November 18, 2014


Peter Reiss
HIV and Aging: The Virus Among Those... 

Medical advances intended to suppress viral loads and keep PLWHA healthy for a longer time have been effective. But as the 50-and-over poz population|more 

 
    
    
   
Justice John Roberts
Drugs and PEP

Shopping for coverage
A puzzlement
Consumer Guide To The Supreme Court's...   
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on a subject that's important to millions of people who receive subsidies to help purchase coverage under the healthcare|more 
Drug Use but Not Race Affect PEP Use in... 
Illicit drug use and gonorrhea raised chances that people using a Los Angeles healthcare center would ask for postexposure prophylaxis (PEP). Race did not affect chances |more 
 

Time to Shop for Coverage through The... 

Consumers can now sign up for 2015 health insurance plans through HealthCare.gov, the call center, or in-person assistance. With more issuers|more 
 
 
Consumers Whose Income Drops Below...
Right about now, some low-income people who just barely qualified for subsidies on the health insurance marketplace are starting to worry: What if my income for the year|more     

 



WHAT WE'RE READING

 

A cross-section of articles we've read this week about HIV/AIDS, STIs and a wide cross-section of structural and systemic factors impacting HIV/AIDS in Black communities.

 

Science

 

Doctors in Barcelona are optimistic they have found cure against HIV by means of blood transplants from umbilical cords of people whose genes are resistant of the virus. According to the doctors, the procedure was able to cure a Barcelona HIV patient in just a matter of three months. The procedure will undergo world's first clinical trials by March 2015.

Researchers from the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University say they have found a way to deliver an antiretroviral drug to infants and young children through a baby formula - a method that could significantly improve treatment for the 3.2 million children worldwide living with HIV.

Researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have discovered a possible new method to remove from blood stem cells the biological receptor that helps host the HIV virus, marking a potential breakthrough towards combating or even curing HIV/AIDS.

In the fight against HIV, microbicides-chemical compounds that can be applied topically to the female genital tract to protect against sexually transmitted infections-have been touted as an effective alternative to condoms. However, while these compounds are successful at preventing transmission of the virus in a petri dish, clinical trials using microbicides have largely failed. A new study from the Gladstone Institutes and the University of Ulm now reveals that this discrepancy may be due to the primary mode of transportation of the virus during sexual transmission, semen.

Miscellaneous

Baton Rouge still has one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in the country, though it dropped by one place in the latest rankings compared with other cities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists numerous potential alternative sources of HIV transmission in addition to the known classical modes for acquiring the AIDS virus. Although manicure instruments is not on this list of alternative sources, a case of HIV transmission that may be linked to sharing of manicure instruments is presented in AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses.

A man who was diagnosed with an extremely aggressive form of cancer two years ago is now amazingly in remission thanks to a revolutionary treatment that involved receiving an infusion of the virus that causes AIDS.

New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that HIV-infected adults are at a higher risk for developing heart attacks, kidney failure and cancer. But, contrary to what many had believed, the researchers say these illnesses are occurring at similar ages as adults who are not infected with HIV.

One longstanding concern about Medicaid is that too few doctors will accept it, because it tends to pay providers less generously than private plans do. This concern shows up in news articles about Medicaid, driven by evidence from doctors offices. But if you ask Medicaid enrollees directly, they reveal that access to primary care is comparable to that for private plans.

WASHINGTON - Massachusetts and Minnesota have sharply increased the number of call center workers who will help people enroll in health plans through the states' insurance exchanges. Colorado has created an online avatar named Kyla to guide consumers through the sign-up process. And Maryland has replaced its exchange, which floundered last year, with Connecticut's successful model.
In This Issue
Phill Wilson
On Saturday, HealthCare.gov, the federal government's online health-insurance marketplace, opened for business. Whether you are shopping for health insurance for the first time, renewing your policy or changing you|more 
 

EVENTS 

Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Key Dates:

 

 12/15/14 - Enroll by the 15th for new coverage that begins by Jan. 1, 2015

 

12/31/14 - Coverage ends for 2014 plans. Coverage for 2015 plans can start as soon as Jan 1, 2015.   

 

2/15/15 - Last day you can apply for 2015 coverage before the end of Open Enrollment    

    

"25 to Life"

 

Award-winning documentary that chronicles the story of William Brawner, a young man who kept his HIVpositive status a secret for over twenty-five years.

Screening dates and locations:

  

Friday, 11/28 7:00PM

Los Angeles - Downtown Independent

 

Monday, 12/01
7:00PM  
New York - Imagenation Raw Space

Philadelphia - Philadelphia International House

  

Washington, D.C. - Anacostia Arts Center

  

Chicago - Dusable Museum of African American History

  

Seattle - Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

  

Houston - Houston Museum of African American Culture   

  

Detroit - Cinema Detroit

  

Birmingham, Al - The Edge

  

Montgomery, Al - Purte Artistry Literary Café

  

Tacoma, Wa - Grand Cinema

  

Greensboro, NC - The Artist Bloc

  

Oakland- Mindseed Sound Stages

  

Denver - Sie Film Center

  

Honolulu - Honolulu Museum of Art

  

Charlotte, NC - The Little Rock Culure Center

  

Miami - American Art Initiative

  

London - Brixton Ritzy


Monday, 12/8
7:00PM

 

Boston -  Artsemerson


Visit healthcare.gov for more infomation 

  

For more information on these events 

contact Rebekah

Isreal at

rebekahi@BlackAIDS.org

or visit 
 
BLACK AIDS
WEEKLY

PHILL WILSON 

Publisher

 

HILARY BEARD 

Editor-in-Chief

 

TERESA RIDLEY 

Copy Editor

 

LASHIEKA P. HUNTER 

Media and Public Relations Consultant

Founded in May of 1999, the Black AIDS Institute is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people. The Institute's Mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV. The Institute interprets public and private sector HIV policies, conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, disseminates information and provides advocacy mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

Support the Black Aids Institute through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC# 12320). The Institute holds the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence for meeting the highest standards of public accountability.