Call for Proposals for Advocacy Conference

Call for Proposals

Statewide HIV/AIDS Advocacy Conference

Raleigh, NC

April 9th, 2013

The statewide HIV/AIDS Advocacy Conference is proposal driven, meaning that Community Partners propose the presentations. We are seeking proposals for sessions that build community knowledge and exemplify working models for effective HIV advocacy that can be replicated by others across the state.

Who can conduct a presentation? Anyone from an organization that has signed on as a Community Partner can propose a presentation. In order to conduct a presentation, your proposal must be submitted by 5pm on Thursday, January 26th, 2013.

Can we propose a workshop, a round table discussion, or a poster presentation? Yes, we will consider all formats, with a preference for sessions that include interactive components and that strive to make participants more effective advocates for responsible HIV policies. What should we include in our proposal? ●      Please give a title for your presentation(s) and a brief description (200 words or less). Be sure to state explicit the main goal of the presentation. ●      Please include your full name, affiliation, e-mail and mailing address. ●      Please include a short bio for each presenter highlighting their qualifications to present on this subject. ●      Please indicate if your presentation is a workshop, a roundtable discussion, or a poster presentation. ●      Please indicate any special needs for audiovisual equipment. How do I propose a presentation? Please submit your proposal via email to shawn@ncaan.org with the subject “Conference Proposal” no later than 5pm on Saturday, January 26th, 2013.

Action Alert: Call today to support HIV/AIDS programs

Our friends at AIDS United just sent out this action alert. Let's make sure our legislators hear from North Carolina!  As the fiscal cliff looms, it's incredibly important that our legislators hear loud and clear: Cutting lifesaving programs is not the way to balance the budget.

CONGRESSIONAL CALL-IN DAY TO SUPPORT HIV/AIDS PROGRAMS! Call TODAY! Call NOW! Tell Speaker Boehner and President Obama that cutting programs vital to people with HIV/AIDS is no way to reduce the deficit - we need a fair and balanced approach now! We encourage people to call House Speaker Boehner and President Obama today, December 18, or tomorrow, December 19, to ensure that programs vital to people with HIV/AIDS are not cut! BACKGROUND: House Speaker Boehner and President Obama are negotiating now to reduce the federal deficit.Critical services upon which millions of Americans rely, including persons living with HIV/AIDS, are at risk for cuts. The Ryan White Program, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, HIV prevention and other programs that make up the safety net for vulnerable Americans with HIV/AIDS and the NIH-supported research that holds the keys to ending the pandemic are all on the line. Negotiations on this issue will end soon, so we need to exert pressure now! ACTION NEEDED: Please call Speaker Boehner and President Obama and tell them to prevent harmful cuts and caps to health care and low-income programs, including those that impact persons with HIV/AIDS -- we need a fair and balanced approach that includes a substantial increase in revenue now! Please make calls today! To call House Speaker Boehner, dial 202-225-0600. To call President Obama, dial 202-456-1414. MESSAGE: Please call with this message : I am calling to ask Speaker Boehner/President Obama to prevent harmful cuts and caps to health care, research, and low-income programs, including those that impact persons living with HIV/AIDS, such as the Ryan White Program, Medicaid, Medicare, housing, and HIV prevention programs! We need a fair and balanced approach that includes a substantial increase in revenue now that prevents further cuts to these vital programs. Balancing the budget on the backs of vulnerable Americans, including those living with HIV, is wrong, will potentially cost lives, and will cut jobs in the health care and human needs sectors. Early and reliable access to HIV care, treatment, and support helps people with HIV live healthy and productive lives and is cost effective. Investing in HIV prevention today translates into better health outcomes and less spending in the future. In my state/district, such programs are greatly needed, because (insert local details or tell personal story). Thank you for taking the time to call House Speaker Boehner and President Obama to ensure that programs vital to people with HIV/AIDS are protected! This alert has been organized by the AIDS Budget and Appropriations Coalition (ABAC), a working group of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP), a coalition of over one hundred national and community-based HIV/AIDS and public health organizations that represent people living with HIV/AIDS, HIV medical provider and researchers, and advocates, as well as community organizations that provide critical HIV related health care and support services. ABAC advocates for increased resources for domestic HIV/AIDS programs across the federal government.

