Call Aleks at 206.323.1768 for more info.

Call Aleks at 206.323.1768 to sign up.

At least 4 million Americans have hepatitis C; and an estimated 2 out of 3 people remain unaware of their infection. Hepatitis C affects all age groups but is most prevalent among people born between 1945 and 1965. A wave of infection went through this population in the seventies and eighties, virtually unnoticed, because the virus was unknown and undetectable at the time.  At HEP's testing event, we will be targeting this "baby boomer" cohort. This is in conjunction with upcoming guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that will likely recommend a one-time hepatitis C antibody test for anyone born during this period.

Getting tested is the crucial first step. When left undiagnosed, hepatitis C can lead to serious health risks; it often leads to cirrhosis and is the leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplantation in the United States. And recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics have shown that hepatitis C death rates now surpass the number of deaths due to HIV/AIDS in the U.S.  However, unlike HIV, hepatitis C is curable. Early diagnosis of hepatitis C is critical for preventing new transmissions and managing the most serious effects of the virus. And for many people, getting tested and diagnosed is the first step to getting cured. 

For more information about HEP's National Hepatitis Testing Day event and others across the country, visit the CDC's National Hepatitis Testing Day website, or contact HEP at 206-732-0311

for a matinee screening of the provocative film

The 24th Day

The film is based on a play of the same name, written by Tony Piccirillo, who also directed the film.  

After learning that he is HIV-positive, Tom lures Dan into his apartment in an effort to figure out if he contracted the disease during their first tryst. Forcing Dan to take a blood test, Tom announces that he will kill him if he is also infected. As the pair faces off in a dangerous confrontation, issues of morality, honest, responsibility,sexual risk, sexual identity, HIV status, accurate status disclosure, infidelity, intoxication and testing are explored. 

Here is the trailer, prefaced with a comment from Jsani Henry, who many of you know and who has seen the film: "The movie isn't nearly as violent or as action packed as the trailer makes it out to be. Most of it is dialogue...and it's really engaging."                       

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_oHXiPtL8s

Discussion will follow

Thursday April 26th

1- 3:30

(timeframe includes film and discussion)

Northwest Film Forum

1515 12th Ave

Directions and parking information:

http://nwfilmforum.org/live/page/directions

Studies have shown that health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identity are due in part to lower rates of health coverage and a lack of cultural competency in the health care system. The Affordable Care Act is already helping millions of Americans gain access to care by creating coverage options for people with pre-existing conditions, and under the law, beginning in 2014, every American will have access to health care through Affordable Insurance Exchanges, new competitive marketplaces where Americans will be able to purchase affordable coverage and have the same choices of insurance that members of Congress will have.  These same benefits are or will be available to LGBT Americans across the country.

The Affordable Care Act also strengthens training for health care providers, devotes new resources to improving our primary care workforce, and increases funding for community health centers, where patients are served regardless of how much they can afford to pay.  We know that members of the LGBT community may be more likely to be underinsured or uninsured, making the Affordable Care Act all the more important.

In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services continues to address the specific health concerns of LGBT Americans, including by working to incorporate data collection on LGBT populations into national health surveys, releasing rules requiring hospitals to allow same-sex partners the ability to visit each other in the hospital, and setting up an internal working group that ensures we are effectively coordinating policies to best address LGBT health needs across every agency in the Department.

Our Department is committed to improving the health of all Americans, including LGBT Americans, and we look forward to continuing this work during LGBT Health Awareness Week and beyond.

For more information on how the Department is working to improve LGBT Health and Well-being, visit http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/lgbthealth_update_2011.html.

Read the Departments recommendations for future LGBT Health improvements at http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/lgbthealth.html

Learn how health reform is giving LGBT Americans more control over their health care at http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2011/01/new-options-for-lgbt-americans.html

Because of this sudden increase in deaths, health officials are issuing a public alert about the overdose danger. We are working with partners to analyze the heroin and identify possible reasons for the sudden increase in deaths.

"The best way for injection drug users to prevent overdose is not to use heroin, but for those who do, they need to be aware of the overdose risks," said Dr. Charissa Fotinos, Medical Director for Public Health -- Seattle & King County.

Key ways to reduce the risk of overdose include:

• Never inject when you're alone
• If you got heroin from someone new or it looks different, use less.
• Don't use heroin in combination with other "downers" such as benzodiazepines (i.e. benzos), alcohol or prescription-type opiates such as OxyContin or methadone. It is also dangerous to use with stimulants such as cocaine or methamphetamine.

The seven who likely died from overdose were from areas across King County, ranged in age from 17-61 years of age, and included both experienced and inexperienced users.

