In A Spirited Motion

Survey Says!: Mens Attitudes on Sexual health and Risky Behaviors

There are plenty of surveys going around concerning Black MSM and all factions of gay men who have sex with men in the information pipeline. Kemi Amola, is among those researching this behavior as apart of her dissertation quest. According to the info on the linked page, the purpose of the study is to understand men’s views on sexual health in order to better understand risk behaviors. This knowledge will help inform researchers in designing interventions. Designed for males over 18, the study seeks to asked a variety of questions including questions about sexual practices, mood and demographic information such age, race, and income. Although some questions are sensitive the researcher hopes all participants will be as honest as possible when completing the questionnaire. The Living Affected Corporation is sharing this information as a community service and assumes no liability for this exercise or outcomes. For those who complete the survey they will be given the chance to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card. This is the direct link to the info page and consent form:  http://ncsu.qualtrics.com//SE/?SID=SV_9mg4cG2AtMPiVpi


From the Random Thoughts File:

Arrested for Carrying Condoms?

NCHRC Interviews Megan McLemore

                                                Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch

There is a disturbing trend happening across the country and we can now add one more casualty to the list of Things-That-Shouldn’t-Be-Illegal-But-Are: CONDOMS. Though condoms themselves are not illegal, in many cities they can be used as the basis for police harassment and arrest or as evidence of prostitution in court. In New York City, Washington DC and San Francisco, police are using the number of condoms women are carrying to justify profiling them as prostitutes, and even to bolster an arrest on charges of sexual solicitation.

Megan McLemore, Senior Researcher with Human Rights Watch, became interested in the issue while on outreach with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) in East Durham, North Carolina last spring. Megan has been working on issues related to HIV and human rights in the South for the last two years. Part of her research has focused on harm reduction, pushing to expand access to syringe exchange, medication-assisted treatment (methadone and buprenorphine) and other responses to drug use that are based in public health rather than the criminal law. While visiting with the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition, Megan accompanied the outreach workers as they distributed supplies in East Durham and was shocked when a Durham sex worker refused the offer of free condoms over fears of harassment or arrest from local police. Megan began investigating the practice and found the criminalization of condoms to be prevalent in many U.S. cities. To date no such harrassment or incidents of this practice has been reported in Arkansas. She plans to complete a full investigative report for Human Rights Watch by next summer. To date, Megan hasn’t discovered any condom arrests in North Carolina, through there is ample evidence to prove that sex workers think they can get arrested for carrying rubbers, and the perception is just as harmful as the real thing.

The public health consequences of condom criminalization, or even the fear of it, are severe. Taking away condoms won’t put sex workers out of business, but it will put them, their clients and the community at large at greater risk of HIV and STD transmission. The Living Affected Corporation takes the position that in Arkansas the infection rates of sex workers have not been apart of the dialog nor any substantial tracking mechcanism created or deployed to address this segment of the community. Furthermore, the ongoing unmet need of over 4,000 people which could possibly consist of sex workers should be a distinct factor that must become mandate of our public health system.

“It’s a public health imperative that sex workers and their clients have access to condoms,” says Megan McLemore.She’s not alone. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other public health organizations have also denounced the practice as contributing to the spread of disease.

But, as Megan explains, her research is not all about condoms. “This report will go beyond public health. It’s part of a growing advocacy movement among sex workers to stand up for their human rights. Other people don’t get arrested for protecting their health.”

The Human Rights Watch report on condom criminalization is set to be published in the summer of 2012. Until then, Megan will continue to contact and interview individuals and organizations who have seen or experienced police harassment or arrest for condom possession.

If you have any information about this practice, please contact Megan McLemore at mclemom@hrw.org with your story.

Horizons Ahead

Join The Living Affected Corporation's book release event February 5, 3pm - 5pm, at Pyramid Gallery 1001 Wright Avenue in Little Rock, Arkansas featuring the periodical, "Our Lives, Our Stories, The Untold Stories of Women with AIDS. Contributors to the book will be present to read and share their stories live as well as autograph copies. Sponsored by a grant from Tibotech Pharmaceuticals, the book was the outcome of The Plus Club program which as apart of the organizations Linkage In Need Communities to Care initiative.The program was created in response to the lack of support groups that focus on women in Arkansas. The Living Affected Corporation is committed to promoting empowerment and inclusion while decreasing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS through education, advocacy and dismantling social and economic barriers for marginalized communities. Included in the book is also a local HIV/ AIDS resources. For more information contact info@lacorponline.org or call 877-902-7HIV  To help us continue offering these types of resources please consider purchasing a copy which can be ordered from this platform using our secured Pay Pal link found in the right side margin.

AIDS 2012 Plenary Speakers Announced

By Gregorio Millett, M.P.H., CDC/HHS Liaison to the Office of National AIDS Policy

Gregorio Millett

Today’s announcement of plenary speakers is a clear indication of how AIDS 2012 is shaping up to be one of the strongest International AIDS Conferences yet, with 15 world-renowned experts tapped to speak on a range of key issues related to the global and U.S. response to AIDS. Under the plenary theme of Ending the Epidemic: Turning the Tide, Monday’s panel will feature a presentation by NIAID Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci entitled, “Ending the HIV Epidemic: From Scientific Advances to Public Health Implementation.” On the same panel, Black AIDS Institute Executive Director and Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS member Phill Wilson will deliver remarks entitled, “The U.S. Epidemic”, and Dr. Sheila Tlou, Director of UNAIDS’ Regional Support Team for East and Southern Africa will speak to “Turning the Tide in Affected Countries: Leadership, Accountability and Targets.”
Complete details regarding all 15 plenary speakers and daily conference themes is available on the conference website at www.aids2012.org. Please visit their site for more information about what to expect at this biennial event that is expected to bring over 25,000 participants to Washington, DC from July 22-27th. Stay tuned to this blog for additional details about the USG’s role in AIDS 2012


