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DECEMBER 27, 2002

ORGANIZATIONAL ENDORSEMENTS NEEDED FOR EARLY TREATMENT FOR HIV ACT

2003 NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
    NMHA's 2003 Annual Conference titled "America's Mental Health Crisis: Finding Solutions Together" will occur on June 4-7, 2003 in Washington, DC.

    In 2003, the mental health community will face major budget problems brought on by deep cuts and shifting priorities. Collaboration is our best solution -- working with consumers, families, legislators, government agencies, and mental health professionals to develop the answers. NMHA's 2003 Annual Conference program will provide a forum for finding solutions together and exploring the value of partnerships and relationships.

    The 2003 conference will be organized around workshop tracks that provide more breadth and depth in each topic area. Tracks will be completely flexible, allowing attendees to specialize in one topic area -- or sample across tracks to learn about the latest issues, trends and effective strategies in the mental health community. Tracks will include: Advocacy, Fundraising, Organizational Capacity, Public Education, Services and Supports

    For more information visit the conference homepage or call 800-969-NMHA (6642). For registration information see http://www.nmha.org/annualconference/index.cfm for full details.

    The Center for Mental Health Services is providing grants for consumer participation in the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) 2003 conference, "America's Mental Health Crisis: Finding Solutions Together." http://www.nmha.org/annualconference/consumerscholarship.cfm

    Grants include registration, travel, and other logistical costs as needed and approved. Applications are currently being accepted. Please mail, fax, or e-mail the completed applications by February 21, 2003 to:

      Stephanie Hauser
      Health Systems Research, Inc.
      1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 700
      Washington, DC 20036
      Phone: (202) 828-5100 (ext. 115)
      Fax: (202) 728-9469
      E-mail: shauser@hsrnet.com

    Note: Do not send applications to the National Mental Health Association. Application Deadline: February 21, 2003

    Download the application from the NMHA web site at: http://www.nmha.org/annualconference/scholarshipApplication.pdf

NMHA'S "WHAT DOES GAY MEAN?"
    "What Does Gay Mean?" is a new anti-bullying program sponsored by the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) designed to improve understanding and respect for youth who are gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT). Centered on an educational booklet, called "What Does Gay Mean?" How to Talk with Kids About Sexual Orientation and Prejudice, the program encourages parents and others to communicate and share values of respect with their children.

    The NMHA has initiated this program because they are concerned about the well being of GLBT youth. These youth face daily threats to their mental and physical health -- ranging from anti-gay taunts to beatings - in their schools and communities. Research indicates that 31 percent of gay youth were threatened or injured at school in just the last year. These experiences have a devastating impact on the educational success and mental health of these youth and others who witness its process.

    Anti-gay prejudice affects straight youth, too. In fact, for every gay, lesbian and bisexual youth who reported being harassed, four straight students said they were harassed because they were perceived as being gay or lesbian.

    We encourage you to use this Web site as a resource in your discussions with youth about sexual orientation and prejudice. http://www.nmha.org/whatdoesgaymean

    For more information, contact:

      National Mental Health Association
      2001 N. Beauregard Street, 12th Floor
      Alexandria, VA 22311
      Phone 800-969-NMHA (6642)
      TTY 800-433-5959
      Fax 703-684-5968
      Email: infoctr@nmha.org

COLLABORATIVE HIV-PREVENTION RESEARCH IN MINORITY COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
    Offered by: The UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies

    Sponsoring agency: National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH)

    Who should apply: Scientists/Researchers in tenure track positions and investigators in research institutes who have not yet obtained RO1 funding from the NIH or an equivalent agency.

    Description of Project: The Collaborative HIV Prevention Research in Minority Communities is designed to assist Scientists/Researchers improve their programs of research and obtain additional funding for their work.

    Purpose of project: To increase the numbers of ethnic minority group members among principal investigators at NIH, CDC, and other equivalent agencies. Investigators from the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies collaborate with scientists to develop an ethnic minority-focused HIV prevention research project.

    Program Overview: Participants will: (a) receive mentoring and $25,000 to conduct their preliminary research; (b) spend six weeks in San Francisco for three consecutive summers; (c) receive a monthly stipend for living expenses and roundtrip airfare to San Francisco each summer.

    Application deadline: January 15, 2003
    Contact:

      Barbara Marín, Ph.D.
      Program Director
      UCSF - Center for AIDS Prevention Studies
      74 New Montgomery, Suite 600
      San Francisco, CA 94105
      Email: bmarin@psg.ucsf.edu
      Phone: (415) 597-9162
      Fax: (415) 597-9213

    Website (info and application):

NEEDLE EXCHANGE CHALLENGE GRANT PROGRAM
    The George Williams Fund (GWF) was created to assist syringe exchange HIV prevention programs throughout the United States. The purpose of the 2003 challenge Grant Program is to provide syringe exchange programs with the financial support in the form of challenge grants to help programs leverage and secure support from funding sources that have not previously supported syringe exchange. Grants will be awarded in March 2003, and organizations will have until December 2003 to secure their matching funds.

    Grantmaking Guidelines

    • Organizations must provide syringe exchange HIV prevention services or related activities and services, including advocacy.
    • Established programs that have been in operation a minimum of six months will be given preference.
    • Only one proposal from any agency will be considered.
    • Grant levels are likely to range from $5,000 to $25,000, with an average grant o f $10,000. Barring exceptional circumstances, the maximum grant awarded through this program will be $50,000. The minimum grant will be $2,500.
    • As a challenge grant program, all grants awarded by the George Williams Fund will be on a matching basis: during the grant period, organizations will need to raise $1 in new monies form other sources for every $1 provided by the Fund. Organizations must therefore be able to demonstrate in the proposal their ability to raise the match.
    • Please note all outstanding interim and final reports to the George Williams Fund must be submitted prior to any organization receiving further funding. Please contact the NY office if you have any questions.

    Grant Evaluation Criteria
    Proposals will be evaluated by Tides Foundation and a review panel of representatives in the syringe exchange community from across the country. Reviewers will judge applicants' organizational stability, demonstration of need, programmatic strategy, planning and evaluation, and the organization's financial strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, organizations will be expected to present a fundraising plan that demonstrates their ability to match the GWF challenge grant.

    Since a major goal of the program is to expand funding of syringe exchange, organizations should use the challenge grants as a tool to secure support from funding sources that have not previously supported syringe exchange or to encourage existing sources to increase their previous level of support.

    The following funding sources qualify for the match:

    • Grants from foundations, public or private sources that have not previously funded syringe exchange or associated activities;
    • Grants from foundations or public or private sources from which you have received funding but that exceed previous amounts (multiple sources of funding can qualify for the match)

    The following funding sources do not qualify for the match: *Contributions from the Fund for Drug Policy Reform, Open Society Institute and North American Syringe Exchange Network (NASEN).

    Note: Matching funds do not have to be raised for the exact same purpose as presented in this application.

    Funding Priorities
    The George Williams Fund encourages efforts undertaken by people of color, families and communities most affected by drugs; and non-traditional allies such as physicians and faith based communities. Preference will be given to needle exchange programs that work to engage underserved populations (geographically isolated, communities of color, etc.) in harm reduction services. GWF strongly encourages requests from emerging organizations in need of support for basic operations such as syringes, mobile units and supplies.

    Funds can be requested for any of the following needs:

    • Organizations that primarily focus on needle exchange and related harm reduction services (Hepatitis C testing, peer counseling, distribution, etc.) may apply for general support.
    • Organizations offering other services and/or with operating budgets exceeding $350,000 must apply for project specific support.

    Deadlines
    Completed proposals are due in the NY office of Tides Foundation by 12 noon, Friday, January 17th, 2003. Do not send materials to the San Francisco offices. Late proposals will not be accepted. Email submissions and faxed materials will not be accepted. Please send proposals to:

      George Williams Fund
      Tides Foundation NY office
      40 Exchange Place, Suite 1111
      New York, NY 10005

      All organizations will be notified of decisions via mail prior by March 15, 2003. Please no phone calls regarding the status of your request. Organizations approved for funding must submit both interim and final reports. Details will be included in the award letters. A summary on efforts to secure matching funds must also be included in both reports.
      Should you require additional information please contact:

        Dianne Stills
        Tides Foundation- New York City Office
        212-509-1049 ext. 225
        dstills@tides.org

        For more information about Tides Foundation, visit their web site at www.tides.org.

