chats with you through poetry--it's a wonderful conversation--about what he is observing, feeling, risking, treasuring, fighting and losing. The final poem, "Epithilamion," is raw, moving, strangely exhausting and ultimately brutally realistic about what love and AIDS can mean--what a very high price we may pay. It is all superb writing (Groff won the 2012 Louise Bogan Award for Poetry) and worth anyone's time, even if not a poetry fan. You'll find something of yourself in this work. Clay is available on amazon.com (click here) and in many bookstores. Read more about David Groff at his website here. (sb)
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Benefits, Resources & Discounts
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Gym discounts for D.A.P. clients
  Two area gyms offer ongoing significant discounts for D.A.P. clients. World Gym at Sunrise and Vista Chino offers 20% off regular annual or monthly memberships. And WorkOUT Gym on Via Escuela between Palm and Indian Canyon offers monthly memberships of just $20 to D.A.P. clients, employees and supporters. Click here for World Gym's website and here for WorkOUT Gym's site. Even with health issues, going to the gym for a light workout is a great way to get out, socialize a bit and get some exercise. It always makes you feel better! (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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Dedicated phone line for RCHC HIV patient medications
 The Warm Line, also known as 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 special pharmacist to ensure they receive the medications needed. Call: 951.486.4442, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, excluding holidays. And allow two business days before picking up meds at RCRMC Pharmacy in Moreno Valley, and seven business days if mailed to a patient's home. Voice mails are generally returned within one business day. (rv) (sb)
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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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Centers for Disease Control's HIV website
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) website covers the latest HIV/AIDS science and public health information, as well as educational materials, policies and guidelines. The site is a bit front-heavy on 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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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!
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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. You should also follow up by phone after your application to ensure all paperwork was received and is complete and do so each year after your annual eligibility meeting with ADAP. The agency still relies on paper faxes which have been known to go astray often.
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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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D.A.P. contact information
  The local phone number of Desert AIDS Project is 760.323.2118. If you don't know the extension, simply dial 0 and you'll be connected to a D.A.P. operator during business hours. The toll-free number is 866.331.3344 and the website is www.desertaidsproject.org.
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D.A.P. holiday closings for remainder of year
 Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day
Monday, November 11 - Veterans' Day
Thursday-Friday, November 28-29 - Thanksgiving
Wednesday, December 25 - Christmas Day
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Riverside County's 211 number for essential services 
2-1-1 is a toll-free service for residents needing 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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