Living Affected Live on The Elliot Alert

CEO D. Levi appeared on Representative Efrem Elliott's "The Elliot Alert" in 2011 citing the continuing impact of AIDS and HIV in the Black community and beyond. The video is also apart of Elliot's You Tube channel under the UAPB TV banner. As an organization, LA Corp has been at the forefront of being available for media appearances, speaking engagements, circulating in-house produced materials and partnering as well as collaborating with numerous AID service organizations and social justice agencies both locally and nationally. LA Corp is committed to ensuring a comprehensive system of HIV care in Arkansas. The organization supports holistic prevention and treatment programs that adequately funded and accessible to marginalize communities.  If your group or organization would like to schedule representatives from the group contact us at info@lacorponline.org or call 877.902.7HIV   The Living Affected Corporation is a 501c3 public charity. Donations can be made through our website at www.livingaffected.org or you can forward your support to The Living Affected Corporation, P.O. Box 46558, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72214 In-kind, volunteer hours, frequent flier miles, office supplies, gift cards or sponsorships are encouraged to help continue our important programs and services. Can we count on you today!

Mid Week Living Affected

New Media in Action at the 2012 National African American MSM Leadership Conference

By Aisha Moore, Communications Director, AIDS.gov

Download MP3

More than 350 people attended the National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and Other Health Disparities in New Orleans last week. The theme of the conference was “Forward Together – Engaging Our Future Leaders.” We hosted a social media lab where we provided small group technical assistance on using new media in response to HIV. Not only did we share a lot of information, we also heard from community members across the country how they are using new media. Here are some of the highlights:

• Ken Williams and Jonathan Mitchell from Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) in Chicago were the first people to come by the lab and, like many of the participants, were already using tools like Facebook and YouTube. Ken’s YouTube channel, KenlikeBarbie features personal videos, story to video blogs, and a video contest for TPAN. They came with questions about how to best evaluate their efforts and how to develop a new media strategy.
• United Black Element (U-UBE), a Dallas-based organization stopped by to share how it is using YouTube and Facebook to engage young Black gay and bisexual men in conversations about healthy relationships, safer sex and successfully increasing attendance at their events. U-BE also sought advice on how to increase Facebook interactions.
• Community-based organization Brotherhood, Inc. showed us how they were using Facebook, Twitter, and dating sites to reach young men in New Orleans. They also shared their plans for launching a presence on BlogTalkRadio and Tumblr to further extend their reach and wanted advice on managing multiple social media channels.
• In addition to conducting outreach on dating sites, The Philadelphia Center in Northwest Louisiana talked to us about conducting HIV/AIDS education and outreach on Grindr, a GPS-enabled dating app for mobile devices. They sought assistance with tracking and evaluating the effectiveness of their online and mobile outreach activities. We are getting more and more questions about evaluation and will address this in a future post.
• While we’ve been working with Venton Jones from the National Black Gay Mens Health Advocacy Coalition (NBGMAC) for a while, he came by for assistance with planning events leading up to AIDS 2012 . Follow NBGMAC on Twitter and Facebook . (We also attended the New Orleans Road to AIDS 2012 town hall meeting where conference participants and local leaders discussed how to enhance coordination with government and engage local communities to end the epidemic. )

From following the hashtags on Twitter, to attending sessions, to hearing from young black MSM from across the country in plenaries and town halls, the conference provided insight and reinforced the passion and dedication of those most impacted by the HIV epidemic. But as Christopher Bates, Deputy Director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, said during the conference, “This is not about saving ‘some people’, it’s about saving a nation.”

LA CORP Seeks Board Members

LA Corp is currently seeking dynamic board members to add to it current roster of members. If you have former board experience or willing to be apart of our ongoing board development program then send your resume or letter of inquiry to: info@lacorponline.org  We need individuals who are able to commit at least 20 hours per month, available for scheduled board meetings, networking opportunities, fundraising and governance to support the organizations vision to promote holistic, positive sexual and reproductive health within marginalized communities. Contact us today!!!

Trends and Take Aways

The Living Affected Corporation will be hosting an on-line Facebook check in February 7, at 10 AM as apart of its National Black HIV Awareness Day activities. Participants will be encouraged to "check-in" and share prevention messages, opinions and positive shout outs to those living infected or affected by the disease. The organization has been highly supportive of harnessing the power of the Internet, social networking platforms and interactive websites that are favorites of MSM and the LGBTQ community at large. Recently the Center for Disease Control and numerous other government entities such as Health and Human Services and HRSA have been rapidly developing a variety of mediums in their arsenal of prevention tools. LA Corp has been exploring funding sources to support their mission to embrace technology as a pathway to link marginalized communities to care providers. Other activity scheduled will include disseminating printed materials and partnering with other local groups to promote prevention messages throughout the city. 

The Name Game

A new LGBTQ health magazine is being developed and produced by LA Corp highlighting health dilemmas and issues beyond HIV and AIDS. Funded through a Healthy People 2020 Community Innovations Project grant, the scope of the project will include collaborating with physicians, clinicians, non traditional advocates and other stakeholders on policies as well as social determinants that impact sexual minorities. The organization is launching a naming contest to discover a title for the new venture which is open statewide. All submissions must be original and will be used in the advertisement of the project which include both billboards and Facebook ads. A prize of $100 will be awarded to the winning submission. Deadline is March 1, 2012  Forward your entries marked "The Name Game" to info@lacorponline.org

