Turning the Tide at the DNC

A report from the field by Lisa Hazirjian, NCAAN's Executive Director

“What are the things we need to do to make things better for people living with HIV?” 

Jeff Crowley asks me about NCAAN’s new media 
advocacy strategy. 

That question –posed by Jeffrey Crowley, former director of the Office of National AIDS Policy – framed the dialogue at this week’s Turning the Tide of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. breakfast meeting in Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention.

Rep. Maxine Waters, who spearheaded the creation of the Minority AIDS Initiative, and Rep. Barbara Lee, co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, noted key accomplishments of the Obama administration on HIV policy, including:

• lifting the HIV travel ban, which prevented people living with HIV from entering the US
• improving access to prevention and care under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act
• developing the first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Crowley’s keynote highlighted some of the ways the Affordable Care Act supports the fight to end AIDS, from expanding insurance coverage to establishing women’s right to free annual screenings for HIV as a routine part of preventative care. 

Looking to the future, Crowley noted that Medicaid expansion holds tremendous promise for improving access and quality of care for lower income people living with HIV, including many of those currently served by AIDS Drug Assistance Program – nationwide, 34 percent of ADAP clients will become newly eligible for Medicaid and another 21.6 percent will become eligible for insurance subsidies in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act.

I spoke on a panel with Deborah Warren of the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN) and Charles Stephens of AIDS United. We highlighted opportunities for members of the HIV/AIDS advocacy community to use their collective power to push for Medicaid expansion in North Carolina. 

I also took the occasion to announce our upcoming series of free media advocacy trainings to prepare advocates to write effective letters to the editor that get noticed by decision makers.  Plans are already in the works for fall trainings in Asheville, Charlotte, and Durham – for more information about these events or to request media advocacy training for people in your area, contact Claire Hermann at claire@ncaan.org or (919) 533-9677.