Study Estimates Racial/Ethnic Populations of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)
Chicago’s Gay Community Mourns Activist’s Passing
TPAN Offers Auricular Acupuncture
Study on Financial Survival Seeks Participants
In the e-update of March 29, it was mistakenly stated that the new health care reform bill would provide for states to immediately expand Medicaid for low-income HIV-positive people. Unfortunately, that provision was not in the final health care reform bill that the President signed on March 23. It was in the bill that the House passed in November, but was not in the Senate bill passed in December. Despite strenuous efforts by HIV advocates, the provision was not included in the reconciliation package in the Senate bill. PA apologizes for the error.
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Study Estimates Racial/Ethnic Populations of Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM)
In a study published on March 25 in Public Health Reports, researchers from the Florida Department of Health; Florida International University; the UCLA School of Law; Skills4 of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; and the National Development and Research Institute in New York reported their findings from a study they did to better define populations of MSM in every state in the United States.
They used three statistical models to gather their data and, according to the report, found that, “Of an estimated 7.1 million MSM residing in the U.S. in 2007, 71.4% (5.1 million) were white, 15.9% (1.1 million) Hispanic, 8.9% (635,000) black, 2.7% Asian (191,000), 0.4% (26,000) American Indian/Alaska Native, 0.1% (6,000) Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander, and 0.6% (41,000) of multiple/unknown race/ethnicity. The overall U.S. percentage of males who were MSM (6.4%) varied from 3.3% (South Dakota) to 13.2% (District of Columbia, which is treated as a state). Estimated numbers of MSM ranged from 9,612 (Wyoming) to 1,104,805 (California).
Though as yet uncorroborated by other studies, these estimates of MSM populations by state and race/ethnicity can inform and guide HIV/AIDS surveillance, allocation of resources, and advocacy, as well as clarifying “HIV incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates.” They can also help in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of HIV prevention programs and other services.
To view the full report, go to http://www.publichealthreports.org/archives/archives.cfm.
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Chicago’s Gay Community Mourns Activist’s Passing
Jim Dohr, well known gay-rights activist and Director of Administrative Affairs at the Chicago Department of Public Health, passed away last week at the age of 59.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of his life on Sunday, May 2, at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, at 3:00 p.m.
Contributions to one of Jim’s favorite charities would be appreciated:
www.opendoorclinic.org or www.vitalbridges.org.
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TPAN Offers Auricular Acupuncture
Feeling stressed? Free auricular acupuncture is now available at TPAN on Thursday evenings. No appointment necessary! The National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) offers earpoint acupuncture that can
- Assist in detoxification from drugs and alcohol
- Reduce withdrawal symptoms
- Improve immunity
- Release pain-relieving endorphins
- Improve sleep
- Increase circulation and energy
- Relieve stress
Treatments are offered on a walk-in basis from 6 to 8:30 p.m. No paperwork is required. The relaxing treatments last approximately 20 minutes. For more information, contact Derek Worley at TPAN, 773-989-9400, ext. 234.
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Study on Financial Survival Seeks Participants
Here in Chicago, researchers at Northwestern University are conducting a survey of HIV-positive women, seeking to learn how they cope financially while living with the virus. The Health, Hardship, and Renewal (HHR) study is run by Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes, a former board member of Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN), who has long worked with women living with HIV and has reported her research findings throughout the community.
According to an announcement for the study, “We hope to increase awareness and point to strategies that will help women take care of their economic resources and their health.” The study seeks positive women from ages 18–65 in the Chicago area to talk about how they find and access resources for help, cope with financial obstacles, make ends meet to take care of their family, and manage their health while paying their bills.
There will be compensation for qualifying participants. The survey consists of a face-to-face meeting lasting about two hours. “This is a groundbreaking study, the first of its kind!” reads the announcement. “Your input will have far-reaching effects that will help us learn how to better serve women who are living with HIV/AIDS.”
For more information, call toll-free at 877-737-4758, e-mail hhrinfo@northwestern.edu, or visit www.hhrstrategies.org.
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National AIDS Fund Supports HIV-Focused Social Change and Public Policy Improvement in the Southern U.S.
In a press release issued on March 31, the National AIDS Fund (NAF), with support from the Ford Foundation, announced nearly $1.3 million in grant awards to 21 community-based HIV/AIDS organizations in nine Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee). According to the release, “The grants will support the development of programs that seek to achieve social change, shape responsible HIV/AIDS public policy, and/or respond to the underlying legal, political, and systemic barriers contributing to disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS in the Southern United States.” Click here for a list of grantees and their projects.
According to Kandy Ferree, National AIDS Fund President and CEO, “Critical issues like the South Carolina HIV/AIDS funding crisis reinforce the pivotal role community organizing and advocacy networks must play in fighting for sound HIV policy that ensures both access to HIV care and treatment and resources for crucial prevention activities,” said Ferree. “With the Ford Foundation’s ongoing support, we can strategically direct the Southern REACH/ Gulf Coast funds to programs that can affect real social change, and to policy advocacy activities that can improve – and save − the lives and the care of people infected with and affected by HIV living in the Southern United States.”
The NAF notes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has estimated that 46% of all new AIDS diagnoses in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia are in the South. The South is currently the region with the largest proportion of AIDS cases from less urban and nonurban areas, and the South leads the nation in persons living and dying with AIDS.
“The disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on the Southern United States is only exacerbated by misinformation and lack of understanding about the disease, and by public policies that are not meeting the needs of the most vulnerable,” said Terry McGovern of the Ford Foundation. “The vital community organizations receiving these new grants can help dispel myths and fear about HIV, and give people infected with and affected by HIV a stronger voice in policy decisions that impact their lives. We are pleased to continue our partnership with the National AIDS Fund to advance this important work across the South."
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