Persistence, Promise, and Hope for the End: A New Year’s Message

By James Albino, Senior Program Manager, Office of National AIDS Policy

In the tumult of the holiday shopping, seasonal traffic delays, and endless bowls of eggnog, it was easy to miss the news that Science—one of the world’s leading scientific research journals—had chosen an HIV-related clinical trial as its 2011 Breakthrough of the Year . I caught that news while trying to wrap up some last-minute items, and, later, I took a moment to reflect on this announcement. This was perhaps the first time in many years that Science magazine had featured an issue related to HIV/AIDS research so prominently on its cover. I would like to highlight the importance of that piece of news and share some perspective on what it might mean for the future.
In the December 23 issue, Science said: “The year 2011 saw scientific research that stretched from the farthest reaches of the universe to the deepest mysteries of the cell. Following a yearly tradition, Science‘s editors and news staff have selected one Scientific Breakthrough of the Year and nine runners-up.” Their choice was the HPTN 052 clinical trial, an international HIV-prevention trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
The study found that HIV-infected heterosexual individuals who begin taking antiretroviral medicines when their immune systems are relatively healthy are 96 percent less likely to transmit the virus to their uninfected partners. The editors noted that they chose the study “because of HPTN 052′s profound implications for the future response to the AIDS epidemic.”
According to the magazine, Dr. Myron Cohen, director of the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , and the lead researcher for the HPTN 052 trial, said the finding’s impact surprised him: “People were interested in the idea of treatment as prevention, but it (the study) created a hurricane-force wind behind the strategy.” In further conversation, Dr. Cohen told me that “the HPTN 052 study has galvanized incredibly rapid policy change, and seems to have made the somewhat cautious prevention community very, very bold.”
The HPTN 052 study demonstrated that “treatment as prevention” works—and gives us new hope and optimism for the future. This is wonderful news! It is acknowledgment of the groundbreaking work that so many have been doing to achieve the vision expressed by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton—the vision of “creating an AIDS-free generation.” It also echoes the sentiment of the leaders who recently gathered on World AIDS Day to mark “the beginning of the end of AIDS.”
For me, it was nothing short of an epiphany to hear and internalize the notion of an AIDS-free world. A little over a decade ago, I was the Executive Director of an HIV/AIDS hospice in Puerto Rico, where we provided palliative care for people who were in the advanced stages of AIDS. Weekly, I would meet with the medical staff and determine which patients were closest to death. The chaplain, clinical social worker, and I would then begin the difficult process of making calls to patient’s friends and family, exhorting them to pay a visit and take the necessary steps in advance of the patient’s death. Often, because of fear, stigma, and discrimination, many of our patients passed without a familial visit – sometimes dying with the staff and me as their last comforting voice. The notion of ending AIDS was not in our consciousness; at the time, AIDS as an end-point was our reality. We were in a race against illness, stigma, discrimination, and death, but we had little notion of how many miles we would have to run before we could rest.
Fast forward to August 2011. I was first mesmerized by the possibility of an AIDS-free world when I heard Dr. Jonathan Mermin, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speak at the 2011 National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Dr. Mermin gave a thorough summary of the state of the epidemic, advances in prevention efforts (particularly healthcare as prevention), and he had the temerity to conclude his presentation by emphatically affirming that the end of the epidemic was within reach in our lifetime. It was the first time I truly allowed myself to envision that future.

I recently talked to Dr. Mermin about this pivotal moment and he reflected: “Today, I woke up and planned my day in the usual way, filling my mind with meetings, documents, phone calls, and paperwork–and I forgot to learn from the past. For many years, we prayed for a few more months or days with the partners, friends, and family with HIV whom we cared for during the times when compassion and love were the best medicine. But we also worked fervently on research, prevention, and care. Because of that, in 2012, antiretroviral therapy not only provides people with HIV an almost normal life expectancy, but it also greatly reduces the chance that HIV will be transmitted to others. These new possibilities join old prevention tools such as condoms, testing, education, and community mobilization. The arrival of new tools for HIV care and prevention has led the nation to consider HIV less of a problem—a solved issue from the past. Yet, the number of people with HIV in the United States has increased by 60% over the past 15 years, mostly because individuals in care are living longer. Just as we did not give up on hope and action 20 years ago, we should use the knowledge of a growing epidemic and the presence of effective interventions to inspire us to act now. For the first time, I have the realistic expectation that we can reverse the epidemic in our country. Will we?”
On Worlds AIDS Day, I sat in the audience with a tearful crowd as the President, joined by former Presidents Bush and Clinton (via video link) and a multitude of world leaders, proclaimed a global effort to mark the beginning of the end of AIDS – a notion that for me, for many years and for too many patients, seemed faraway.

As 2012 begins, we should take time to celebrate the advances that our scientists and healthcare professionals have made, including the recognition of HPTN 052 by Science. The challenge now is to continue the research progress with safer, longer-acting antiretroviral drugs that will help people living with HIV stay on their medications. Further, the ultimate tools to control and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic—a safe, effective, and durable HIV vaccine and a cure for HIV infection—must remain high-priority research goals.
There were too many years when there was no cause to rejoice. Optimism is a welcome feeling, but we cannot replace our sense of progress with complacency. We must sustain the research progress, since new and innovative strategies will accelerate our progress towards controlling and ending the AIDS epidemic. We can bolster that progress by continuing to press for the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
We have the momentum. We have the persistence and the commitment to ending HIV/AIDS, once and for all. And I can finally see the hope and promise of the finish line.

Navigating New Horizons

Living Affected Corporation Releases Ground Breaking Book

The Living Affected Corporation's publishing arm has released its second in-house produced periodical entitled "Our Lives, Our Stories, The Untold of Stories of Women with AIDS," featuring the personal stories of women whom participated in the organizations The Plus Club program.
According to CEO Diedra Levi, "the book became a labor of love as the we worked through the entire spectrum of the program." She continued, " the ladies shared their stories and experiences openly and honestly while discovering commonalities in their individuality." The Plus Club program which allowed women dealing with HIV and AIDS to engage socially in a safe zone designed to meet their needs. The organization concluded that many women either living affected or infected by the disease often languish in isolation as well as lacked exposure to socialization opportunities. While canvassing for participants, the organization was faced with the challenge of discovering women who felt secure and confident enough to participate.  It was the vision of the program to create a monthly social activity that included the journal writing process, assorted board games, a catered meal and a environment that encouraged further bonding. " I learned so much for my experience with these ladies of The Plus Club, " said former Program Manager Samantha Thomas. " They laid themselves before me and my colleague, open, authentic, genuine, sincere and unashamed and unafraid to tell their stories, speak their fears, and give meaning, not to their disease, but to themselves and the people in their lives that they loved." she concluded.

