Press Release: Greensboro advocate highlights women's HIV awareness

PRESS RELEASE                                     CONTACT: Claire Hermann, claire@ncaan.org

March 9, 2013                                                                 (919) 533-9677

One quarter of new HIV infections in North Carolina are among women, something that advocate Alicia Diggs is encouraging Greensboro residents to talk about on March 10, National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Diggs, a mother who is completing a master’s degree in public health education, speaks widely about her experiences living with HIV. She says she’s motivated by the need for education, testing and support for women living with HIV or at risk of acquiring the virus.

“Women and girls need to be encouraged, especially those who have a history of falling down and getting back up,” Diggs said.  “We need to empower them so that they can say ‘I am awesome. I can do this.’ So that they can make the right decision and know that they are loved.”

Diggs is also the founder and director of I Will Live, which connects survivors of chronic illness, abuse, suicide, violence, and other traumas.

She says the decision to speak up about her status wasn’t easy.

“In the beginning, I was terrified,” she said. “You don’t know what people are going to say. But there’s a time in your life when you get tired of being scared. You hold your breath, and then you let go. And you find people who support you.

The theme for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is “Share knowledge. Take action.” That’s what Diggs challenges others to join her in doing. “Though you may speak to one person or a thousand people, you can make a difference,” she says.

The HIV epidemic in North Carolina hits some communities especially hard.

Black women accounted for 85 percent of all HIV cases diagnosed among women in North Carolina in 2010, making them 17 times more likely to acquire the virus than white women. Latino women were five times more likely to acquire the virus than white women.

Claire Hermann, Communications Coordinator at the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, says these inequalities can be addressed. “HIV is a justice issue,” she said.

“Research and medicine have progressed to the point that we can reduce transmission rates dramatically and allow people living with HIV to lead relatively healthy lives.”

“What we need now are policies that protect the rights of women and increase equitable access to information, testing, healthcare, and support.”

Diggs says she’ll keep speaking out. “It’s about saving lives,” she said. “We’re doing that.” 

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Related: North Carolina advocate Stephanie Brown joins Alicia Keys in spreading awareness on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

NC Senate passes overdose prevention bill

The North Carolina Senate passed a bill this week that will prevent overdose deaths in North Carolina. This is great news. Drug users living with HIV are 74% more likely to die of a drug overdose. 

Our partners at the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition played a crucial role in advocating for the bill. Here's their summary of what it will do if it becomes law. 

1.) Permits a practitioner acting in good faith and exercising reasonable care to prescribe, dispense or distribute, directly or by standing order, an opioid antagonist (Naloxone/Narcan) to “a person at risk of experiencing an opiate-related overdose or a family member, friend, or other person in a position to assist a person at risk of experiencing an opiate-related overdose.” 

2.) Permits a person who received an opioid antagonist (Naloxone/Narcan) under the terms outlined above to administer that antagonist to another person if “the person has a good faith belief that the other person is experiencing a drug-related overdose and the person exercises reasonable care in administering the drug to the other person.” 

3.) Provides immunity from civil and criminal liability for the practitioner and administrator outlined above. 

4.) 911 Good Samaritan Provision....Provides limited protection from prosecution for any person who seeks medical assistance in good faith for a person experiencing a drug-related overdose and/or any person who experiences a drug-related overdose and is in need of medical assistance if the evidence for the prosecution was obtained as a result of the seeking of medical assistance.

 The bill passed 50 - 0, and now goes on to the House of Representatives.

Halting Medicaid Expansion is a bad move for NC

 PRESS STATEMENT                                          CONTACT: Claire Hermann

Feb 13, 2013                                                                  (919) 533-9677, claire@ncaan.org

HALTING MEDICAID EXPANSION A BAD MOVE FOR NORTH CAROLINA

The North Carolina House of Representative’s preliminary vote tonight to halt Medicaid expansion is bad news for hardworking North Carolinians. 

Medicaid expansion would insure 500,000 people, save lives, create jobs, sustain rural hospitals, and reduce the costs of uncompensated care.

Right now, low-income people living with HIV must wait until they are sick enough to qualify as disabled before they can be insured through Medicaid, even though we know that early treatment can improve health outcomes, reduce the cost of care, and dramatically slow transmission of the virus.

Expanding access to care for people living with HIV could be the key to turning around the HIV/AIDS epidemic in North Carolina, where an estimated 35,000 people are living with HIV.