Encouraging one another

This morning, I got an email from Michelle Wilson, a Speaking Positively advocate in Winston-Salem, NC, about the shootings in Newtown, Conn. “This story touches me in all kinds of ways,” Michelle said, “especially talking about mental illness. For me, as mother of six who lives with an illness and suffers with illness mentally and physically, it reminds me to strive to help others and encourage others that they can overcome most obstacles."

Michelle has demonstrated her passion for helping and encouraging others by speaking up about her status and HIV/AIDS issues, whether she’s being interviewed in The News & Observer or meeting fellow advocates at the International AIDS Conference. “I want everyone to come together in unity to stop the stigma and stop the epidemic,” she says. “And we need to start with our youth because youth have a lot of struggles, and they don’t know where to reach out."

Also in my inbox this morning was a message from Alicia Diggs, a Speaking Positively advocate in Greensboro, NC, who was sending me an article in The Business 101 Magazine about her ministry, I Will Live. I Will Live connects people facing many types of adversity – physical, mental, emotional, or psychological – and provides a supportive community online and at events in the Greensboro area.

“Though you may speak to one person or a thousand people, you can make a difference,” Alicia says. “You can help the next person to see that they can overcome this.”

Michelle and Alicia’s emails, and the posts by many of you on Facebook, sending thoughts and prayers to the families in Newtown, reminded me that the first step in our work to fight stigma and change policies is reaching out to each other in adversity and understanding that our struggles are connected.

As Michelle said, “If we the people of the world come together, talk to one another, and encourage one another, we’ll have an AIDS-free state, and then an AIDS-free country, and then an AIDS-free generation will be possible.”

How does the fight for the rights of the people most affected by HIV/AIDS connect with other struggles in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Next Two Years

Kids need healthy parents as well as pre-K programs.  This isn’t an either/or equation – it’s both/and. 

And yet, last week the NC Department of Health and Human Services announced a plan to take $5 million of AIDS Drug Assistance Program funding to help pay for an expansion of the state’s pre-kindergarten program.

That plan wasn’t made in a vacuum.

That plan was made in the aftermath of two years of policy debates over how to manage our state’s budget and how to meet our state’s most pressing human needs – decisions that have too often positioned managing the budget and meeting our most pressing human needs as an either/or equation, rather than a both/and.

This is far from the first time this year that one worthy cause has been pitted against another because policymakers have refused to take a balanced approach to solving our state budget problems.  And if things don’t change in this election, it won’t be the last.

This election will decide what the next two years look like for HIV/AIDS advocates – and as HIV/AIDS advocates, it’s our responsibility to exercise our right to vote. 

By voting, we can help to ensure that we have elected officials who care about the needs of people living with and at risk for HIV.  By voting, we can help to ensure that we have elected officials who bring the vision and leadership needed to solve our budget problems in ways that meet our human needs.

That’s why we’re urging the 10,000+ members of NCAAN’s Action Team to cast their ballots during the early voting period, now through Saturday, November 3^rd.

Please join me in making an early voting plan and sticking with it.  Simply look up your nearest early voting location here and then pick out a time that fits your schedule. 

My plan: Go to Town Hall with my spouse before work tomorrow.  (Making plans to vote with family/friends is a great way to make voting more fun and make sure you stick to your plan.)

Voting early will ensure that your ballot is cast no matter what unexpected things might happen on November 6^th.  And, most importantly, it will ensure that your vote will help to determine who serves in elected office in the coming years. 

Press Release: Advocates Concerned by Transfer of Funds from AIDS Program

Printable PDF

PRESS RELEASE                                                CONTACT: Lisa Hazirjian, Executive Director

October 26, 2012                                                                          (919) 576-0448, lisa@ncaan.com

  

Governor Perdue’s plan for funding a new expansion to pre-K programs, released yesterday to the News & Record, may endanger other critical services to North Carolina families, including access to medication for HIV/AIDS patients, advocates say.

The Governor’s Office told the News & Record on Thursday that it would fund its expansion of pre-K programming with $20M transferred from other Department of Health and Services Programs, including $5M in projected unexpended service funds from the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program.

 “Kids need healthy parents as well as pre-K programs,” said Lisa Hazirjian, Executive Director of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network.

Michelle Wilson is a mother of six who lives in Winston-Salem who has been served by the program.

“For my family, ADAP meant stability,” Wilson says. “Without the program, I wouldn’t be here today. My illness was hard on my kids. For my family, for my kids, the program was not optional. It was a necessity.”

The program currently provides HIV/AIDS medications to about 4,500 North Carolinians. State officials say that the transfer of funds should not affect any of the clients currently served by the program.