Indexed within the book are also local resources, allies and providers that serve the HIV/.AIDS community. Arkansas' Community Planning Group voted in December 2011 to make a bulk purchase of the book via its association to the Arkansas Department of Health to offer to other community based organizations involved in sexual health programming. As apart of their mission, the group wanted to invest in a unique prevention tool that could be used in a variety of means in numerous settings. The program began February 14, 2011 and will end with a book release event tentatively scheduled for February 3, 2012, at Pyramid Gallery and a after party at Miss Kitty's Saloon both in Little Rock. Copies of the book are available for purchase for $20. For more information contact: info@lacorponline.org or call 877-902-7HIV

The Affordable Care Act and People Living with HIV/AIDS

Leave a comment HIV Policy & Programs January 4, 2012

By Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director

One of the questions I get frequently is “how is the Affordable Care Act (the health care law of 2010) helping people living with HIV/AIDS?” The short answer is: in many ways. The detailed answer is more complex, but also much more exciting.

To provide a more comprehensive answer to this important inquiry, we recently worked with our colleagues in the HHS Office of Health Reform to update a fact sheet about how the Affordable Care Act is particularly important for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), as well as other people living with serious medical conditions. The Affordable Care Act puts in place strong consumer protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the tools you need to make informed choices about your health. Among the ways the ACA is helping PLWHAs are the following:

• Ensuring that AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) benefits are now considered as contributions toward a Medicare beneficiary’s true Out of Pocket Spending Limit for drug coverage, a huge relief for low-income beneficiaries living with HIV and AIDS because it helps them move through the “donut hole” more quickly;

• Improving access to coverage and protecting people with HIV/AIDS now by making available a Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan in every state and making important insurance reforms to protect people from insurance company abuses;

• Offering quality coverage to every person with HIV/AIDS in 2014 and beyond via Medicaid expansion, additional insurance reforms, and closing the “Donut Hole;”

• Ensuring people have quality care, good insurance coverage, and the information they need to find it; and

• Increasing opportunities for health, well-being, and cultural competency.

As HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius observed in her World AIDS Day statement last month, so many of our current HIV/AIDS efforts “build on a foundation laid by the health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which dramatically expands access to coverage for people with HIV/AIDS. The law also bans the worst insurance abuses so that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to people with HIV and other conditions or cancel coverage when someone gets sick or makes an error on a form. Under the health care law, we’re also expanding Medicaid so that it will be available to many more Americans with HIV/AIDS, including single adults.”
Learn more details in the fact sheet (PDF 33KB) about what the health care law does to help people with HIV/AIDS.

Cyber Vibes in Prevention and More

The Living Affected Corporation has been on the forefront of embracing today's burgeroning technological advances in society. As this wave continues to unfold in the 21st Century, it is inevitable that prevention messages and regimen "apps" will began to become common place in our aresenal to deal with HIV and AIDS in Arkansas. Since our inception, this organization has touted that the "web" would be the new frontier from which CBO's, NGO's and other government entities would enlist to create new wizardry and gadets to offer to the consumers and organizations alike. LA Corp believes that as new platforms develop this organization will be among the first to share their value in dealing with the sexual health of Arkansas marginalized communities. We welcome you to come join us a volunteer, Board of Director, fundraiser or contributor to our programming. Let us hear from you today at info@lacorponline.org  

The Mobile Opportunity: Citizen Responses Sought about a "Go-Go" Government

By Steven VanRoekel, Chief Information Officer of the United States (Cross-posted from the White House Blog)

The mobile revolution is upon us. Not only do the American people go online to pay bills, buy tickets and stay connected to their friends, but they are also adopting smart mobile technology at an incredible rate. This is changing the way we interact, the way we consume and the way we work.

To fundamentally change the way we do things in government, we need to seize on this mobile opportunity both in how we serve the public and in how government employees work.
Many government services have gone mobile already. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) launched a mobile application (My TSA) which provides passengers with 24/7 access to the most commonly requested TSA information on their mobile device. This includes functions such as Airport Status, ‘What Can I Bring?’ information, a guide on travel tips, and an ability to share information with other passengers on security wait times. Many government websites, such as USA.gov and WhiteHouse.gov, have mobile-optimized versions. The Department of Veteran’s Affairs has a mobile website that allows Veterans to access key links quickly, such as facility locations. We need more agencies to make their services available to an increasingly mobile nation.
In addition, we need to increase the mobility of the federal workforce. Doing this will allow the government to realize real estate savings from teleworking as well as increase productivity for those employees who are often not in an office. Some agencies have taken steps in this direction already. For example, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Marshals Service have a joint program to give their agents rapid access to all mission-critical data in any location using commercial mobile technology. This not only dramatically increases overall productivity, but also increases officer safety during fieldwork. The Army’s mCare App allows healthcare teams to remotely monitor the healthcare status of wounded warriors. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s emergency managers use mobile Twitter to find victims during an emergency, to share pleas for help that need to be translated, and to geo-target the location and extent of an emergency. Agencies must follow these examples, as increasing our productivity means that we are able to do more for the American people at a lower cost.
Going mobile doesn’t just increase productivity but it’s a huge cost saver too. For example, teleworking means we can decrease our real estate costs. And pooling our purchasing means that we can get the best deals possible on mobile devices. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just reduced its telecom expenses by 18 percent – $4 million annually – by streamlining acquisitions. USDA consolidated its wireless contracts from 843 different plans and 32,228 lines of service to three blanket purchase agreements and negotiated volume pricing. And that’s just the beginning – they forecast a 40 percent reduction in total telecom expenses once they restructure accounts, centralize billing, and make smart use of pooling.
But there is more we can do to seize the mobile opportunity, and we need to be bold in doing it. We need to address the massive variations in the way we pay for mobile services across the government and leverage our size to influence purchasing power. We need to reexamine how we build applications and services. We need to focus on the fundamentals, ensure security and privacy concerns are addressed, and incorporate Shared First and Future First principles into everything we do. This doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel. Models such as FedRAMPare already helping the government “build once, use many times,” and these innovations can be extended to mobile.
At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, I unveiled a roadmap for the Federal government to seize this mobile opportunity. Within a year, I expect the government to change the way we work – to start embracing mobility-enabling technology across the Federal workforce in a coordinated way, and to start working on plans to deliver mobile-accessible content and services to the American people.
Over the next week, I invite you to share your thoughts on how the Federal Government can take advantage of the mobile opportunity – the National Dialogue on the Federal Mobility Strategy launched yesterday and will run through Friday, January 20^th. Tell us – what should the Federal Mobility Strategy include? Your voice will help inform the draft strategy we release.
Together, we can build a 21^stCentury Government using the power of mobility.
Steven VanRoekel is the Federal Chief Information Officer – for more information visit www.cio.gov