The chance to improve the health of hardworking people in this state while creating and sustaining critical healthcare jobs should be more important than partisan politics.

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ADAP Watch

As of February 07, 2013, there are 6,487 individuals enrolled in the NC HIV Medication Program (4,922 on ADAP, 1,094 on SPAP, and 471 on PCIP). 

Justice Department Settles Fayetteville HIV Discrimination Case

  A Wilmington pain clinic will pay damages and a fine, and enact anti-discrimination policies as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice in an HIV discrimination case, the Department announced last week.

Sarah Campbell, the complaintant, says that the Fayetteville Pain Clinic refused to treat her for back pain because she is HIV positive.

“This case sends a clear message that healthcare providers have a responsibility not to discriminate against clients based on their status,” says Allison Rice, supervising attorney at the Duke AIDS Law Project, who represented Campbell.

“And it sends the message that if people are discriminated against, there are ways for them to fight back,” Rice says.

The settlement is part of the Justice Department’s Barrier-Free Health Care Initiative.

Campbell says a doctor at the Fayetteville Pain Clinic refused to treat her after she was referred to the pain clinic for back pain. “I’ve never had a doctor treat me like that,” Campbell said, “I could have crawled in a hole.”

Campbell says she’s happy with the settlement.

“The only thing I was really hoping for is for him to treat anyone else like he treated me,” she said. “It looks like that is what is going to happen. I just didn’t want anyone else to feel like that."

People living with HIV/AIDS often report facing discrimination and stigma, even in healthcare settings, says Claire Hermann, communications program coordinator at the North Carolina AIDS Action Network.

“We’re glad to see the federal government stepping up,” said Hermann. “Clients have a right to be treated with respect. Healthcare providers should be educated about HIV/AIDS and realize that the virus cannot be transmitted through casual contact.”

Campbell agrees. “To me, having HIV is a lot like having heart disease,” she says. “If you learn more about it, you can treat it better. I’ve never been afraid to talk with people about having HIV. I hope it can be a learning experience.”

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Press Release: Elton John AIDS Foundation to support HIV/AIDS advocacy in NC

The Elton John AIDS Foundation will grant $50,000 to the North Carolina AIDS Action Network to support advocacy for policies that advance HIV testing, access to care, and reduction of HIV-related health disparities for key populations.

“We’re grateful for the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s investment in the fight for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS and those at risk in our state,” said Claire Hermann, communications program coordinator at the Network 

“This grant will allow us to mobilize a wider community of people for smart HIV/AIDS policies, combat HIV-related stigma, and strengthen the advocacy capacity of the communities most affected by HIV/AIDS in our state,” Hermann said.

An estimated 35,000 people are living with HIV in North Carolina. Communities of color; youth; rural communities; and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are disproportionately affected.

The North Carolina AIDS Action Network is the only statewide advocacy organization 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.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation is one of the world’s leading nonprofits working to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS through innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct treatment and care services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

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Press Release: NC Advocates Applaud Re-Expanded AIDS Drug Program

PRESS RELEASE                                               CONTACT: Claire Hermann

January 11, 2013                                                                        (919) 533-9677, claire@ncaan.org

The North Carolina AIDS Action Network applauds the state AIDS Drug Assistance Program’s announcement this week that it will re-expand coverage to include medications for heart disease, Hepatitis C, mental illness, and other conditions that commonly accompany HIV.

The news comes on top of last fall’s announcement that the state would officially reopen the program to all qualified applicants without a waiting list.

“This is good news,” said Claire Hermann, Communications Program Coordinator at the Network. “It will make it easier for thousands of North Carolinians living with HIV/AIDS to access medications that are essential for their health and well-being.”

More than 6,000 low-income North Carolinians receive medications through North Carolina’s HIV and AIDS drug assistance programs. Access to care through programs such as the AIDS Drug Assistance Program is critical to saving lives and reducing medical costs.

The list of medications covered through the program was cut back in 2010, making getting the proper medications difficult for many who relied on the program.

For instance, patients who received drugs through hospital charity programs often had to pick their drugs up in person every 30 days, a financially and physically challenging situation for patients who may live more than 100 miles from their nearest provider.

When the re-expanded formulary goes into effect on January 15, 2013, clients will be able to receive many of those same medications by mail through the program.

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