KAISER DAILY HIV/AIDS REPORT
A service of kaisernetwork.org
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/hiv
________________________________________



Tuesday, August 12, 2003

ACROSS THE NATION
========================================
1. Some Churches in New York State Offer Free HIV Testing During Church
Hours

2. North Carolina Clinic, AIDS Organization Reach Out to HIV-Positive
Hispanics


MEDIA & SOCIETY
========================================
3. Head of South Africa's Independent Democrats Party Receives HIV/AIDS
Activist Award From Canadian Volunteer Group

4. CDC's Business Responds to AIDS, Labor Responds to AIDS Programs Launch
Updated Web Site


OPINION
========================================
5. Editorials Respond to Announcement of South African Antiretroviral Drug
Program

6. Rise in Number of AIDS Cases Highlights Need for Continued AIDS
Education, Editorial Says

****************************************

ACROSS THE NATION


1. Some Churches in New York State Offer Free HIV Testing During Church
Hours

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19314

More than 10 churches in Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo, N.Y., recently
participated in a statewide program designed to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in
the African-American community by offering free HIV testing during church
hours, the Albany Times Union reports. As part of the effort, the
Buffalo-based Group Ministries organized "Breakthrough Sunday," in which
several pastors agreed to undergo HIV testing in front of their
congregations. The initiative was prompted by the rising number of
HIV/AIDS cases in the African-American community, according to Michelle
Boyd, community organizer for Group Ministries (Willingham, Albany Times
Union, 8/11). According to the CDC, African Americans account for 54% of
all new HIV infections and 75% of new HIV infections among heterosexuals in
the United States, even though they represent only 12% of the U.S.
population (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/8/02). In New York, African
Americans and Hispanics have made up a disproportionately high number of
HIV and AIDS cases since the beginning of the epidemic, according to the
Times Union. "The church is the nucleus of the community, of the city.
HIV can affect people outside the church and inside the church," Avery
Comithier, the pastor of the Elijah Full Gospel Baptist Church who got
tested before his congregation, said, adding that churches should have
spoken out about the AIDS epidemic when it was first identified two decades
ago (Albany Times Union, 8/11).

2. North Carolina Clinic, AIDS Organization Reach Out to HIV-Positive
Hispanics

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19315

The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based AIDS service organization AIDS Care Service
has been conducting outreach programs in the local Hispanic community to
persuade HIV-positive individuals to receive treatment at the Infectious
Disease Specialty Clinic at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center,
the Winston-Salem Journal reports. The number of new HIV cases among
Hispanics in North Carolina has risen over the past five years, surpassing
the incidence rate for the overall state population; however, many
Hispanics avoid seeking treatment because of language barriers and the
stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. Jim Augsburger, the HIV coordinator at
the clinic, said that ACS is "making a big difference." The clinic, which
draws patients from nearly one-third of the state's 100 counties, is
currently treating about 56 Hispanic patients, and five others are on a
waiting list. Augsburger estimated that as many as 30 of the patients were
referred to the clinic by ACS. However, Augsburger said that the number of
HIV-positive Hispanics that the clinic serves is only "the tip of the
iceberg," pointing to federal estimates about the estimated percentage of
HIV-positive Hispanics and the number of Hispanics living in the area,
according to the Journal. Many undocumented HIV-positive Hispanic
immigrants avoid treatment because they believe they will be turned in to
the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services if they go to the
clinic, according to the Journal. Augsburger said that no patients are
ever reported to BCIS, adding, "I'm a nurse and my physicians provide care.
... Sick people need care, and we provide that." The clinic currently
serves approximately 1,000 active patients who are on Medicaid or Medicare
or who are uninsured (Winston-Salem Journal, 8/9).

