October 27, 2015


 
 Chicago BTAN
A Newly Minted BTAN Chicago Prepares for the Future...
For the past year, the Chicago chapter of the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) has been under construction and has emerged|more

 
    

  
NBHAAD
Diane Rowland
Unconditional love
DeRay Mckesson
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness... 
Just as students are returning to campus embarking on new classes, student activities, and volunteerism, the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) campaign is giving students an active role in |
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
Medicaid Spending Soars - Mostly In...
Medicaid spending soared nearly 14 percent last year-its biggest annual increase in at least two decades-as a result of millions of newly eligible low-income enrollees signing up under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report released|




 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 
U.S. Report Urges End to 'Conversion'
...
Less than a year after the Obama Administration came out against so-called "conversion" therapies for gay and lesbian youth, a new government report calls for the practice to be eliminated nationwide."No evidence |
            
 



 






 

 
 
DeRay Mckesson Reveals
...
Ferguson-based activist DeRay Mckesson and other activists recently met with democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement and what the next president can|
        
 

 

 

 

 

 

 



   
 



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.

MSM
 
 
HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) dramatically reduce their risk of acquiring hepatitis B virus (HBV) if they have an undetectable HIV viral load thanks to antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. Publishing their findings in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers analyzed data on 2,375 HBV-negative MSM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, which began in 1984. The cohort included both HIV-negative and HIV-positive men.
 
Science
 
 
Anti-HIV drugs have extended life for millions of people, but they have never eliminated the virus from anyone. That's because HIV integrates its genetic material into the chromosomes of some white blood cells, helping it escape notice of the immune system. Two new studies show that artificial antibodies could "redirect" the immune response to these latently infected cells and help drain those HIV reservoirs in the body. But this creative strategy also carries risks.
 
Treatment
 
 
The proportion of infectious disease (ID) physicians who report prescribing Truvada (tenofovir/emtricitabine) as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) apparently grew substantially between 2013 and 2014, aidsmap reports. Meanwhile, most ID physicians recommend HIV-positive patients start antiretroviral (ARV) treatment soon after diagnosis, regardless of CD4 count.
 
 
A third of people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) do not have sustained viral suppression and many are not receiving regimens recommended by the latest U.S. treatment guidelines, according to data from the Medical Monitoring Project presented at IDWeek 2015 this month in San Diego. However, this study included many people with long-term HIV infection who may not have been able to use preferred first-line regimens.
 
Miscellaneous
 
 
Low-income Virginia residents living with HIV have better health outcomes if they switch their coverage from the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to an Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) plan, MedPage Today reports. Reporting their findings at the IDWeek Meeting in San Diego, researchers looked at 3,933 HIV-positive Virginians who were eligible for ACA-based insurance and who were clients of the state's ADAP.
 
 
Zella Ziona is the 21st trans woman reported killed this year.
 
 
Spike Lee's wife spoke with five women about overcoming their battles
 
 
I recently joined protestors and activists in meeting with Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton to discuss the #BlackLivesMatter movement and policy proposals, anchored in #CampaignZero, to end police violence.
 
 
These men are helping to shape the dialogue around what it means to be black with a bold new statement. 
In This Issue
Phill Wilson
This week we report on the relaunch of our BTAN Chicago chapter, which has two new co-chairs and is off to a roaring start. Over the next several months, we'll be doing a lot of reporting on | more

EVENTS 
 
NMAC PrePared for Life

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2015
Time: 10am to 3:30pm EST
Location: Dept. of Mental Health and Hygiene
Large Conference Rm
5th floor
500 North Calvert St
Baltimore, MD 21202
Click here for more info

National PrEP Tour 2015 - 2016

Atlanta, GA
11/10/15

Baltimore, MD
11/5/15

Bay Area, CA
11/17/15

Broward County, Fl
2/5/16

Charlotte, NC
TBD

Chicago, IL
11/18/15

Cincinnati, OH
TBD

Columbia, SC
2/16/16

Dallas, TX
TBD

Detroit, MI
TBD

Fort Lauderdale (Broward County)
2/5/16

Jackson, MS
12/3/15

Kansas City, MO
TBD

Little Rock, AR
TBD

Los Angeles, CA
2/9/16

Melbourne, FL
2/3/16

Miami, FL
TBD

Minneapolis, MN
11/5/2015

Miami, FL
TBD

Nashville, TN
TBD

New Orleans, LA
10/13/2015

Oakland, CA
11/17/15

Philadephia, PA
TBD

Richmond-Petersburg, VA
2/24/16

Rock Hill, SC
TBD

Washington, DC
10/27/2015

*Dates are subject to change. Click here for more info.
-----------------------------
For more information on events 
contact Gerald Garth at
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.