NCLGBTHEALTH SPRING MEETING, MARCH 16-18, 2003

DECEMBER 17, 2002

NCLGBTHEALTH WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

SIGN ON TO CAMPAIGN FOR LGBT HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
    At the Fall meeting of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, the Access Working Group began discussions on the first annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week, currently slated for March 16-22, 2003. The group expressed a desire to reach out to other national partners to ensure broad participation in the first year of the campaign.

    The message will be "Take Charge of Your Health Today..." Millions in the LGBT communities lack access to quality health care, which is critical to the health of our community and our nation. The first annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week is dedicated to:

    • Promoting LGBT Health and Wellness
    • Preventing Illness and Death
    • Protecting our Future

    The Working Group agreed that it would rely heavily on the work that has already been done by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association in the Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health, which can be downloaded from our website.

    Goals of the campaign are as follows:

    • Using public affairs tools and strategies, including free media, paid media, electronic communications, as well as organizational capacity building for community mobilization and health communications activities:

    • Raise public awareness of the unique health concerns, as well as the very real health disparities, among the LGBT communities

    • Educate the LGBT health communities about the health issues that are present in our communities, since there is a belief that awareness in our communities must be significantly improved

    • Provide community health centers, local organizations, and community representatives with tools to amplify the national campaign at the local level.

    • Educate medical and health care professionals in the area of cultural competency with regard to LGBT health.

    If you would like to be listed as an endorsing organization for the LGBT Health Awareness Week and would like to participate, or have any questions, please email coalition@lgbthealth.net . More information will be posted on our website in the next few weeks.

LGBT PRESENCE NEEDED AT HEALTHY PEOPLE SUMMIT HELP UNLOCK FUNDING FOR IMPORTANT BREAST HEALTH SERVICES MY NEW LIVER by LARRY KRAMER
    from Gay Men's Health Crisis, Treatment Issues, October 2002
    It is very, very hard to obtain an organ transplant in the United States. First, there are so few organs available. Second, it is hard to locate a transplant center willing to do coinfecteds -- that's what they call you when you have a virus like HIV with hep B or C. Third, if and when they accept you, you have to wait in line. Depending on which part of the country you are applying from, and which medical center, it takes varying amounts of waiting time. It never happens quickly. There is far too much red tape and bureaucracy for that. Fourth, and perhaps first, you have to do an awful lot of investigation, research, phoning, faxing, e-mailing, pestering, even (how shall I put it?) raising your voice (politely, of course) to accomplish any of this. Patient empowerment takes on new meaning. You have to become a very fervent activist, for yourself. If you aren't feeling so hot then you need someone with persistent and unflagging energy to do it for you. You need such a person even if you are feeling great. A transplant is something you simply cannot enter into on your own. In fact, no transplant center will accept you if you cannot show that your support system is visible and strong.

    But if you know you are going to die if you don't get a new organ, as was my case, you'd be surprised what a motivation this can be. I was given six months and was down to the wire when I finally got the call. At 67 I am the oldest person thus far transplanted with a new liver. My surgeon says in all seriousness that you are as old as your liver. I now have the liver of a 45- year-old man. Each day I feel vital and vibrant. I have no side effects. My hepatitis B appears to be gone from my body. And I truly feel like I am 45 again. Everything I went through was worth it, tremendously so.

    You must investigate the half-dozen or so medical centers (the number is growing) that will take us. You must never stop your efforts to a) make a transplant surgeon evaluate you and b) get one to accept you. Many people apply to several different centers, but that can be very expensive. There are a lot of evaluation testing costs you must bear before you can be officially accepted, and your insurance, if you have any, picks these up only if and when you are accepted for transplant. I was lucky. There happened to be a spurt of interest in transplanting coinfecteds when I applied. It helps to be a scientific curiosity. I believe I was the 22nd coinfected to be transplanted. The NIH is currently preparing a research protocol to study transplants for conifecteds; one of these days it will be approved and you might qualify for that.

    When you finally find someone willing to accept you, you have to figure out how to pay for your transplant. No medical center will take you unless you can prove up front that you can pay. Not long ago if you were coinfected and looking for a new liver, you would have been turned down by your insurance company because saving your life was considered experimental. That's changed because of heroic surgeons like John Fung at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who knew better and proved it and confronted the insurers himself. Still, insurance companies usually have to be challenged if they turn you down, which on the first go-round they usually always automatically do, hoping you will not appeal. Medicare rejected me the first time but we appealed and in one day they had reversed their decision. Empire Blue Cross, my secondary insurer, accepted me immediately.

    My liver transplant has cost Medicare, so far, over $500,000 and Empire Blue Cross, so far, over $100,000 for the continuing medications I must take, including a monthly pop of some $10,000 for something called Hepatitis B Immune Globulin, which I believe I must receive for the rest of my life. And you need to get your blood tested every few weeks. That costs a lot too.

    So we are not talking about an easy or inexpensive ride here. The easiest part, believe it or not, was the transplant itself. I wasn't in any pain, ever. The recuperation period is long; getting your wind and motor abilities back can require many months of physical rehab and taking it easy. You must have patience, which I don't. Months of not doing anything can verge on the depressing. And if you don't live near a transplant center, you may have to move close by for the months of the whole process. My lover and care partner (two different people, and I couldn't have got through the process without either one of them) lived with me in Pittsburgh for many months. I needed the love of my partner, David Webster, every single minute. Boy did I need it. This is lonely and cosmically metaphysical stuff to live through. (One day they tell you you're going to die, and then suddenly you don't.) Hugs and kisses and smiles and homemade food and constant gentle urgings that "you can do it" sure help you get better faster. And I was not an easy patient. I know that. And I needed the bossy efficiency of my very own Nurse Ratchett, Rodger McFarlane, who had every secretary, nurse, technician, and doctor at Presbyterian Hospital extra-attentive to his patient's case.

    I was additionally lucky because I was able to meet the criteria for acceptance last year. I don't think I would have qualified under new guidelines, called MELD (Model for End Stage Liver Disease), which came into effect at the beginning of this year. The guidelines were developed by the Mayo Clinic, and consciously or unconsciously, MELD criteria appear to be blatantly discriminatory against coinfecteds. As I understand them, and very little about the current or past organ allocation system is understandable (even by the doctors who get the organs), the abnormal blood markers they look for to be considered for acceptance are not ones that people with HIV typically have out of whack. For instance, my PTT, bilirubin, and creatinine were not greatly elevated. But I was still dying and my liver was still conking out. Yes, you say "go figure" a lot in this whole process. And figure you do -- or else you die.

    Alas, most people in need of new organs don't make it. My memory is filled with haunting images of desperately sick people in the UPMC clinic waiting room hoping for a chance to grab an arriving surgeon's arm and literally beg him or her for a liver. And of the stories of uninsured recipients telling me how everyone in their entire family or indeed community or indeed town had sold everything they could to pay for their chance at life.

    It shouldn't be like this, of course. We know all that. It is not right to have a system that excludes most of the people who desperately need its services. Yes, I know that I have been very, very lucky. I can shout "Persistence!" to the world but all activists have learned the hard way: we don't get anything without a terrible fight. If we want to live, we must fight like hell. And the fighting must never stop.

    Larry Kramer co-founded Gay Men's Health Crisis and founded ACT UP.

NCLGBTHEALTH SPRING MEETING, MARCH 16-18, 2003

DECEMBER 10, 2002

BECOME A NCLGBTH MEMBER TODAY!

NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAM
    When most Americans hear about anti-gay bullying, they assume that the youth being harassed-and sometimes beaten up-are in fact gay. So it often comes as a surprise to learn that this type of bullying more often affects students who are straight but may be perceived to be gay. In fact, Straight students are four times as likely as gay kids to be victimized by anti-gay harassment and violence. Kids who are bullied face an increased risk for depression, anxiety disorders, school failure and suicide. As the nation's leading mental health advocate, the NMHA, with more than 340 affiliates nationwide, has teamed up with Dr. Lynn Ponton, a straight mother of two, to help parents share their values of tolerance with their kids and reduce anti-gay prejudice and bullying.

    The National Mental Health Association will hold a telephone media conference call to release the first poll ever conducted asking American teens about their experience with and attitudes towards anti-gay bullying and harassment. The NMHA will also launch a new national program to help parents respond to questions from their kids about gays and lesbians and share their values of tolerance with kids before Their kids are exposed to stereotypes in the media or misinformation coming from other kids.

    Participating in the call will be, Lynn Ponton, M.D., author of "What Does Gay Mean?" mother of two, one of the nation's leading child psychiatrists, and author of the Romance of Risk and the Sex Lives of Teenagers, and Michael Faenza, M.S.S.W., president and CEO of the National Mental Health Association, and married father of four. Faenza has more than 20 years of experience in community mental health as planner, clinician and community educator.

    The call will take place on Thursday, December 12, 12 noon-1 pm Eastern Time (9 - 10 AM Pacific). Interested parties can dial in at 612-288-0340

    The National Mental Health Association is the country's oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness. With more than 340 affiliates nationwide, NMHA works to improve the mental health of all Americans through advocacy, education, research and service.

    For more information you can contact Chris Condayan at NMHA via phone, 703-838-7551, or email at: ccondayan@nmha.org.

NMHA'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED SIGN ON TO NATIONAL PREVENTION DEFENSE LETTER
    A coalition of national and local community organizations have worked on drafting and presenting the following letter to the CDC to address their concern over hostile federal audits, HIV /AIDS funding, abstinence-only education, and the lack of prevention message and leadership from the Bush Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Coalition for LGBT Health endorses these efforts and has signed the letter in support of its goals.

    The coalition of organizations who put the "Prevention Defense" letter together has decided to leave it open for additional signatories. If you would like to sign on to this letter, please email your group's name and location to Gregg Gonsalves at Gay Men's Health Crisis at greggg@gmhc.org. If you would like an soft copy with reference information please email Donald Hitchcock at coalition@lgbthealth.net.

      CDC's existing framework for providing HIV prevention services through state and local health departments and community-based organizations works. HIV prevention community planning groups work hard to identify priority populations and implement interventions in their local communities. CDC should maintain these existing structures, and resist the excessive external interference in program management that is being driven by political agendas, rather than scientific imperative. CDC should also work hard to ensure that front-line providers have the resources and tools they need to implement scientifically sound practices. HIV will not sit idly by while the nation's commitment to prevention is held hostage to politics.

      CDC's HIV prevention programs are under heavy scrutiny by select Members of Congress and the Department of Health and Human Services. The AIDS community has always demanded the highest levels of accountability from its organizations. However, programmatic reviews and audit processes should not impede the delivery of life-saving education and services for persons at risk for, infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. If we allow political pressure to dictate public health strategies, more Americans, not fewer, will become infected with HIV.

    • locally developed and implemented HIV prevention programs offer the best hope for controlling the epidemic. Local communities know what's best in their areas. Community planning groups identify priority populations and interventions that are likely to reduce new infections. Federal agencies and Congress must not micro-manage front-line HIV prevention providers.

    • Recent federal audits of prevention programs-which have uncovered very little fraud or impropriety despite multiple investigations-waste taxpayers' dollars by burying skilled public health workers under an avalanche of redundant paperwork and politically biased inquiries.

    • This heightened scrutiny has had a chilling effect on how prevention organizations are able to reach those most at risk. We need more tools to work with, not fewer. Don't muzzle public health with a political agenda that will put our nation's future at risk.

    • President Bush and his administration need to work with community-based AIDS groups, instead of stonewalling those whose HIV prevention philosophies do not match their political ideologies. AIDS is a public health crisis, not a political campaign.

    • Prevention is still our best weapon against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The estimated lifetime cost of care and treatment for just one HIV-infected person is approximately $195,000. In a recent cost benefit analysis of HIV prevention programs, researchers found that the enormous lifetime cost of caring for an HIV-infected individual is far greater than the funding needed to reach that individual with prevention messages and interventions.

      WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY ABOUT EFFECTIVE HIV PREVENTION PROGRAMS?
      The Institute of Medicine (IOM) , National Institutes of Health (NIH) , Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and CDC Prevention Research Synthesis Project (PRS) have all completed scientific reviews of HIV prevention programs and all have come to the same conclusion: HIV prevention programs work. The evidence presented in these reviews indicates that successful and effective prevention programs currently exist to meet the needs of a wide variety of populations including men who have sex with men (MSM), injection drug users (IDU), and heterosexuals. Furthermore, a recently published study by a leading HIV prevention researcher estimates HIV prevention efforts in the U.S. have saved up to 1.5 million lives.

      WHICH HIV PREVENTION PROGRAMS WORK?
      HIV prevention messages must be designed with the target population in mind. Different prevention programs work for different people. Numerous HIV prevention methods have been scientifically evaluated and found to be effective:

    • Promotion of Proper and Consistent Use of Condoms. For people who are sexually active, condoms have been the surest way to prevent the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. When used correctly and consistently, condoms provide an effective barrier, blocking the pathway of the HIV virus during sexual activities. A meta-analysis of several studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health found an 85% decrease in risk of HIV transmission among consistent condom-users.

    • Comprehensive Sexuality Education Works, Not Abstinence-Only Education.
      Research has shown that the most effective sexual health programs are comprehensive ones that include a focus on delaying sexual behavior and provide information on how sexually active young people can protect themselves. Research indicates that comprehensive HIV/STD education does not lead to an increase in or early initiation of sexual activity and that some studies show a positive association between early HIV/STD education and the delay of sexual activity.

    • Increase Knowledge of HIV Status Through Voluntary HIV Counseling and Testing and Linkage to Care.
      Voluntary HIV testing is an important element in preventing the transmission of HIV. Research has found HIV-positive youth, who were aware of their status, were six times more likely to have safer sex than HIV-positive youth who did not know they were infected. In addition, the counseling that accompanies an HIV test affords a tremendous opportunity to reach HIV-negative individuals who may engage in activities that put them at increased risk for contracting HIV, and help these persons to reduce their risk. Increasing the number of individuals who have knowledge of their sero-status, linking HIV infected individuals to care and providing comprehensive HIV prevention to HIV-positive individuals is now a cornerstone of CDC's HIV prevention activities.

    • Reducing Perinatal Transmission of HIV Has Been Effective.
      Efforts to combat the transmission of HIV from mother to child have been incredibly successful. According to CDC, the number of U.S. infants who acquire AIDS through mother-to-child transmission declined by 83% from 1992 through 1999. The primary strategy to prevent perinatal HIV transmission is to maximize prenatal HIV testing of pregnant women. CDC recently reviewed mandatory and voluntary approaches used to promote HIV testing of pregnant women. Results of the survey indicate voluntary testing approaches were able to achieve high rates of acceptance of testing similar to mandatory situations. States can promote prenatal HIV testing by implementing voluntary, routine approaches to counseling and informed consent, in lieu of mandatory testing.

    • Behavioral Interventions Are Effective.
      An extensive body of research exists on how to help individuals change their HIV-related risk behaviors. , Research has shown that aggressive promotion of safer sexual behavior, and prevention and treatment of substance abuse could avert tens of thousands of new HIV infections and potentially save millions of dollars in health care costs. In the CDC's Compendium of HIV Prevention Interventions with Evidence of Effectiveness , several program models are featured that have met scientifically rigorous criteria for effectiveness in reducing HIV risk behavior. Effective models include multiple, individual and small group sessions; client-centered, interactive education sessions; peer-led interventions; comprehensive health education; and structural and environmental interventions. Scientific reviews of these types of behavioral interventions have identified the critical importance of adhering to the fundamental elements of effective HIV prevention programs when designing a program. Among these fundamentals, a program should be based on social or behavioral research science; the target audience and objectives should be clearly defined; and members of the target audience should be included in the development of the program. In addition, the specific messages of the HIV prevention program must be culturally and developmentally appropriate to the targeted audience. Finally, these programs must be sustained, reinforced and supported by sufficient resources.