LA Corp Salutes MLK: A Day On for Service

The Living Affected Corporation commemorates the Martin Luther King holiday as we challenge our readers, allies, supporters and clients to devote time and resouces to a "day on" for service within our community. Organizations across this city have volunteer opportunities including LA Corp which is gearing up for its slate of 2012 programming including the release "Our Lives, Our Stories, The Untold Stories of Women with AIDS, Arkansas' ground breaking book covering this health dilemma among women, from our publishing arm a forthcoming LGBTQ health periodical highlighting navigating the changing health care system and co-morbidites of those living with HIV and AIDS, a propsed prevention intiative entitled the "D- Up" program which will seek to continue to address disparities among Black MSM stakeholders and a future advocacy conference designed to explore the human rights aspects of our internal vision intersected by the National AIDS Strategy. Dr. King stressed that each of us must strive to be visionaries while believing that with each new dawning day we should always have hope. Our organization has subscribed to King's clarion call to be about the business of the marginalized and the unfortunate who remain voiceless in their struggle to live in today's troubling economic times. The Living Affected Corporation has cited  in our "HEFTE 4000" white paper that the issues of "homelessness, education, food, transportation and education" are lynch pins in our pursuit to deal with our clients in a holistic manner while never negating a persons humanity. In 2012 we vow to continue to sound this mantra through our programming, public personna and pursuits to stem the tide of health dilemmas in marginalized communities. The Living Affected Corporation will nevet stop "dreaming" of zero AIDS infected populus and salutes Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy of leadership left to challenge generations from now through enternity.

"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you to go on in spite of all. And so today I still have a dream."
Marting Luther King

Statement from Secretary Sebelius for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Jan. 2012

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Eliminating Injustice in Health Care

Today, as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we reflect on our own response to his call for justice. “Of all the forms of inequality,” Dr. King said, “injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
As a department, we are committed to ensuring that all Americans achieve health equity by eliminating disparities and doing what we can to improve the health of all groups, including the poor and underserved.
One of the most important ways we are doing this is through our new health care law, the Affordable Care Act, which will expand health coverage to 34 million Americans, prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions, and bring new funding to community health centers, an important safety net for vulnerable populations.
In April 2011, HHS released an Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, which outlines concrete goals and the actions we are taking to achieve these goals.
Dr. King dreamed of a nation in which every child had the chance to reach his or her full potential. On this day of remembrance, I encourage all Americans to honor Dr. King and to recommit to helping the most vulnerable among us.

Don't forget our flagship website at www.livingaffected.org or Join us on FACEBOOK !!!

Digital Superhighways and Byways

Interactive Access to CDC’s HIV and STD Data

By Kevin Fenton, M.D., Ph.D., FFPH, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, CDC, @CDC_DrFenton

(from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a new interactive web tool—the NCHHSTP Atlas—that allows users to create maps, charts, and tables using HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted disease (STD) data collected by CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP).
Currently, the Atlas includes AIDS, HIV, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and primary and secondary syphilis data. TB and viral hepatitis surveillance data will be added by mid-year, allowing for more emphasis on mapping, display, and analyses. The Atlas functionality will continue to expand to provide more dynamic query functions as well as county-level data. This new tool and its increasing capability will provide users a broad look at NCHHSTP’s focus diseases as well as the groups in the United States most affected by these diseases.
The Atlas is a result of CDC’s commitment to continue to improve access to public health data. This increased access will provide public health partners and the public with the opportunity to use data in new and innovative ways. Community leaders, public health professionals, policymakers, and health care providers will be able to better understand trends of these often overlapping diseases. Furthermore, prevention planners will be able to utilize the NCHHSTP Atlas to better determine the most effective, high-impact use of resources and prevention services.
Many public health professionals are likely familiar with other data applications, such as AIDS Vu and CDC-Wonder. The Atlas differs from these tools in a number of ways. For example, while AIDS Vu contains people living with HIV data for 2008, the Atlas contains AIDS, HIV and STD data for multiple years—from 2000 to 2009, in some cases.
As a result, the Atlas has the ability to show data trends, offers a variety of mapping options, and allows the user to download and export the data and all of the graphics. Furthermore, the Atlas has two-way data stratifications of HIV data and three-way stratifications of STD data.
Finally, the Atlas is built on GIS software, rather than Google Earth. This allows for more emphasis on mapping, display, and analyses. And all of the maps, tables, pie charts, and bar graphs included in the Atlas are interactive.
To learn more about the Atlas, a video tutorial is available at www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/atlas. Please explore the NCHHSTP Atlas and check back for updates. Also, please let us know what you think by sending your questions and feedback to NCHHSTPatlas@cdc.gov. Enjoy exploring this new tool.