“Governor Perdue historically has been very supportive of the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS,” said Hazirjian. “We do not believe she would do anything to jeopardize access to HIV/AIDS medications to people currently served by ADAP.”

“However, we are concerned that this may restrict the program’s ability to serve clients in the future and to offer clients the range of medications that they need for other conditions that commonly affect people living with HIV/AIDS,” Hazirjian said.

In January, 2010, cost-containment measures created a waiting list for people living at between 125 and 300 percent of the federal poverty level and reduced the list of drugs available through the program.

Thanks to an infusion of federal funds, the program’s waiting list has been clear since August, but these cuts may mean that the state will have to re-open the waiting list for these lifesaving medications in the future.

Patients cannot currently receive medications for a range of health problems that often accompany HIV infection, such as diabetes, heart disease, Hepatitis C, and mental illness. This means getting the proper medications can difficult.

For instance, patients who receive drugs through hospital charity programs often must pick their drugs up in person every 30 days. This can be financially and physically challenging for patients who may live more than 100 miles from their nearest provider.

 “Funds in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program should not be diverted,” Hazirjian said. "Jeopardizing the well-being of one group of people to meet the needs of another does us no good."

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The North Carolina AIDS Action Network is a statewide advocacy organization, made of up 10,000 supporters, dedicated to fighting for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, their loved ones, and those at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS in North Carolina.  For more information, visit www.ncaan.org.

ADAP Watch

As of October 18, 2012 there are:

• 5,448 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 4,494 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 954 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

As of October 11, 2012 there were:

• 5,317 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 4,369 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 948 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

According to NASTAD’s most recent ADAP Watch, released on October 12, there are 5 states with waiting lists, totaling 104 people.  That report shows NC as having 0 clients on the waiting list, which was our official count at COB on October 18.  NASTAD’s ADAP Watch can be found at http://www.nastad.org/default.aspx.

ADAP Watch

As of October 11, 2012 there are:

• 5,317 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 4,369 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 948 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

As of October 4, 2012 there were:

• 5,089 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 4,203 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 886 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

According to NASTAD’s most recent ADAP Watch, released on September 14, there are 6 states with waiting lists, totaling 88 people.  That report shows NC as having 0 clients on the waiting list, which was our official count at COB on September 13.  NASTAD’s ADAP Watch can be found at http://www.nastad.org/default.aspx.

Your Opportunity

by Kyle Hoover, Promote the Vote Coordinator

This November is full of opportunities.

An opportunity to act.

An opportunity to make your voice heard.

An opportunity to raise the amount of attention paid to HIV/AIDS related issues.

An opportunity to remind America that as a nation we need to make an investment in health.

Voting in the 2012 election is our opportunity to make positive changes in the world of HIV/AIDS when there is so much to be gained.

Voting in the upcoming election ensures that the people most affected by HIV/AIDS choose which candidates will make decisions about HIV/AIDS policy. Those elected to office at the state and federal levels will cast votes, debate policies, and move legislation that could result in increases or losses of resources for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS. Both in North Carolina and at the federal level, elected officials will debate:

• How the nation will move forward with implementation of health care reform
• Investments in HIV prevention, treatment, care, housing, and research, as well as critical non-HIV specific programs like Medicaid and food stamps
• Whether local authorities will be allowed to use federal funding for evidence based prevention efforts like syringe exchange
• Access to reproductive health are
• The future of comprehensive sex education

This election gives us a pivotal opportunity to raise the level of awareness on these issues and other issues that matter most to our community. We can advance policies that move us closer to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in North Carolina. Beyond raising awareness, we can educate poll workers and candidates about the issues we care about most and increase voter participation by fellow advocates who are part of marginalized communities.

The future is full of possibilities in the world of HIV/AIDS, and this election clearly demonstrates how many possibilities are ours for the taking.  The biggest thing we can do right now is vote.

NCAAN Votes because we believe that all North Carolina families deserve health care policies centered on fairness, equality, and access to care. Why do you vote?  Print out your own sign and send your photos or stories to be featured on our blog to kyle@ncaan.org. Your story can inspire others to register and vote!




            

NCAAN Registers to Vote Because...

By Kyle Hoover, NCAAN Promote the Vote Coordinator

From now until Election Day, I’ll be sharing the stories of a why members of NCAAN’s Action Team will be voting in this election. Keep an eye on NCAAN’s Facebook page for more stories and photos!