    • Needle Exchange Programs Reduce HIV Transmission.
      In March 2000, the U.S. Surgeon General prepared a review of all peer-reviewed, scientific studies of syringe exchange programs completed since 1998. The review reaffirmed that there is "conclusive evidence that syringe exchange programs, as part of a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy, are an effective public health intervention that reduces transmission of HIV and does not encourage the illegal use of drugs."

      WHY ARE THERE AN ESTIMATED 40,000 NEW INFECTIONS EACH YEAR?
      The decline in reported HIV cases throughout the 1980s and early 1990s proves that HIV/AIDS prevention programs do indeed work. Since the mid-1990s, the rate of new infections has leveled-off at about 40,000 new HIV cases per year. However, federal funding for prevention programs also remained constant, with adjustments for inflation outstanding, during this period while the population at risk grew significantly larger. While the level of infections may have remained steady at 40,000, the makeup of communities most affected by HIV has changed dramatically. There are still serious barriers to reaching communities of color with effective prevention. In addition, the success of anti-HIV medications has enabled more people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives. With about a million HIV-positive people in the U.S., there are more potential transmissions now than there were five or even ten years ago. It should come as no surprise that given the lack of substantial new resources for domestic HIV prevention, the number of new cases has remained steady and not continued to decline.

      WHAT MUST BE DONE TO ENSURE CDC IMPLEMENTS EFFECTIVE HIV PREVENTION?
      CDC has conducted HIV prevention by allowing science to guide policy. Radical departures from science-based decision-making are unwarranted. Indeed, the consequences will be disastrous if the world's premier public health organization is forced to make decisions based on politics and not scientific analysis.

    • Science Not Politics Should Guide HIV Prevention Policy.
      Recent actions by the Administration raise concerns that politics, not science, is driving federal HIV prevention policy. The recent movement toward censorship of science-based programs is problematic, particularly those programs targeting MSM. The Administration's focus on abstinence-only rather than comprehensive sexuality education is also cause for concern, since there is no scientific evidence to document the effectiveness of abstinence-only education. We are also concerned by the removal of information regarding condom effectiveness from CDC web-sites and the prohibition of federal funding for needle exchange programs. The apparent purging of CDC's HIV/STD Advisory Committee of individuals that cannot pass an ideological litmus test is further evidence of a tendency to favor politics over science. Finally, audits and heightened scrutiny seem to unfairly target programs reaching gay and bisexual men and people of color.

    • Remove Political and Ideological Obstacles to Effective HIV Prevention.
      Appointments to scientific panels and personnel positions must be made based on scientific-expertise. CDC should work in collaboration with NIH and leadership in the Department to ensure continued implementation of scientifically sound HIV prevention programs and research into scientifically sound behavioral, biomedical and social prevention methods.

    • Full Funding of CDC HIV Prevention Activities is Critical.
      Full funding of CDC for HIV prevention activities is necessary to achieve the agency's goal of cutting new infections in half. Scientists estimate that providing appropriate HIV prevention interventions to all those at risk of sexual transmission of HIV and providing services to all those at risk from injection-drug related HIV infection in the United States would cost an estimated $1.423 billion annually.

    • Achieve NORA Recommended Funding Levels.
      The National Organizations Responding to AIDS (NORA) FY 2003 funding request is for an additional $300 million, for a total appropriation of $1 billion for the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. President Bush's FY 2003 budget included no new resources for funded CDC HIV prevention programs, with DHAP's funding level currently at $696,900,000. Pending the outcome of the final FY 2003 final budget negotiations, NORA will ask for an increase in DHAP's funding to $1 billion in FY 2004.

    • HHS Department-Wide Leadership on HIV Prevention is Woefully Overdue.
      HHS needs to provide greater leadership on domestic HIV prevention issues. This means including HIV prevention in general health promotion messages; facilitating implementation of new HIV testing technologies; and including more HIV/AIDS reporting in Healthy People 2010. CDC should be tapped to help shape enhanced leadership on HIV prevention throughout HHS. CDC should implement routine meetings with community stakeholders and individuals infected and affected by HIV.

      NEW DIRECTIONS FOR HIV PREVENTION LEADERSHIP
      Bold new leadership from CDC is needed now more than ever. The following recommendations should move governmental policy makers and stakeholders to think outside of the box while supporting CDC in meeting new challenges in national HIV prevention efforts.

    • Build Strong Prevention Partnerships for HIV/STD Prevention Throughout the Health Care System.
      CDC should work with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to develop reasonable reimbursement mechanisms for risk assessments and counseling for HIV and STDs. Such reimbursement would increase opportunities for intervening around HIV/STD prevention and treatment with patients while they are in their health care providers' offices. Partnerships should be developed with managed care organizations and provider groups so that patients in both the private and public sectors receive adequate STD and HIV prevention and treatment.

    • Mobilize the Private Sector.
      HIV prevention cannot succeed if it remains the sole responsibility of government and community-based organizations. The private sector has an important role to play. Businesses which facilitate partners meeting each other - in particular, bars, internet providers, and sex club owners - must assume their social responsibility and contribute their expertise and resources to HIV and STD prevention. CDC should fund operations research to discover best practices of mobilizing these stakeholders to maximize prevention opportunities and minimize STD and HIV transmission.

    • Improve Implementation of Community-based HIV Prevention Strategies.
      Working through HIV Prevention community planning groups, health departments and CBOs have partnered to play a crucial role in developing innovative interventions run by and for community members. However, several important challenges hamper implementation of effective interventions in impacted communities. Salaries are low, which discourages staff retention and makes it difficult for any organization to retain a high level of expertise. The scale of prevention efforts is often insufficient to create the dose-response needed to alter the course of the epidemic. Those implementing interventions also need assistance in strategically selecting the best type of intervention (individual, group, community or structural). CDC must work with NIH and other HIV researchers to address issues of salaries, scale, and strategic selection of interventions, replication and sustainability of evidence-based interventions in community settings.

      "HIV prevention hasn't failed, we have failed. The most obvious failing is inadequate funding for HIV prevention activities. Our efforts have simply not been funded at the level necessary to achieve the depth and breadth required for maximum results."
           Dr. Helene Gayle, Director of HIV/AIDS and TB at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and former director of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention.

      This document has been endorsed by the following organizations (as of December 3, 2002):

