HIV & AIDS

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Status check: PrEP Uptake & Delivery

In the U.S., the CDC estimates that more than one million people (1,232,000) are at sufficient risk for HIV to meet PrEP prescribing guidelines. This stands in stark contrast to the most recent estimate of approximately 120,000 people currently taking PrEP (based on pharmacy data) by the first quarter of 2017. How are public health and community health organizations creating demand and facilitating access to PrEP—and what more can be done? Kenneth Mayer, MD, medical research director and co-chair of The Fenway Institute, joined BETA to answer questions about the opportunities to expand PrEP access in the U.S., and explain […]

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California HIV Alliance Submits Budget Proposal to the State

The California HIV Alliance, of which Project Inform is a member, submitted their budget request to the State, urging the State to make strategic investments in programs that will increase PrEP uptake and other evidence-based prevention services, provide targeted HIV prevention and employment services for transgender women, address the health and psychosocial needs of older adults living with HIV and educate medical providers about advances in HIV prevention and treatment. Specifically, we urge the Legislature to consider the following: $10 Million General Fund Annually – $10 Million General Fund Annually – Support Comprehensive HIV Prevention Services Including PrEP and PEP; $2 […]

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Syringe Access Fund Awards $2.4 Million to Syringe Service Programs as an HIV Prevention

The Syringe Access Fund today announced nearly $2.4 million in grants awarded to 62 organizations that are driving efforts to prevent HIV and viral hepatitis by providing injection drug users with access to sterile injection equipment and related health messaging. The funding will support syringe service programs and advocacy efforts to increase access to these programs in 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands through 2020, many of which serve the very same communities impacted by increased injection drug use stemming from the opioid epidemic that currently rages across the country. “Injection drug use […]

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Publix Grocery Chain Denies PrEP Coverage to Its Employees

Some parts of the country have weather that signals the arrival of the winter holiday season, but the South has Publix commercials. The Florida-based grocery store chain has made a Christmas tradition of its sentimental short films exalting family, fireplaces, and food bought from its stores and prepared with your love. “Whatever your tradition may be, we’re grateful to be a part of it,” a narrator with a delicate rasp says in the 2017 ad, “Traditions. A Publix Christmas story.” However, Publix is showing a cooler, less compassionate side to some of its 188,000 employees. One of the more prominent […]

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EJAF Awards $1.6 Million to Programs Advancing the Health and Human Rights of People Affected by HIV/AIDS

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), a leader in the global effort to end AIDS, today announced nearly $1.6 million in grants awarded in December 2017 to 26 organizations addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in critical and innovative ways. This final grant cycle brings EJAF’s total investments for 2017 to almost $9.5 million, and builds on the Foundation’s ongoing strategy to strengthen organizations doing essential work at local and national levels throughout the Americas and the Caribbean. “The Elton John AIDS Foundation remains deeply committed to supporting organizations working to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said EJAF Chairman David Furnish.  “At a […]

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Aetna to Pay $17 Million Over Mailing that Revealed HIV Meds

Health insurer Aetna has agreed to pay $17 million to settle claims that it breached the privacy of thousands of customers who take HIV medications. Attorneys for the plaintiffs announced the settlement Wednesday in Philadelphia. Court documents say the Hartford, Conn.-based company sent a mailing in envelopes with large, clear display windows that revealed confidential HIV information. The mailing was sent to about 12,000 customers in at least 23 states. Aetna agreed to pay at least $500 to customers whose privacy was breeched by the envelopes. The company also agreed to pay $75 to customers whose names were improperly disclosed […]

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Early HIV Hero, Dr. Mathilde Krim Has Died

Friends of the famed researcher announced her death on social media yesterday. Activist Peter Staley said on Facebook: “My greatest AIDS hero died a few hours ago. Dr. Mathilde Krim, founder of amfAR, warrior against homophobia and AIDS-related stigma, dedicated defender of science and public health, and mother-figure and mentor to countless activists, will leave a deep hole in the continued fight against AIDS — a fight she dedicated her life to. She as 91.” In Los Angeles in 1985, Elizabeth Taylor and Dr. Michael Gottlieb cofounded the National AIDS Research Foundation to research for a cure and help people […]

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Here’s What You Need to Know About HIV Drug Resistance

If you’re living with HIV, you’ve likely heard about HIV drug resistance. Maybe your HIV provider has even talked to you about HIV drug resistance testing. But what is drug resistance? How common is it, should you be worried about it, and more importantly—what can you do to prevent it? HIV drug resistance is a problem because it means that the type of HIV you have is “resistant” to, or isn’t affected by, a particular type of HIV medication. Drug resistance can limit the treatment options that will work for a person. In this article, we provide a low-down on […]

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Trump Fires all Members of HIV/AIDS Council by FedEx Letter

President Trump fired the remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, known as PACHA, without explanation by FedEx letter on Wednesday. Six members of the commission had already resigned over the summer, claiming the Trump administration’s actions would harm people with HIV, including its failure to name a director of the Office of National AIDS Policy. But several of the remaining members had time left in their terms. Scott A. Schoettes, a Chicago-based HIV/AIDS activist and a council member who resigned last summer, tweeted yesterday that the remaining council members had been fired for calling President Trump and […]

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Teens Exposed to Drug Use, Mental Distress, Violence at Risk for HIV in Adulthood

The psychological and social risks that adolescents experience can have a lasting impact on adulthood. When those risks include drug use, mental distress and exposure to violence, they may engage in unsafe sexual behavior that increases their chance of HIV infection, according to a new longitudinal study by the University of Michigan. “Our findings support the notion that the increasing frequency of psychosocial risk factors experienced during adolescence may have effects on HIV risk behaviors decades later,” said study lead author David Cordova, U-M assistant professor of social work. Cordova and colleagues conducted the study from September 1994 to May […]

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