HRSA/HAB News

• Teleconference on Transgender Health and HIV: June 5, 1:00 pm ET
• TA Call on Re-Entry after Incarceration and HIV Care: June 16, 1:30 pm ET
• AETC Network News: Reaching Providers Working in Correctional Settings
• HIT Webcast on Vertical Networks and Sustainability: May 29, 2:30 pm ET
• Face of Ryan White: Seattle/King County Supports Adherence
• Upcoming RSR Client Level Webcasts: June

Other News

• Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: June 8
• NIH Celebrates 25 Years of the MACS Study
• HIV Meds Quarterly: New Issue

HRSA/HAB News

Teleconference on Transgender Health and HIV: June 5, 1:00 pm ET
A teleconference, “Transgender Health and HIV,” will take place Friday, June 5 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm ET.  The training, hosted by the AETC National Resource Center, will include:

• An overview of the transgender community, common issues faced, and culturally appropriate terminology;
• Discussion on current epidemiology of HIV in trans communities; and
• Description of specific interventions HIV clinicians and staff can use to improve health outcomes for transgender patients related to prevention interventions, mental health, and general health care.

To register.
(Not a US Government Web site)

TA Call on Re-Entry after Incarceration and HIV Care: June 16, 1:30 pm ET
A Ryan White National TA Call, “Re-Entry and HIV Care: Easing the Transition for the Recently Incarcerated Person,” will take place June 16 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm ET.  This call will provide a venue for the Ryan White community to share leading practices on challenges and successes in addressing the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS who are leaving the prison system.  The panel of Ryan White grantees from Illinois, New York City, Portland (OR), and Wisconsin will cover such issues as:

• How to develop a re-entry program and create guidelines for successful re-entry;
• How to develop a solid discharge plan;
• Challenges to discharge planning and strategies to overcome barriers; and
• Strategies for coordinating services and using linkages to transition into stable housing.

For more information and to register.
(Not a US Government Web site)

AETC Network News: Reaching Providers Working in Correctional Settings
In the spring issue, the featured trainer, Douglas Fish, MD, shares information on providing training to practitioners working in correctional facilities.  Dr. Fish is one of the New York/New Jersey AETC’s lead correctional trainers.  Also featured is information on clinical consultation to prevent mother-to-child transmission and efforts to reach out to Native American providers.
(Not a US Government Web site)

HIT Webcast on Vertical Networks and Sustainability: May 29, 2:30 pm ET
A HRSA Health Information Technology (HIT) Webcast on Vertical Networks and Sustainability will take place May 29, 2:00 to 3:30 pm ET.  It will focus on how different types of agencies come together and maintain operations.  For information on how to register, look under “What’s New” at the TARGET Center at:
(Not a US Government Web site)

Face of Ryan White: Seattle/King County Supports Adherence
A host of Ryan White agencies in Seattle-King County and across Washington State are taking part in “Everyday Adherence,” the latest phase of a 4-part campaign developed by the Seattle Part A grantee (with the Art Institute of Seattle and others) to increase the percentage of people with HIV who take antiretroviral medications daily.  See the home page photo, “Everyday Adherence” on the TARGET CenteR
(Not a US Government Web site)

Programs and consumers are welcome to nominate themselves as “Faces of Ryan White” on the TARGET Center Web site.
(Not a US Government Web site)

Upcoming RSR Client Level Webcasts: June
HRSA/HAB will present a third series of Webcasts designed to help grantees process the first year reporting in the RSR.  The Webcasts are designed for staff with the responsibility for collecting and reporting data.

Software: How to Determine What you Need for the RSR
Monday, June 1, 1:00 pm ET
This webcast will provide information on technical options for organizations that are not currently using software that is already being updated for RSR reporting.  Software and data abstraction options will be discussed.

Support Services…What will I have to do for the RSR?
Monday, June 8, 1:00 pm ET
This webcast focuses on the data reporting requirements for grantees and providers who provide non-clinical support services.

What’s New, What’s Changed…An Update on RSR Requirements
Monday, June 15, 1:00 pm ET
This webcast will provide updates on what’s new with: the Instruction Manual; Vendor Status; Answers to Frequently Asked Questions; the eUCI; and other information related to RSR reporting.

For more information and to register for the Webcasts.
(Not a US Government Web site)

To access TA on RSR data
(Not a US Government Web site)

Other News

Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: June 8
Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will take place June 8.  HIV/AIDS has devastated the Caribbean, which ranks second only to sub-Saharan Africa for AIDS prevalence.  In 2006, the United Nations estimated that 19,000 Caribbeans died of AIDS, and that an additional 250,000 were living with the virus.  In 2005, there were a reported 38,133 new HIV diagnoses among Caribbean Americans in the U.S.  The National Planning Committee for Caribbean American HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is convened by the Caribbean People International Collective., Inc.  For more information and to download resources.
l

NIH Celebrates 25 Years of the MACS Study
The Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) has significantly contributed to the scientific understanding of HIV/AIDS and the effects of antiretroviral therapy for the past 25 years.  Since the study’s inception in April 1984, the MACS has cumulatively enrolled nearly 7,000 men who have sex with men.  Today, 2,525 men participate in the study, the others having died, usually from AIDS, or dropped out of the study.  About half of the current participants are infected with HIV, and nearly 90 percent of that group takes antiretroviral therapy.

More than 200 investigators and staff belong to the MACS collaborative research team.  Through behavioral questionnaires and the collection of biological specimens, study staff gather 8,500 separate pieces of information from each participant every 6 months, generating a gold mine of data and specimens for investigation.  The scientific community and the public can access much of the MACS data, and study investigators actively pursue collaborations with outside researchers who propose studies of high scientific quality to the MACS leadership.  More than 1,000 publications have resulted from MACS research, many of which have guided public health policy and the clinical care of people with HIV.

See a press release on the MACS

HIV Meds Quarterly: New Issue
HIVInsite’s “HIV Meds Quarterly” provides brief updates and analysis of new findings related to common therapies used by HIV clinicians.  Check out the latest issues to see recent developments in HIV therapy over the last 3 months.
http://hivinsite.org/insite?page=hmq-0905-00
(Not a US Government Web site)

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