        ACT UP/Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
        ACT UP/New York, New York, NY
        ACT UP/Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
        African Services Committee, New York, NY
        AIDS Action Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
        AIDS Action Council, Washington, DC
        AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, Washington, DC
        AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL
        AIDS Project Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
        AIDS Services of Austin, Inc., Austin, Texas
        AIDS Survival Project, Atlanta, GA
        AIDS Treatment News, Philadelphia, PA
        Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, San Francisco, CA
        Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, New York, NY
        American Foundation for AIDS Research, New York, NY
        Black Gay Network of New York State, New York, NY
        Bronx AIDS Services, Bronx, NY
        Brown University AIDS Program, Providence, RI
        Central City AIDS Network, Macon, GA
        Fenway Community Health Center Research Department, Boston, MA
        Florida AIDS Action, Tampa, FL
        The Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research, Brooklyn, NY.
        Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, San Francisco, CA
        Gay City Health Project, Seattle, WA
        Gay Men of African Descent, New York, NY
        Gay Men's Health Crisis, New York, NY
        Global Campaign for Microbicides, Washington, DC
        HIV and Hepatitis.com, San Francisco, CA
        HIV Medicine Association, Alexandria, VA
        Housing Works, New York, NY
        Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC
        Infectious Diseases Society of America, Alexandria, VA
        International Harm Reduction Development Program, New York, NY
        Kaua'i AIDS Project, Lihu'e, HI
        Latino Commission on AIDS, New York, NY
        Lifelong AIDS Alliance, Seattle, WA
        LLEGÓ -- The National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Organization, Washington, DC
        Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, Los Angeles, CA
        Mano a Mano, New York, NY
        Michigan Persons Living with AIDS Task Force, Lansing, MI
        Mojaevans, Inc., Decatur, GA
        Nashville CARES, Nashville, TN
        National Association of People with AIDS, Washington, DC
        National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, Washington, DC
        National Coalition for LGBT Health, Washington, DC
        National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, Washington, DC
        National Minority AIDS Council, Washington, DC
        National Network for Youth, Washington, DC
        Native American AIDS Project, San Francisco, CA
        New York City AIDS Housing Network, New York, NY
        North Central Texas HIV Prevention Planning Group, Dallas, TX
        Pierce County AIDS Foundation, Tacoma, WA
        Project Achieve, New York, NY
        Project Inform, San Francisco, CA
        Resource Center of Dallas, Dallas, TX
        San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA
        San Francisco Department of Public Health, STD Prevention and Control
        Services, San Francisco, CA
        Seattle Treatment Education Project, Seattle, WA
        Health 2000, Portland, ME
        Stop AIDS Project, San Francisco, CA
        Test Positive Aware Network, Chicago, IL
        Title II Community AIDS National Network, Washington, DC
        Treatment Action Group, New York, NY
        United Communities AIDS Network, Olympia, WA
        Unity Fellowship Church, Inc., Brooklyn, NY
        Unity Fellowship Breaking Ground, Inc., Brooklyn, NY
        Vermont Department of Health, Middlebury, VT
        Vermont People with AIDS Coalition, Montpelier, VT
        Whitman-Walker Clinic, Washington, DC

      Holtgrave D. & S. Pinkerton. Updates of Cost of Illness & Quality of Life Estimates for Use in Economic Evaluation of HIV Prevention Programs. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology 1997; 16: 54-62.
      Holtgrave, D, et al. Estimating the Cost of Unmet HIV-Prevention Needs in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2002; 23: 7-12.
      Holtgrave D. Estimating the Effectiveness and Efficiency of US HIV Prevention Efforts Using Scenario and Cost-effectiveness Analysis. AIDS. November 22, 2002; 16(17): 2347-8.
      Institute of Medicine. No Time to Lose: Getting More for HIV Prevention. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2000.
      National Institute of Health, " Interventions to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors", NIH Consensus Statement 1997; 15(2):1-41.
      Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. HIV Prevention Needs and Successes: A Tale of Three Countries. Geneva, Switzerland: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2001.
      Sogolow E, et al. Effects of US-based HIV Interventions On safer Sex: Meta-analyses, Overall and for Populations, Age Groups and Settings. XII International AIDS Conference; June 28-July 3, 1998. Geneva, Switzerland. Abstract 14283. See also Sogolow, E et. al. "The HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Synthesis Project: Scope, Methods, and Study Classification Results. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 30:S15-S29. 2002.
      Holtgrave David R. Estimating the Effectiveness and Efficiency of US HIV Prevention Efforts Using Scenario and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. AIDS. November 22, 2002; 16(17): 2347-8.
      U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scientific Review Panel Confirms Condoms Are Effective Against HIV/AIDS, But Epidemiological Studies Are Insufficient for Other STDs. Washington, DC; 2001.
      Jemmott J, & L. Sweet. Abstinence and Safer Sex HIV Risk-Reduction Interventions for African American Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 1998; 279.
      Kirby D. Emerging Answers: Research Findings on Programs to Reduce Teen Pregnancy. Washington, DC: The National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy; 2001.
      Denning P.H, et al. High-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among HIV-Infected Adolescents and Young Adults. National HIV Prevention Conference, Abstract 113 1999.
      CDC. HIV Prevention Saves Lives.2000; Atlanta, GA.
      Janssen R.S. et.al. The Serostatus Approach to Fighting the HIV Epidemic: Prevention Strategies for Infected Individuals. American Journal of Public Health. 2001; 191:1019-1024.
      Roome A, et al. HIV Testing Among Pregnant Women: United States and Canada, 1998-2001. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report November 15, 2002; 51(45): 1013-1016.
      Institute of Medicine. No Time to Lose: Getting More for HIV Prevention. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 2000.
      National Institutes of Health, "Interventions to Prevent HIV Risk Behaviors," NIH Consensus Statement 1997; 15(2):1-41.
      Holtgrave D, et al. Estimating the cost of unmet HIV-prevention needs in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2002; 23: 7-12.
      CDC. Compendium of HIV Prevention Interventions with Evidence of Effectiveness. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1999.
      Holtgrave D, et al. An overview of the effectiveness and efficiency of HIV prevention programs. Public Health Reports 1995; 110(2): 134-46
      Shalala D. Evidence-based findings on the efficacy of syringe exchange programs: An analysis from the Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General of the scientific research completed since April, 1998 May 17, 2000; Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services.
      Fox K, et al. Gonorrhea in the HIV era: a reversal in trends among men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health 2001; 91(7): 1060-68.
      Fleming D, et al. HIV prevalence in the United States, 2000. 9th Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; February 24-28, 20002. Seattle, WA. Abstract 11.
      CDC. HIV Prevention Saves Lives 2000; Atlanta, GA.
      National Organizations Responding to AIDS. Fiscal Year 2003 HIV/AIDS Appropriations Recommendations: Strategy for Building A Stronger Response to HIV/AIDS At Home And Abroad. 2002.
      Dr. Helene Gayle, "Prevention Now! A Vision for the Future," Speech to the XIV International AIDS Conference, Plenary Session, "Prevention Strategies in the 21st Century, Barcelona, Spain, July 9, 2002.

DECEMBER 6, 2002

PEOPLE OF COLOR AIDS FOUNDATION JOINS THE COALITION

HP2010 TOBACCO OBJECTIVES COMMENTS NEEDED OFFICE OF RESEARCH ON WOMEN'S HEALTH, CLINICAL TRIALS WORKSHOP YOUR ROLE IN GENDER IDENTITY AND EXPRESSION POLITICS
    In 2002, the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition (MPTC) put Boston on the map as the fiftieth jurisdiction to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. On October 23, 2002, the City Council voted 9-1 to amend the city's non-discrimination policy to cover gender identity and expression. Boston Mayor Menino signed the ordinance into effect soon after. According to City Council members, inclusion of transgender persons in the Boston Public Health Commission's policies cemented the support of the council.

    We encourage all Coalition members to make sure that transgender persons are explicitly covered in their/our organization's non-discrimination policy. And, where possible, try to foster a relationship with your local health department. Laying such groundwork will ensure successes such as the one in Boston.

    If you would like more information please visit http://www.masstpc.org for copies of press releases and a copy of the ordinance. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign provided technical assistance to MTPC. This was a superb team effort.

NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN ATHLETICS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED AUDREY LORD PROJECT SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NOVEMBER 26, 2002

BISEXUAL FOUNDATION JOINS THE COALITION

AHRQ SEEKS INPUT FOR 2003 REPORT ON HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES WORLD AIDS DAY DECEMBER 1, 2002 2ND NA CONFERENCE ON BISEXUALITY CALL FOR TRACK COORDINATORS FORD FOUNDATION CALLS FOR NOMINEES FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARD LESBIAN WOMEN'S MIDLIFE TRANSITIONS RESEARCH PROJECT

NOVEMBER 21, 2002

FLORIDA AIDS ACTION JOINS THE COALITION

THE GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT- NOVEMBER 21

RYAN WHITE NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE ON HIV AND AIDS

2003 NATIONAL HIV PREVENTION CONFERENCE

WHITE HOUSE WAGES STEALTH WAR ON CONDOMS

FREE HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 LGBT COMPANION DOCUMENT CD

NOVEMBER 15, 2002

AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES JOINS THE COALITION

NCLGBTHEALTH PARTICIPATES IN CALL FOR REMOVAL OF NONOXYNOL-9

NATIONAL GAY MEN'S HEALTH SUMMIT 2003 IN RALEIGH, NC

HHS CREATES UNIFIED HIV/AIDS AND STD ADVISORY COMMITTEE

SAMHSA HOSTS GRANT-WRITING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR GRASSROOTS FAITH AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

NOVEMBER 5, 2002

HARTFORD GAY AND LESBIAN HEALTH COLLECTIVE JOINS THE COALITION

    The National Coalition for LGBT Health would like to welcome the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Coalition (HGLHC) as the newest member of the coalition. The Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective empowers individuals of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities to lead healthy lives through the provision of health and support services, education and advocacy. We are glad to have HGLHC involved in the work the coalition is doing on the national level.