NCAAN Action Team Member Melissa is a member of UNC Chapel Hill’s Class of 2014. Here’s what she told me about her experience registering to vote:

I registered to vote about a week ago. I was walking to campus and a girl with a clipboard who was working for a voter promotion group stopped me and asked if I was registered.  Since I wasn’t, I decided to fill out a form so she could mail it off. The process was pretty simple, and it only took five minutes.

I registered because I am 20 years old and this is the first election that I have been able to participate in.  So many people, especially women, have fought and sacrificed so much for me to have the ability to vote that it would almost be disrespectful if I didn't exercise that right.  

With this election, we can create the healthy future all North Carolina families deserve - one centered on fairness, equality, and access to care, including HIV prevention, testing, and healthcare services.

The first step is making sure we and our loved ones are registered to vote by the October 12th deadline. You can find all the resources you need to register to vote or confirm your registration status on the NCAAN Votes page.

Here are some reasons why other NCAAN members will be voting in this election:

One vote can make a difference. - Edgar, Winston-Salem

To end HIV. - Christina, Charlotte

It’s my right! - Shannon, Hillsborough

I want to move forward! -Michael, Charlotte

I want equality for all Americans. -Michelle, Carrboro

I want to make a difference! -Courtney, Durham

Everyone deserves fair and equal protection by our government. - Erin, Chapel Hill

The people who believe they can change the world are the ones who do. - Susan, Chapel Hill

Thank you for sharing your stories, everyone!

Why are you registered to vote in this election? Share your answers in the comments!

Why do you vote?  Print out your own sign and send your photos or stories to be featured on our blog to kyle@ncaan.org. Your story can inspire others to register and vote!

Press Release: Federal grant puts focus on HIV epidemic among minority gay men

PRESS RELEASE                                                  CONTACT: Lisa Hazijian, Executive Director

September 28, 2012                                                                           (919) 576-0448, lisa@ncaan.com

A $1.9M federal grant will allow the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to expand the state’s work to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic among minority gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

The program will address barriers to testing and healthcare by creating MSM safe spaces around the state, piloting a faith-based initiative and a men’s clinic, and linking prisoners to care after their release. It will also expand the Department’s testing capacity.

“This grant is great news for North Carolina, where 35,000 people are living with HIV,” said Lisa Hazirjian, executive director of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network.

“The burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic falls more heavily on certain communities,” Hazirjian said. “Addressing these disparities is one of our key challenges. With these funds, the state and federal governments are taking meaningful steps to meet that challenge.”

More than half of North Carolina’s HIV/AIDS cases are among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Black men consistently represent more than 60 percent of cases in North Carolina. They are eight times more likely than white men to contract the virus. Rates of death from HIV/AIDS in the black community are 13 times higher than in the white community.

Hispanic men have the second highest rate of new HIV cases in the state, and they are more likely to get diagnosed late than other groups.

“It’s very appropriate that this news comes in the week in which we observe National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,” said Hazirjian. “Public support for programs that reach the people most affected by HIV/AIDS is critical as we work to together to end this epidemic.”

The three-year grant is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative’s Care and Prevention in the United States program.

###

ADAP Watch

As of September 27, 2012 there are:

• 6,493 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 5,470 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 1,023 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

As of September 20, 2012 there were:

• 6,445 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 5,437 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 1,008 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

According to NASTAD’s most recent ADAP Watch, released on September 14, there are 6 states with waiting lists, totaling 88 people.  That report shows NC as having 0 clients on the waiting list, which was our official count at COB on September 13.  NASTAD’s ADAP Watch can be found at http://www.nastad.org/default.aspx.

Stigma Stops Here, Because Our Lives Matter

Today is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  To observe the day, we’re launching our Stigma Stops Here campaign.

Stigma – fear and discrimination aimed at people with HIV/AIDS or people at risk of acquiring HIV/AIDS - has very real consequences. Stigma stops people at risk from getting tested. Stigma promotes fear, shame, and ignorance. Stigma keeps people from getting the healthcare they need. Stigma discourages people from disclosing their status.

There’s one thing stigma doesn’t do: stop the spread of HIV.

The things that will stop the epidemic and help people living with HIV/AIDS live healthy lives are testing, knowledge, healthcare, and open conversation. We need to stop stigma, because our lives matter.