If someone is with a person who is overdosing on heroin, they can help by immediately calling 911. The Washington state Good Samaritan law took effect in 2010 and provides immunity from criminal charges of drug possession for both the witness and the person experiencing the overdose.

The new law also expands access to Narcan (generic name naloxone), an opiate antagonist that reverses the effect of overdose from heroin and other opiates. Public Health - Seattle & King County has recently initiated a Narcan program at its Downtown Seattle needle exchange to dispense Narcan to heroin users and train them on how to use it in an emergency. For more information on the Good Samaritan law, see http://stopoverdose.org

Public Health is also working with community partners to alert members of the public who use heroin that there appears to be an increased risk of death from using heroin currently being sold.

According to the recently launched national website for NNHAAD, this observance day is a "national mobilization effort designed to encourage Natives (American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians) across the United States and Territorial Areas to get educated, get tested, get involved in prevention and get treated for HIV and AIDS."

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its HIV surveillance report.  This report presents data for diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS through December 31, 2010 and reported to CDC through June 2011.

CDC's 2010 HIV Surveillance Report is used by epidemiologists, researchers, and public health practitioners across a wide variety of institutions to help guide program planning, evaluation, and resource allocation.  The surveillance report contains data collected throughout the United States and six U.S. dependent areas by HIV surveillance programs in state and local health departments. It is one of the primary sources of information on HIV in the United States.

For more information or to read the report go to:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/surveillance/resources/reports/2010report/index.htm

Friday, 10 February 2012

Liz Highleyman 

Less than half of people living with HIV in the U.S. are receiving recommended regular medical care including antiretroviral treatment, according to a study described in the January 19, 2012, advance online edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

Getting tested for HIV and linked to appropriate care is a key step in managing the disease, but maintaining ongoing care and monitoring disease progression and response to treatment over time is also crucial.

H. Irene Hall from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and colleagues looked at HIV positive people's retention in care, which has been less extensively studied than testing and treatment initiation.

The researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 adults (over age 12) living with HIV at the end of 2009 in 13 areas that reported relevant HIV-related tests as part of a national HIV surveillance program.

The study authors looked at associations between ongoing care and demographic, clinical, and risk characteristics, as well as the percentage of people established in care within 12 months after an HIV diagnosis in 2008. Retention in care was defined as having at least 2 CD4 T-cell measurements or viral load tests done at least 3 months apart during the previous year.

Results

Among 100,375 people living with HIV, 45% had received at least 2 tests at least 3 months apart. 59% had a single care visit and 45% had 2 care visits. White patients were more likely to remain in care that blacks or Hispanics/Latinos (50%, 41%, and 40%, respectively).

Heterosexual women (50%) and men who have sex with men (48%) were most likely to remain in care, followed by heterosexual men (45%), and injection drug using women and men (43% and 37%, respectively).

About 64% of study participants established care within 12 months after HIV diagnosis. Viral suppression on the most recent test was high among people in care (> 70%), but only about half had consistently undetectable viral load throughout the 2-year study period.

People with late-stage disease or an AIDS diagnosis were more likely to remain in care, but a substantial proportion of advanced patients did not receive consistent care.

Based on these findings, the study authors concluded, "Less than half of persons living with HIV had laboratory evidence of ongoing clinical care and only two-thirds established care after diagnosis."

"Further assessments determining modifiable barriers to accessing care could assist with achieving public health targets," they suggested.

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy has set the goal of increasing the proportion of people in continuous care from 73% to 80%, but this study "suggest that overall the baseline of care for [people living with HIV] is below that for Ryan White Program clients, requiring substantial effort to reach the benchmark of 80%."

"While mental health or substance abuse problems among [people living with HIV] may indicate greater need for health services, these factors may also contribute to missed care visits, as do stigma and some social determinants of health such as lack of health insurance, lower education, poverty, unemployment, homelessness, and lack [of] transportation," they continued. "Effective interventions for linkage and retention in care must address these barriers to accessing care."

While assessing whether HIV positive people attend clinic visits and receive appropriate tests provides valuable information, "quality care should be reflected in outcome measures such as viral suppression," the researchers wrote.

This not only minimizes disease progression among infected individuals, but has taken on added importance given recent evidence that effective antiretroviral therapy can also dramatically reduce HIV transmission.

Investigator affiliations: Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; ICF International, Atlanta, GA.

2/10/12

Reference

HI Hall, KM Gray, T Tang, J Mermin, et al. Retention in Care of Adults and Adolescents living with HIV in 13 U.S. Areas. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. January 19, 2012 (Epub ahead of print)