    Since 1983, the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective has provided comprehensive education, support, advocacy and specific medical services which meet the health care needs of gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals in the greater Hartford area. The strengths of the Health Collective include their collaborative efforts, volunteers, medical services, a variety of mental health programs, and serving as a resource to other gay, lesbian, and bisexual groups and organizations.

    For more information on HGLHC, please visit their website.

VOTE TODAY
    Many of you already have taken the time to vote. If you haven't, this is a message for you.

    Political commentators are saying that many races across the country are simply too close to call. Everyone agrees, however, that voter turn out will be the deciding factor in these tight races. On Friday, November 1 the Washington Post said:

      "Rarely has an election depended more on which party can mobilize its most likely supporters on Election Day. With half a dozen Senate contests and many races for the House and for governor statistical dead heats, and with voters showing little interest in the campaign, who wins will depend less on the final flurry of television ads and more on the trench warfare between Democrats and Republicans in the states."

    The National Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health understands that this is an important election that will not only shape the future of our country over the next two years, but impact the work that you do in your various agencies and communities. Whether it is as a school board member determining policy on sexual health education, council members deciding support of needle exchange, a governor providing leadership on LGBT civil rights, or members of Congress deciding funding and future programs to respond to the HIV epidemic, each office up for election has the potential to effect us. In these tight fiscal times, our elected leaders will also have to make difficult choices about whose priorities and concerns will be met. Obviously, we hope that leaders who have demonstrated a concern for the communities we represent and serve will be elected.

    Make sure you, your friends, and your family vote. Your votes will make a difference.

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION SEEKS SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROPOSALS CENTER FOR AIDS PREVENTION STUDIES POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

NOVEMBER 1, 2002

GAY MEN'S HEALTH CRISIS JOINS THE COALITION

SAVE THE DATE: NCLGBTHEALTH SPRING MEETING, MARCH 16-18, 2003
    The National Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Announces the Spring Meeting to be held in Washington, DC March 16th through 18, 2003

    The National Coalition for LGBT Health hopes you will join your colleagues from around the country at the Fall Conference in Washington, DC from Sunday, March 16th through Tuesday, March 18th, 2003. The coalition is committed to improving the health and well being of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and communities through public education, coalition building and advocacy that focuses on research, policy, education and training.

    The focus of this conference will be on advancing the coalition's common interest, as stated in Healthy People 2010, at the White House, Department of Health and Human Service, Congress and other entities. We will be meeting with various congressional offices and federal agencies that directly impact the LGBT health policy of our country. Your attendance will ensure that we move forward with a strong unified voice for LGBT health.

    More information will be announced shortly. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call (202-797-3516) or send us email (coalition@lgbthealth.net).

COALITION MEMBERS PUBLISH IN CLINICAL RESEARCH AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS RON WILLIAMS' POLITICAL CARTOON
OCTOBER 22, 2002

IDEOLOGY RULES AT HHS, DEMOCRATS SAY
By Washington Post Staff Writer, Ceci Connolly

HHS AWARDS $383,492 TO FENWAY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER COALITION TO PRESENT AT GLMA CONFERENCE
    The Coalition will be participating in the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada this weekend. On Saturday, October 26th, founders, members and staff will share the Coalition's history, goals, and accomplishments. It will be an informal session to see how you or your organization can plug into the work that we are doing.

    If you are planning on attending the GLMA Conference, we hope you can make our session. It will take place on Saturday, October 26th from 1:00pm to 2:15pm in the Prince Edward Island Room at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

    All members and interested members welcome to attend.

2ND ANNUAL NATIONAL BLACK LESBIAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED MURGUIA TO MOVE TO DAIDS
    Long time supporter Matthew Murguia will me moving form the office of Minority Health in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to serve as an Associate Director of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS), National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, NIH, serving as the director of the Office of Program Operations and Scientific Information.

    His Office will have the responsibility for DAIDS communications efforts, including a national AIDS vaccine research awareness campaign, and for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Division. His last day at OMH will be Wednesday, October 30.

    The Coalition wishes Matthew the best of luck.

TOBACCO CESSATION COMMENTS REQUESTED
OCTOBER 17, 2002

HEARING ON RACE/ETHNICITY DATA COLLECTION FOR HEALTH DISPARITIES

PUBLIC COMMENTS SOLICITED FOR THE HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010 TOBACCO WORKGROUP
    There is a strong need for the LGBT community to provide input on the HP 2010 objectives when solicited. As the HP2010 process moves along, if certain objectives and initiatives are not seen as critical, they will be dropped from the process, particularly in the area of disparities relative to the LGBT community. Please contact the coalition if you have any questions. The announcement is below:

    On November 18, 2002, CDC's Healthy People 2010 Tobacco Workgroup will convene in San Francisco to meet with interested public health and medical professionals, state and local officials, farmers, retailers, manufacturers, and others who would like to provide comment on progress towards meeting the Healthy People 2010 objectives. You can review the objectives at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/hp2010/index.htm. Comments are especially requested to cover one or more of the following areas: adult and youth prevalence, cessation and treatment, secondhand smoke, and disparities.

    Individuals and organizations are encouraged to comment in one or both of the following ways: (1) In writing, by submission through the mail, or e-mail; (2) In person, at a public meeting that will be convened on November 18th in San Francisco.

    WRITTEN COMMENTS:
    This is an opportunity to provide comments on barriers as well as on strategies to reach the tobacco objectives.
    Written comments may be sent by email to: Healthypeople@cdc.gov
    or by regular mail to:

      Attn: Ms. Monica Swann
      Healthy People 2010 Tobacco Comments
      Office on Smoking and Health
      200 Independence Ave., Room 317-B
      Washington, DC 20201
    PUBLIC MEETING DATE: November 18, 2002, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
    PUBLIC MEETING LOCATION:
    Hilton San Francisco
    333 O'Farrell Street
    San Francisco, CA 94102
    415-771-1400

    Comments will also be accepted during the public meeting. The meeting is open to the public and is limited only by the space available. Those that would like to attend the public meeting are encouraged to register early by sending their name, title, organization, address, and telephone number to Healthypeople@cdc.gov. If you would like to speak at the meeting, please notify Monica Swann when you register.

    To accommodate all the participants who wish to speak, comments will be limited to three minutes.

    For more information please contact:
    Ms. Victoria Wagman
    Office on Smoking and Health
    200 Independence Ave., Suite 317-B
    Washington, DC 20201
    Phone: 202-205-8500
    Fax: (202) 205-8313
    Email: healthypeople@cdc.gov.

SEEKING YOUTHRESOURCE HONOR ROLL NOMINATIONS
    www.youthresource.com seeks Nominations for the YR Honor Roll

    The YR Honor Roll: they are authors, activists, peer educators, and artists. They are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and straight allies. YouthResource is looking for nominations of exceptional young people across the country, under age 25, who have worked to improve the lives of GLBTQ youth and their allies.

    On December 16th, YouthResource will honor 100 outstanding advocates for GLBTQ youth issues in the YR Honor Roll 2002 through a special section on the website. We've looking for you to nominate young people who you feel have made an outstanding contribution to the lives of GLBTQ youth.

    Letters of nomination should be no more than 500 words and should include information about why you feel the nominee is qualified for this honor, what the nominee has done in the past year to help the lives of GLBTQ youth, in what capacity you work with/know the nominee, and contact information for both yourself and the nominee. This information is due by November 8, 2002. You may e-mail nominations to jessie@advocatesforyouth.org.