Reaching One to Teach One

Every now and then, we at The Living Affected Corporation are pleasantly surprised or broadsided by not the larger picture but often its the small item that makes us know that we must continue the work of educating and advocating for HIV/AIDS prevention. Years ago LACorp believed that the new frontier of prevention would be in the social networking arena and all things internet. Amazingly, at that time many in the know stated that "prevention message" couldn't or better yet wouldn't be disseminated in that manner. Hello, how wrong were they!! Case in point is the following item shared on the AIDS.gov blog and other press releases citing the use of the Internet for just such a purpose. Including the CDC's RFP seeking App development in the area of regimen reminders for smart phones. Even though LA Corporation didn't gaze into a crystal ball, check with our local psychic or read any tea leaves, it was the marketplace of technology which signaled that such tools as I-Phones, I-books, Smart Phones and Tablets along with their "App's" would be revolutinary to our society on numerous fronts. LA Corp is hard at work designing a program that will be another prevention tool to launch into the social networking scenario based on a 2009 community assessment piece which cited that many in the MSM found sexual partners in this manner. With that revelation and the ongoing move in digitizing medical records we can't keep standing by as if this technology can't be useful. Especially as medical facilities also now embrace "tele-medicines"concepts along with numerous other online platforms that offer medical services. LA Corp is not saying, "we told you so," but just for the record, "we told you master's of universe" that technology would be the next frontier of prevention and it's a fact.

Communications Technology in Public Health Takes Off

By Sonja Noring, MA, Office of the Medical Director, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health

L-R: Humberto Cruz, AIDS Institute Director; Dr. Cheryl Smith, AIDS Institute Associate Medical Director; Miguel Gomez, Director, AIDS.gov

The AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health , in partnership with AIDS.gov, held its second Forum on social media and HIV/STIs – which now qualifies as an annual event — on December 8, 2011.
This year, the Forum “Social Media: Going Viral Against HIV and STIs” was subtitled “Communications Technology in Public Health” since it took a broad view of social media in the context of health communications, focusing on public health messaging and consumer engagement.
The Forum was moderated by Miguel Gomez, Director of AIDS.gov, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Gomez’s extensive experience using video podcasting, administering the AIDS.gov blog, and advocating for the use of social media and new technologies in relation to HIV/AIDS stimulated thought-provoking conversation. He served as a great resource to participants.
Dr. William Smith, Editor of Social Marketing Quarterly , gave Forum attendees “Lessons from 30 Years of Social Marketing,” the subtitle of his presentation on “Why “Cool” Isn’t Enough.” Rather than just offering information, said Dr. Smith, it’s critical to tell a persuasive, engaging story that resonates with the intended audience and offers a solution to a problem they wish to solve. Health professionals should also help to make the desired choices doable and fun.
Dr. Punam Keller , The Charles Henry Jones Third Century Professor of Management, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, reviewed her research on communication models that improve health outcomes. Titled “Health Behavior Change: Persuasive Communication and Choice Architecture,” her presentation discussed structuring health messages so that the desired choice has clear advantages and reinforces the individual’s sense of control. Compared to opt in/opt out strategies and monetary incentives, the “enhanced active choice” model produces substantially greater compliance. Her research is the basis for the CDC’s new online message development tool, called “Message Works,” which will debut in April 2012.
The third speaker, Jessica Faye Carter, JD, CEO of the Heta Corporation , spoke on “Social Media Strategies to Engage Multicultural Consumers,” outlining ways to refine thinking about race/ethnicity and culture in order to better design messages for multicultural individuals and populations.
More information on the 2011 Forum and other AIDS Institute social media activities is available at http://nyconferences.org/socialmedia . You can also watch a webcast from the event here .

Got Ideas to share, then hit us up with what gadgets, Apps or gizmos might make a great tool to use in sharing prevention messages. Are you a tech head or Geek? Lend you talents to LA Corp as we are always on the cutting edge of technology. Let's hear from you today!!!

Keeping it Real: The Living Afffected Way

If you are interested in local meetings, webinars, conferences, or seminars, it is our goal to provide that information as a public service to stakeholders, consumers, allies and advocates alike. It is vital that the HIV/AIDS community realized that each of their voices and engagement of the institutional systems can be apart of assuring that policy makers and administrators understand your issues. If you stay silent and content with the status quo or "its always been that way" thinking, then this could hamper future "out of the box" measure to promote a adequately funded and comprehensive programs to meet the ever widening demands of this health delimma. Listen up, be empowered, get involved and come to the table to make your need apart of the disucssion or solutions. Please join the spirit to help The Living Affected Corporation make that change!

AR HIV Consumer Advisory Board

Meeting/ Teleconference Call

Thursday, January 12th, 11 a.m.

Diedra will host the C.A.B. teleconference call this Thursday at 11 a.m.

The toll free phone number for C.A.B. is: 1-866-217-3840

The access code for C.A.B. is: 002 4764 #

The Arkansas Community Planning Group

(ARCPG)

will be the next day, Friday, January 13th at 10 a.m.

The toll free phone number for ARCPG is: 1-800-390-5809

The access code for ARCPG is: 501 661 2466

This is an important meeting for ARCPG and we sincerely hope as many C.A.B members as possible will join the teleconference. In our December meeting wevoted to approve The Plan in our January Meeting.

(ARCPG instructed our consultant Damon to use current epidata and the ARCPG Needs Assessment as working tools to write The Plan.) The Plan can, and will be modified as needed, but it must a

plan suitable for the needs of Arkansas Community Planning Group.