We’re launching this campaign today because HIV/AIDS disproportionately affect gay and bisexual men and transgender people. In North Carolina, 57 percent of new HIV diagnoses are among men who have sex with men (MSM). The epidemic is spreading most quickly among young black MSM. We’re also launching the campaign today because of the close ties between homophobia and HIV/AIDS stigma.

This week, starting yesterday and running through NC Pride, we’ll be featuring resources on how we can stop stigma together on Facebook, Twitter, and our website. We’ll be at Pride in Durham with a group of wonderful volunteers who will ask people to pledge to stop stigma, hand out information cards, and give away stickers. We’ll take those same resources to Blue Ridge Pride and Winston-Salem Pride.

Want to be a part of launching Stigma Stops Here?

• Change your Facebook profile picture and cover photo to one of the images we’re offering for free on our Facebook page.
• Share pictures and articles (like this blog!) with your friends through social media, email, and conversation.
• Take the Stigma Stops Here pledge online, or find us at a Pride festival near you and bring your friends along.
• Join the Volunteer Team at an upcoming Pride event and help NCAAN connect with new supporters and spread the word that stigma stops here. Email Shawn at shawn@ncaan.org for details.
• Join the Action Team and stay up-to-date on the latest opportunities.

How has stigma affected you? How have you challenged it? Please share your stories and thoughts in the comments!

ADAP Watch

As of September 20, 2012 there are:

• 6,445 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 5,437 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 1,008 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

As of September13, 2012 there were:

• 6,391 individuals enrolled in HIV/AIDS drug assistance programs (ADAP & SPAP)
  • 5,388 are enrolled in ADAP
  • 1,003 are enrolled in SPAP
• 0 individuals on the waiting list

According to NASTAD’s most recent ADAP Watch, released on September 14, there are 6 states with waiting lists, totaling 88 people.  That report shows NC as having 0 clients on the waiting list, which was our official count at COB on September 13.  NASTAD’s ADAP Watch can be found athttp://www.nastad.org/default.aspx.

Getting ready for National Voter Registration Day

By Kyle Hoover, NCAAN Promote the Vote Coordinator

When it comes to all of the facts and figures relating to voter registration, there is one that stands out the most: 0 percent of unregistered voters will vote on November 6th. A simple and straightforward, yet all too alarming statistic that shows the importance of voter registration.

Even more alarming is the fact that 35 percent of America’s eligible voters are unregistered. This means that 35 percent of all people who can vote are missing their chance.

Registering to vote by the October 12 deadline is the first step you can take to make your voice heard in the upcoming election. This lets the people most affected by HIV/AIDS to choose which candidates will make decisions about HIV/AIDS policy.The results of the November election will have a major impact on the amount of money for HIV programs, carrying out the Affordable Care Act, and access to reproductive health care.

With Election Day less than 54 days away, now is the time to put  HIV/AIDS related issues in the spotlight and increase voter registration among supporters. Here at NCAAN we believe that all North Carolina families deserve health care policies centered on fairness, equality, and access to care. The votes of those who also believe this can be a powerful force in making this future possible.

This September 25th is the first National Voter Registration Day. This is a nationwide effort to increase the number of registered voters and highlight the importance of voter registration. Hundreds of organizations, including NCAAN, are already signed up to participate.  You and your organization can be involved by hosting or assisting in voter registration drives, running a social media campaign, or educating your partners and friends.

How to register or update your registration

Local voter registration efforts make it easier than ever to be registered to vote in this extremely important election by the October 12 deadline. Check out our NCAAN Votes initiative, where you can find many resources on voter registration; Democracy North Carolina’s NC Election Connection, where you can find information about voting.

Remember, you will need to update your registration if you have moved or if you have not voted in quite some time.

If you are not currently registered to vote or if you need to update your registration, here are three simple ways you can get a voter registration form:

1. If you have a printer: Download the voter registration form (pdf), print, fill out, and return it to your County Board of Elections (either by mail or in person).
2. If you don't have a printer, but have transportation: You can register to vote in person at your local DMV office, Employment Security Commission office, public assistance agency or disability service agency. See a full list of places to register in person.
3. If you don't have a printer or transportation: Contact Kyle Hoover at kyle@ncaan.org or (919) 355-8037, and we will mail you a voter registration form.

However you decide to register, or how you help someone else register, remember that you must return the completed form to your local county board of elections office by October 12. Once you do that, you're ready to vote in North Carolina and help to build the future centered on fairness, and equality, and access to care that all North Carolina residents deserve.