    YouthResource, a Web site created by and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) young people 13 to 24 years old, takes a holistic approach to sexual health by offering support, community, resources, and peer-to-peer education about issues of concern to GLBTQ young people. YouthResource has four focus areas: health, advocacy, community, and issues in our lives.

    YouthResource is a project of Advocates for Youth. Advocates for Youth is dedicated to creating programs and advocating for policies that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates provides information, training, and strategic assistance to youth-serving organizations, policy makers, youth activists, and the media in the United States and in developing countries.

DR. HAROLD JAFFE NAMED DIRECTOR OF NCHSTP
    From the desk of Julie Louise Gerberding, M.D., M.P.H., CDC Director/ATSDR

    Administrator:
    I am pleased to announce that Dr. Harold Jaffe, M.D., has been selected as the Director, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP). Dr. Jaffe has served as the Acting Director of NCHSTP since September 2001.

    Dr. Jaffe received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and his M.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been a Visiting Professor at the Chester Beatty Laboratories, Institute of Cancer Research, and in the Department of Medicine at Hammersmith Hospital in London, U.K. In addition, he has been a Fellow in Infectious Diseases at the University of Chicago, and he was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine.

    In 1974, he joined CDC as a clinical research investigator with the venereal disease control program. In 1981, he became an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and joined the CDC Task Force assigned to study the earliest cases of AIDS. Prior to his current assignment, Dr. Jaffe served as Director of the Division of AIDS, STD, and TB Laboratory Research, and as Associate Director for HIV/AIDS in the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). From 1992-1995, Dr. Jaffe served as the Director of NCID's Division of HIV/AIDS, and prior to that he served as the Division's Deputy Director for Science.

    Dr. Jaffe has been a member of the AIDS Research Advisory Committee, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, and a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Human Retrovirology.

    A prolific researcher and writer, Dr. Jaffe has authored or co-authored 128 publications, many related to STDs and AIDS. His AIDS-related publications range from studies of transfusion-associated AIDS to AIDS among men who have sex with men. His most recent publications have examined highly active antiretroviral therapies and cancer incidence.

OCTOBER 10, 2002

NATIONAL YOUTH ADVOCACY COALITION (NYAC) JOINS THE COALITION

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS TO VOTE ON ADOPTION BY SAME-GENDER
    Next week, delegates to the American Association of Family Physicians (AAFP) national conference will vote on a resolution supporting adoption by same-gender couples and domestic partner benefits. The national meeting of this organization of 93,500 family physicians will take place in San Diego, Calif. Oct. 14-16.

    The resolutions would urge equal rights for lesbian and gay parents, including the right of children with same-gender parents to be legally adopted by their non-biological parents and also would call for health and life insurance benefits to be provided for domestic partners. We, in partnership with Family Pride Coalition, are writing to urge you to contact the AAFP in support of these resolutions.

    Although this marks the first time the AAFP will address these issues through the resolution process, the organization follows many other credible medical associations in calling for second-parent or joint adoption of children with lesbian and gay parents, including, most recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics.

    Contact the national office of AAFP at fp@aafp.org, or write the AAFP chapter in your state to urge AAFP delegates to support these resolutions. E-mail addresses for the state chapters are listed below. More contact information is available for each state chapter at www.aafp.org/cgi-bin/chapterlookup.pl?chapter. Please copy your communications to coalition@lgbthealth.net.

    A sample letter is included below.

      Dear AAFP State Delegate:

      I am writing to urge you to support the American Association of Family Physicians resolutions voicing support for second-parent and joint adoption and domestic partner rights for same-gender couples at your upcoming conference in San Diego.

      Millions of children in this country live with one or more gay parents, but too many of them are left vulnerable because some courts and state governments have prevented both parents from having a legal relationship to their own sons and daughters. Children with lesbian and gay parents are too often denied insurance coverage or medical care in an emergency because their non-biological parent is not recognized as a "real" or "legal" mother or father. If the biological parent dies while the child is a minor, they can be removed from their other parent and the only home they've ever known. Please vote yes on these resolutions and provide our children with the security and protections that come with having a legal relationship to both their parents.

      An ever-increasing number of professional organizations have come to the same conclusion - second-parent and/or joint adoption by same-sex couples provides children with the stability and legal protections they need. Please join the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the Child Welfare League of America, the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychoanalytic Association in voting yes on these resolutions.

      In addition, domestic partner benefits offer an easy method for employers to adapt to the changing needs of their employees by simply expanding the eligibility for existing benefits programs. One of the main purposes of a benefits program is to provide a safety net for employees and their families.

CANADIAN CALL FOR PAPERS ON HEALTH ISSUES FACING LGBT COMMUNITY

MEDSCAPE WOMEN'S HEALTH CALL FOR PAPERS, MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS, LETTERS, AND BOOK REVIEWS
    Medscape Women's Health has its own peer-reviewed electronic journal that is indexed on Index Medicus/MEDLINE. We invite clinicians and research scientists to submit original research articles and reviews on traditional topics in gynecology and obstetrics/maternal-fetal medicine as well as on developments in the newer fields of women's health research and sex/gender-based medicine. We are also interested in multimedia presentations, book reviews, and letters.

    The publisher prefers that communication between authors and Medscape, Inc., occur via email. Contact Ursula Snyder, PhD, Site Editor & Program Director for Medscape Women's Health, at usnyder@webmd.net. Phone inquiries at 212-624-3725 and fax messages at 212-760-3223 also are welcome.

OCTOBER 4, 2002

CHASE BREXTON JOINS THE COALITION

LESBIAN CONFERENCE LOST HELP OF HHS
Gay Health Advocates Say Administration Ignoring Issues
By a Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 3, 2002; Page A17
    As they had last year, federal health officials initially agreed to underwrite this year's "Healing Works" conference on lesbian health issues, promising $75,000 for the two-day session this fall.

    But early this summer, federal officials notified conference organizers that the promise to underwrite the conference had been rescinded.

    Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services blamed the decision on technical problems in the grant application. But conference organizers and other activists say they are skeptical, and believe the decision was part of a series of moves by the Bush administration that have been hostile to issues important to gays and lesbians.

    "Lesbians have been left out of research; they don't have equal access to care," said Kathleen DeBold, executive director of the Mautner Project, the nation's leading lesbian health advocacy group. "This could have killed the conference."

    DeBold said two high-ranking staffers told her a "conference on lesbian health did not fit with Secretary [Tommy G.] Thompson's vision."

    DeBold scrambled for private donations, increased the registration fee from $75 to $300 and managed to hold the conference last weekend in the District.

    But the incident has fueled growing concerns by activists.

    "The big problem with the Bush administration is not that they are blatantly attacking lesbian and gay populations," said Patricia Dunn, policy director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. "It's just that they've been completely silent."

    Winnie Stachelberg, political director for the Human Rights Campaign, said there have been other instances in the past year when the administration has rescinded a promise of financial support, transferred people serving as gay liaisons to federal agencies and distanced itself from supporters of comprehensive sex education such as Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.

    "Any one or two or three of these things would be merely policy changes or the natural course of a new administration, but taken together they are of real concern to us," Stachelberg said. "While we hope that anti-gay bias is not going on at the department, it's hard to look at the totality of these things and not wonder what is going on."

    HHS spokesman Bill Pierce said he could not respond to specific charges but overall, "if you look at the record of the administration's commitment in these areas, you'll find it is stronger than any other administration."

    In a 10-year report titled "Healthy People 2010," HHS identified sexual orientation as one of six factors that cause health disparities. The document was written by Surgeon General David Satcher, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton and served for the first year of the Bush administration.

    But current HHS initiatives on closing inequities in the health care system never mention sexual orientation, Dunn said.

    And despite a promise to distribute the "Healthy People" recommendations on sexual orientation at a cost of about $20,000, Stachelberg said HHS reversed its position.

    The idea for a conference on lesbian health issues came out of a 1999 Institute of Medicine report that found "significant barriers to conducting research on lesbian health."

    The panel of experts recommended eight steps for improving the situation, including increased research funding, better data collection, education campaigns and regular conferences.