The Way Forward in 2012

The Living Affected Corporation is proud to announce the completion of "Our Lives, Our Stories, The Untold Stories of Women with AIDS," which was the centerpiece of the organizations The Plus Club program which began February 14, 2011. The publication compsed by program participants with funding courtsey of Tibotec Pharmacueticals. Slated to be disseminated among local agencies and community based organizations that have sexual health programming or initiatives, the book also includes a listing of various resources and HIV/AIDS based links that will further inform readers of ongoing services and providers. This ground breaking book reveals the layers of emotions of four women who participated in the program. The Livingn Affected Corporation created the program to facilitate a safe harbour which the organization saw as lacking in this area for women with HIV and AIDS to meet and share their experiences. Many of the stories speak to how each individual coped with learning their status, navigating the health care system, governement agencies and the aftermath of that reality within their family structure or extended relationship. Vera S. wrote that when she disclosed to a male friend her status, he laughed. Writer D.Guy said that she was "wild and crazy" before learning she had contracted HIV. She said she felt "alone and that one one wanted to be around her." Ann D. spoke of the rigors of working two jobs, child raising and grabbing life with gusto with travel and perks that she adored until she had to face the consequences of being tested for HIV. It was an life altering change that she still grapples with to this day. Other stories in the book recall numerous incidents and circumstances including those who would not drink from the same glasses, didn't use the same toilets and religious rhetoric citing their diagnosis was God sent. The publishing arm of The Living Affected Corporation is designed as a support mechcanism in the scope of the social entreprenuerial arena. Publications are generated as outreach, corporate branding and informatonal offerings to its client base, community groups and the general public at large. Any derived proceeds from the publications provide revenues as foundations for future projects, programming or initiatives.  A book release event is being scheduled with an announcement forthcoming. To purchase copies of all books produced by LACorp  contact info@lacorponline.org or call 877.902.7HIV

Affordable Care Act provision cuts red tape, saves up to $4.5 billion

Streamlining electronic funds transfers in health care will bring total savings to
more than $16 billion over 10 years

New standards for electronic funds transfers in health care, required by the Affordable Care Act, will reduce up to $4.5 billion off administrative costs for doctors and hospitals, private health plans, states, and other government health plans, over the next ten years, according to estimates included in new rules published today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The standards build upon regulations published earlier this year that set industry-wide standards for how health providers use electronic systems to quickly and easily determine a patient’s eligibility for health coverage and check on the status of a health claim.
Together, the two regulations implementing the Administrative Simplification provisions of the Affordable Care Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are projected to save the health care industry more than $16 billion over the next 10 years. These savings come from the adoption of electronic standards that will help eliminate inefficient manual processes and reduce costs.
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, health care professionals will spend less time filling out paperwork and more time focusing on delivering the best care for patients,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
An April 2010 study in the journal Health Affairs found that physicians spend nearly 12 percent of every dollar they receive from patients to cover the costs of filling out forms and performing other excessively complex administrative tasks. The study found that simplifying these systems could save four hours per week of professional time per physician and five hours of support staff time every week – time that could be better spent on patient care.
“As a nurse, I know the importance of giving health care professionals time to focus on patient care,” said CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. “The less time a physician has to spend on paperwork is that much more time that can be devoted to patient care. Having standardized procedures across the health care industry can only lead to lower costs and greater efficiencies all around.”
Today’s rule—the Adoption of Standards for Health Care Electronic Funds Transfers and Remittance Advice — adopts streamlined standards for the format and data content of the transmission a health plan sends to its bank when it wants to pay a claim to a provider electronically (through an electronic funds transfer) and to issue a Remittance Advice notice. Remittance Advice is a notice of payment sent to providers that may or may not accompany the payment the provider receives.
For example, currently when a provider submits a claim electronically for payment, a health plan often sends a Remittance Advice separately from the Electronic Funds Transfers payment. The disconnect between the two makes it difficult or sometimes impossible for the provider to match up the bill and the corresponding payment. Today’s rule addresses this by requiring the use of a trace number that automatically matches the two. The new tracking system will allow health care providers to eliminate costly manual reconciliation that must currently be done.
Future administrative simplification rules will address adoption of:

• A standard unique identifier for health plans;
• A standard for claims attachments; and
• Requirements that health plans certify compliance with all HIPAA standards and operating rules.

The regulation is effective January 1, 2012. All health plans covered under HIPAA must comply by January 1, 2014.
To view the Interim Final Regulation with comment period, go to: http://www.regulations.gov
For more information on the June 2011 HIPAA Administrative regulation: Adoption of Operating Rules for Eligibility for a Health Plan and Health Care Claim Status, visit: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2011pres/06/20110630a.html

The Living Affected Corporation: Alive and Well in 2012

Welcome to our latest communication piece that we have launched to add to our arsenal of books, resource guides, social media, printed materials and remote site events to full fill our vision to address sexual health issues in marginalized communities. Through our mission statement, The Living Affected Corporation promotes holistic, positive sexual and reproductive health for all. It has been our destiny to provide prevention, education and advocacy strategies on how we need to grapple with dismantling social and economic barriers within such communities. As a community based force, LA Corp has been committed to defining the framework of not only what a comprehensive system of HIV care should look like, but rather demand that it is adequately funded as well as fully accessible to all. We believe that as a continuing emphasis on testing exist, there must be an awareness of what we view as "The Care Paradox" which results in gaps in both services and treatment which often impact linkages to care. This situation can be supported by the fact that its reported that at over 4,617 individuals are not receiving the treatment that decreases the spread  of the disease. As we add this medium to our communication stream, we are proud of the body of work that as an organization we have produced as we have evolved since our inception. In 2011, The Living Affected Corporation boldly moved to further our vision utilizing our partnerships with AIDS United, Tibotech Pharmaceuticals, National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, The National Association of Black and White Men Together, Inc, The State Health care Access Research Project, Southern AIDS Coalition, Arkansas Community HIV Advocates, Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Human Services. Also we must acknowledge the contributions from our broad base of local activist, advocates, volunteers, stakeholders, and consumers who have championed our existence and stood with us through a series of challenging experiences and foreboding horizons. Even as our formal year end report is in production, we felt it vital to share some of our accomplishments and outcomes on this platform.  To ensure our stakeholders and benefactors of our mission we wanted to establish this new information outlet to share our inner workings, operational goals and our determination to be the premier institute of inclusive well being, meanwhile staying laser focused on our vision to treat the "whole person" despite overarching social determinants and not just merely a disease.

