Positively Aware Online News Brief. Current HIV News and events
POSITIVELY AWARE January 24th 2012
Follow us.Viread Approved for More Pediatric Use
Civil Union Partners Win in Springfield
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) announced on January 17 that it has created a new blog, “Inside Story,” which will provide “a breakdown of complicated legislative issues, an explanation of medical breakthroughs, or rendering of powerful stories of people living with HIV in Chicago—Inside Story provides a new outlet to help fill the void in mainstream daily news coverage.”
“Given the political and fiscal challenges we face in the HIV/AIDS sector, it’s more important than ever that we tell our stories,” said David Ernesto Munar, president/CEO of the AFC. “Inside Story will help us do just that.”
“Inside Story will first and foremost tell the stories of the people who comprise the AFC family: employees and board members, community partners, and the thousands of people served by the vast network of HIV medical and support services, case management, and housing assistance in Chicago. These stories will strive to break down stigma while shedding light on underreported topics in Chicago,” according to the announcement.
But Inside Story will also provide perspective on national and international issues, such as the recent reinstatement of the ban on federal funding for syringe exchanges or the emergence of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an HIV prevention tool.
AFC staff writer Gregory Trotter provides most of the content for Inside Story.
Trotter received his MSJ from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 2008. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, Dallas Morning News, and on Politifact, among other news outlets throughout the country.
Go to aidschicago.org/inside-story. You can subscribe to Inside Story’s RSS feed to get the latest blog posts. Please spread the word through your social networks too!
Viread Approved for More Pediatric Use
Gilead Sciences announced on January 18 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has “approved Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in pediatric patients ages 2-12.” Formerly, it was approved only for children 12 years and older.
The FDA has also approved a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for three lower-strength, once-daily tablets of Viread in doses of 150 mg, 200 mg, and 250 mg for children ages 6-12. In addition, the agency approved a New Drug Application (NDA) for an oral powder formulation of Viread for children ages 2-5.
Civil Union Partners Win in Springfield
Nearly 150 Springfield, Illinois residents signed a petition urging Mayor Mike Houston and the city’s Joint Labor and Management Health Care Committee to reverse their December decision not to grant the health care benefits to civil union partners that married spouses receive.
An actuarial review estimates the benefits will cost the city of Springfield about $67,000 based on a half-dozen people participating in the plan—significantly less than the original estimate of $725,000 based on 65 new participants.
On January 10, the State Journal-Register reported that the Committee voted unanimously to provide the benefits, which will start on March 1.
Gay rights groups in Illinois lauded the decision and praised Mayor Houston and Alderman Cory Jobe for their leadership.
This decision was also a victory for Illinois’ civil union law, which explicitly states that all benefits available to couples in a marriage must be available to couples in a civil union.
Free Nutritional Supplements Available
Expert Nutrition (formerly Houston Buyers Club) is giving away free nutritional supplements. In an e-mail sent out on January 18, the agency said, “Himalaya Herbal Healthcare has provided some free products to our agency that they would like us to distribute to our community at no charge. If you would like them shipped to you, shipping charges will be displayed on your shopping cart. If you order online, there is no limit to how many you can order; however, if you live in the Houston area, we are limiting walk-in customers to four bottles in any combination.”
To place an order online, click here. If you live in the Houston area and would like to pick up some free Himalaya products, please visit Expert Nutrition (formerly Houston Buyers Club), 3224 Yoakum Blvd., Houston, TX 77006.
There are different nutritional supplements and body care items that might help manage the following conditions, among others:
- Heart health, cholesterol, and blood pressure
- Libido support
- Weight loss and appetite support
- Bone health support
- Memory support
- Immune & white blood cell structure support
- Relaxation (including massage oil)
- Digestive function
- Body care lotions
Expert Nutrition urges people to share this announcement on Facebook and other social networks.
Unbeknownst to most of the HIV community and the general public, amicus briefs keep coming as the Supreme Court prepares for a challenge to the health care reform law (ACA). Recently, 100 economists signed on to a new brief challenging the law's Medicaid expansion. The brief, filed by the American Action Forum, says state budgets couldn't realistically support a decision to leave the Medicaid program, which is legally voluntary.
And if that isn’t ominous enough, the House Ways and Means Committee convened on January 18 to mark up a repeal of the Affordable Care Act's CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) Act, which establishes a national voluntary insurance program for purchasing long-term care services and support for individuals with functional limitations (mental illness and neurological issues such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, as well as physical disabilities). No taxpayer funds will be used to pay benefits under this provision. The Energy and Commerce Committee voted 33-17 in November to repeal the voluntary payroll deduction program.
If this attack is successful and if all those amicus briefs prove influential on the Supreme Court's decisions about the ACA, I predict the ACA will essentially be toast, which will prove that there’s a need for the HIV community to have a back-up plan. I wish I was wrong about that, but only time will tell. And I’ll keep working on the Demonstration for Universal Healthcare (DUH) duh4all.org.
In another bit of health care news, Congress is having to once again figure out how to avoid an almost 30% cut to physicians' Medicare payment rates starting March 1. They’ve already kicked that can down the road several times, so physicians and hospitals are hoping they’ll finally come up with a long-term fix.