    In response, HHS hosted the first scientific workshop on the issue in 2000, and last year the department spent about $50,000 on the first National Lesbian Health Conference in San Francisco.

    Early data suggests lesbians often face difficulties getting adequate care because of anti-gay bias, poorly informed physicians and cultural differences, said Judy Bradford, an Institute of Medicine panelist and senior researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University.

    Lesbians also have higher rates of tobacco use, heavy drinking and certain cancers in which early detection is critical, such as breast and ovarian cancers, she said.

    "That's why there is a need to do more research and have these conferences," said Gloria E. Sarto, co-director of the Center for Women's Health and Women's Health Research at the University of Wisconsin.

    Sarto said she sent numerous e-mails to contacts in the department asking why it had withdrawn support for the conference and even mentioned it in passing to Thompson's wife, who works in women's health.

    "I didn't get a response," she said. "But it sends a message, whether it's meant to be or not, the perception is this is not on their agenda."

REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE - MANY DEADLINES THIS WEEK
    The general election date is November 5, 2002, and much is at stake for the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Voters all over the country will have the chance to elect fair-minded candidates to all levels of government who are supportive of LGBT health issues. Many states' voter registration deadlines are this week.

    Please register if you have not already, and send this website to those who you think might need to register. To register, visit .

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS: STUDY OF STRESS IN OLDER AFRICAN AMERICAN GAY MEN
    Steven David, a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, is looking for participants for a study of stress and coping among African American gay men ages 60 and older. Participants will be asked to complete a mail-in questionnaire and will receive a $10 honorarium. For more information, contact David at (213) 740-7637, ext. 2, or stevenda@usc.edu. If you wish to request a questionnaire, provide your mailing address, age and ethnicity.

NATIONAL COUNCIL ON ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO PREVENTION (LCAT)
Audio teleconference on Latino Youth and Tobacco
SEPTEMBER 20, 2002

DEADLINE EXTENDED FOR NCLGBTH FALL MEETING

NCLGBTH SEEKS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

4TH NATIONAL HARM REDUCTION CONFERENCE: TAKING DRUG USERS SERIOUSLY SOPHE 2003 MIDYEAR SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Submission Deadline: November 1, 2002
    You are invited to submit a proposal for a paper, concurrent session, pre-conference workshop, or poster at the SOPHE 2003 Midyear Scientific Conference, June 18-20, 2003. This year's conference theme, "SPICING UP HEALTH EDUCATION: RECIPES FOR INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND EFFECTIVE PRACTICE", reaches out to all professionals involved in health education and health promotion to share innovative and effective practices and research, particularly on evaluation, reducing health disparity, technology uses, and partnerships.

    This new century has ushered in challenges and opportunities unlike those we have seen before. These issues call for the profession to provide our communities and each other with innovative and effective methods that are successful and empowering. Health education is a dynamic and evolving field where any effort to reach beyond the ordinary results in extraordinary things happening. This unique conference will be held on the campus of New Mexico State University in the charming city of Las Cruces, NM. An abstract submission to this conference provides an opportunity for those engaged in health education (all levels and settings), to experience a zesty and exuberant combination of learning opportunities related to effective health education practice and research.

    ABSTRACT THEME AREAS

    1. Increasing Diversity and Reducing Disparity -.Goal 2 of Healthy People 2010 Objectives for the nation and goal 2 of SOPHE's Strategic Plan 2002-2005, call for the elimination of health disparities. Submissions are sought that address innovative health education research, evaluation, and practice designed to increase diversity in the profession as well as eliminate health disparities among segments of the population. Submissions are especially encouraged that address increased diversity at all levels, settings, and/or address specific health disparities that occur because of gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation.
    2. Empowerment and Participatory Research - Participatory research and evaluation lead to more collaborative and effective programs and activities. Engaging program beneficiaries, field staff, and other stakeholders in all phases of program development, execution, monitoring, and evaluation are key to the participatory approach. Submissions are sought related to all aspects of the participatory process of research and evaluation. Of particular interest are programs that engage particular populations and programs that have been adopted by the community or health authority after the research resources have ceased.
    3. Promoting Health Beyond Borders - Just as the many varieties of chile add spice to a recipe, health education research and practice are the spices that uniquely flavor health promotion and disease prevention strategies and contribute to healthy people, healthy communities, and healthy countries. Submissions are sought related to effective and innovative collaboration with international partners to promote positive health behaviors and disease prevention efforts in the areas of tobacco prevention and control, heart disease, diabetes, women's health, community health lay workers, the use of technology, health communications, and program evaluation.
    4. Facing New Public Health Threats - The field and profession of health education is challenged by and called to take leadership in addressing problems unlike those we have seen before. These challenges can be viewed through a pre and post 9/11 lens. Submissions are sought on how health education and health education professionals are responding to new public health threats and effective and innovative programs/methods in the areas of health communication, risk communication, bioterrorism, emerging and infectious diseases, and evaluation.
    5. Forging Partnerships That Work - Collaboration is increasingly recognized as a vital step in achieving optimal public health goals. However, the art and science of developing robust and long-lasting relationships among eclectic public health stakeholders and across interests are still in their infancy. Submissions are sought on how collaborations are started; partners are chosen; and relationships are nurtured, maintained and rewarded. Submissions also are encouraged on the unique characteristics of coalitions that span small grassroots efforts, large scale, multi partner, or geographically widespread.

    More information and the full application can be found at www.sophe.org.

REPORT: ABSTINENCE-ONLY SEX EDUCATION PROGRAMS "THREATEN HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE"
SEPTEMBER 12, 2002

SLOTS STILL AVAILABLE FOR NCLGBTH FALL MEETING

WILLIAM T. GRANT YOUTH DEVELOPMENT $100,000 CASH AWARD

WHITMAN-WALKER CLINIC SEEKS MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS

HARM REDUCTION CONFERENCE'S MEMORIAL PROJECT
Invites Submissions to Commemorate People Lost to the War on Drugs
December 1-4, 2002
Seattle, Washington

BOOK NOW FOR NCLGBTH FALL MEETING

AUGUST 16, 2002

NIH SEEKS NEW MEMBERS FOR COUNCIL OF PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES

AIDS ACTION JOINS THE COALITION

BPHC SEEKS LGBT HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER

INTERSEX SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

BOOK NOW FOR NCLGBTH FALL MEETING

AUGUST 1, 2002

BECOME A NCLGBTH MEMBER TODAY

REQUEST FOR SAMPLE QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATE SURVEY ON LGBT HEALTH
    The National Coalition for LGBT Health is accepting submissions of questions to include in the NCLGBTH 2002 Fall Candidate Survey. The questions should address positions that the candidates have on LGBT specific health concerns. We would especially be interested in questions regarding underserved and underrepresented bisexual, transgender, and communities of color.

    Here are some sample questions:

    • Will you support legislation that provides domestic partnership health insurance to the families of state employees?

    • Will you support legislation that grants local governments the option to offer domestic partnership health insurance to the families of municipal or city employees?

    • If same-sex relationships are not legally recognized within your district or state, will you support a Medicaid waiver application to the federal government to expand benefits to same-sex couples? If not, please explain.

    • Will you support increased funding for AIDS prevention and for the treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS?

    • Will you support public funding of clean needle exchange programs to prevent the spread of HIV among intravenous substance abusers?

    • If you will not support public funding of clean needle exchange programs, do you support the establishment of privately funded programs?

    • Would you support hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples?

    Please send your suggested question to the National Coalition for LGBT Health at coalition@lgbthealth.net
    Submission Deadline: August 8, 2002

JOB POSTING FOR BRONX AIDS SERVICES, INC. PROJECT COORDINATOR/TRAINER NCLGBTH FALL CONFERENCE IN WASHINGTON DC ON SEPTEMBER 30 - OCTOBER 1
JULY 18, 2002

RENFREW CENTER FOUNDATION JOINS THE COALITION

CULTURAL COMPETENCY TOOLS FOR LGBT POPULATION NEEDED

REMINDER: SAVE THE DATE: NCLGBTH CONFERENCE 9/30-10/01/02