In 2011 The Living Affected Corporation had a series of triumphs and transporting events, programs and collaborative pursuits that propelled the organization in many directions. Although the organization suffered some setbacks, it was decided that the mission was too vital to disband and abandon our client base who have come to depend our presence as a guiding force in their lives and this community. Below we offer a snapshot of how The Living Affected Corporation forged ahead to illuminate pathways for those living affected or infected with HIV and AIDS.

• The Plus Club, commenced on February 14, 2011 as an official program instituted by The Living Affected Corporation and supported by a funding from Tibotec Pharmaceuticals. The program was a first in Arkansas to directly address the issues of AIDS within the lives of women. After advertising on radio, billboard campaign and word of mouth, the program settled on offering a safe environment where participants would engage socially. Through this process, the women interacted on their life experiences which would eventually be compiled into the periodical, "Our Lives, Our Stories," which is slated for distribution mid January 2012.
• The Living Affected Corporation in collaboration with NWA Positive links, now known as HIV Arkansas, co-sponsored the Arkansas HIV/AIDS Advocacy Conference in Fayetteville, Arkansas, March 12, 2011. The purpose of the conference was to bring technical assistance to Northwest Arkansas citizens plus gather other consumers from within the larger HIV community to engage invited panelist, guest speakers and presenters. Over 60 individuals assembled to be briefed on existing services, gaps in services, overviews and observations to improving access. As an advocacy exercise, attendees shared their personal stories concerning their perspectives of AIDS in Arkansas. The letters were to be mailed to appropriate policy makers. The event concluded with an empowerment session from NASTAD urging stakeholders to support or volunteer with local community based groups in changing policies.
• During the first and second quarters of 2011, The Living Affected Corporation also participated in a Legislative Day promoted by Arkansas Public Policy. The event allowed LA Corp access to legislators through both materials packaged for policy makers and in person lobbying on the issue of HIV and AIDS funding in Arkansas. Simultaneously, the organization served as the lead group spearheading the formation of Arkansas HIV Community Advocates which was an outgrowth of the SHARP report that was to act as an additional advisory group as suggested by the report. To support that effort, the group attended to the logistics, outreach to participants, agendas, internal structure and offered leadership assistance. Dr. Sonya Peppers was approached by the group to become a planning partner in a future free standing "one stop shop," for those needing HIV Testing or diagnostic services.

With 2011 unfolding, Living Affected was sought as a leadership partner as CEO Diedra Levi signed on as Co-Chair with the newly reformed Arkansas Community Planning Group which was charged with providing input to the states comprehensive AIDS plan. In the meantime, the group also became involved with planning the statewide HIV Tour bolstered by ADH's association with the Black AIDS Institute. The tour covered three Arkansas cities which included testing sites and counseling services available to participants. Living Affected assisted testers by testing 75 individuals at the Conway site while attending all cities involved. As a another sign of area involvement, the group joined other local CBO's as an Expo display presenter during Black Gay Pride week sponsored by then, Little Rock Black Pride.

• The daily operations of The Living Affected Corporation continued including teleconferences, briefings, weekly meetings, webinars, monthly meetings, planning sessions, answering phone calls, emails and internal technical assistance and development. Within all this activity and opening a new Argenta office, staff members also kept a demanding travel schedule to conferences, convening, and boot camp seminars that allowed the organization to log a combined estimated 10,000 miles to cities such as Washington, D.C. to Birmingham, AL. This doesn't include the many miles crossed to bring testing to a community health fair in Lonoke, presenting to the Arkansas Black Legislative caucus in Hot Springs, guest speaking to the Pine Bluff Lions Club,  a cable appearance on The Elliot Report and outreach throughout the Central Arkansas area when called upon.
• The last two quarters of the year were filled with The Living Affected corporation offering a community wide enrichment session entitled, "Strengthening Gay Arkansas," which featured author Carl Jackson reading passages from his book, "The Set Up," and Keynoter, Jammal Clue, a noted HIV researcher and advocate.The event was a collaboration with The National Association of Black and White Men Together, Inc, during it's Fall Midland Regional being held in Little Rock. Each entity is concerned with dealing with racism, homophobia and stigma related to this health dilemma. LA Corp has been forthright in its effort to bring a broad base of programming while seeking to be included in other local events. Such events included offering an information table and judging services during the Diamond State Rodeo Associations Royalty competition. Participating in World AIDS Day activities and providing prevention materials to local venues such as nightclubs, TraXs, Miss Kitty's Saloon, and the New Six Ten lounge. Other materials have been circulated and maintained to local LGBTQ outlets, service providers, book stores and all who request them.   

   What a year it has been for The Living Affected Corporation and unfortunately these bullet points merely encapsulate the surface of the energy and vitality that it takes to continue to be called to service dealing with this health scenario. Yet, we continue to stand in the gap openly and honestly as our organization attempts to make a difference as we surpass three decades of HIV and AIDS. We thank all our funders, supporters, allies and contributors who have been their for us all along the way while encouraging those who have not lent their support to consider to do so. Our work is not done and you can help us keep up the good fight with volunteered time or donation. We are all in this together. To donate you can access our website at: http://www.livingaffected.org/, call us at 877.902.7HIV or email us at info@lacorponline.org  Let us hear from you today!