MEDIA & SOCIETY


3. Head of South Africa's Independent Democrats Party Receives HIV/AIDS
Activist Award From Canadian Volunteer Group

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19316

The Toronto-based not-for-profit volunteer group South African Women for
Women on Sunday awarded Patricia de Lille, head of South Africa's
Independent Democrats party, its HIV/AIDS Activist Award for her work to
combat the disease in South Africa, the Panafrican News Agency reports
(Panafrican News Agency, 8/11). De Lille, who was once voted the
"second-most popular" politician in South Africa behind former President
Nelson Mandela, has been an "outspoken" opponent of the ruling African
National Congress party for its "unwillingness to recognize" the
seriousness of the AIDS epidemic in the country, the Toronto Star reports
(Taylor, Toronto Star, 8/11). De Lille last week called for the
establishment of an HIV/AIDS Truth Commission before which "all alleged
perpetrators" of human rights abuses connected to the HIV/AIDS pandemic
would appear, the Panafrican News Agency reports. She said that South
African Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and President Thabo Mbeki
should be the first to appear before the commission to answer for their
"sins" (Panafrican News Agency, 8/11). De Lille said upon receiving her
award, "When you face the cold face of HIV/AIDS, when you see how many
people are dying, when there's complete denial of the problem by the people
who wear cufflinks, it's not been easy" to fight the disease (Toronto Star,
8/11).

4. CDC's Business Responds to AIDS, Labor Responds to AIDS Programs Launch
Updated Web Site

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19317

The CDC's Business Responds to AIDS and Labor Responds to AIDS programs
(BRTA/LRTA) have launched an updated Web site, http://www.hivatwork.org/,
to assist both small and large businesses and labor unions in addressing
HIV/AIDS in the workplace and the community. A manager's kit, which
includes instructions on how to build comprehensive HIV/AIDS workplace
programs, is available online in English and Spanish. The kit reviews the
five components of the BRTA/LRTA programs and enables managers to develop
HIV/AIDS policies for their workplaces; train other managers to conduct
HIV/AIDS workshops; educate staff and employees' families about basic
HIV/AIDS facts and its effect on the workplace; and promote community
service and volunteerism. The BRTA/LRTA Web site also includes a labor
leader's kit, instructions for educational role-playing, information on
HIV/AIDS and the law and links to other resources (BRTA/LRTA Web site,
8/11).

OPINION


5. Editorials Respond to Announcement of South African Antiretroviral Drug
Program

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19318

Three papers today published editorials responding to the South African
Cabinet's announcement on Friday calling for the Health Ministry to develop
a national antiretroviral treatment plan by Oct. 1. Summaries of these
editorials follow:

* Minneapolis Star Tribune: Although South Africa has "already suffered
mightily" as a result of South African President Thabo Mbeki's
"bullheadedness" in refusing to provide antiretroviral drugs to
HIV-positive South Africans, the new plan "will minimize the damage," a
Star Tribune editorial says. There is "little question" about what changed
Mbeki's mind about AIDS -- pressure from the Treatment Action Campaign, an
"ingenious pressure group"; an "onslaught of facts" about the spread of
HIV; and new economic data showing that providing antiretroviral drugs can
save a country money in the long term, the editorial says. While
implementing a program "won't be easy," South Africa, which has the "best
medical infrastructure on the continent," is capable of succeeding and
setting an example that "will have salutary effects for all of Africa --
and for the world," the editorial concludes (Minneapolis Star Tribune,
8/12).

* Toronto Globe and Mail: "Whatever the reason" for Mbeki's "about-face"
in his attitude toward the use of antiretroviral drugs in treating people
with HIV/AIDS, it "is to be applauded," a Globe and Mail editorial says.
However, although the announcement "put most of the government's prominent
critics in a forgiving mood," those still offering criticism are "properly"
placing blame on Mbeki for "failing to act sooner," the editorial says,
adding that the epidemic "need not have grown this severe." Mbeki's
approach toward AIDS has been an "embarrassing history of endorsing a
failed AIDS drug whose main ingredient was dry-cleaning solvent," asserting
that HIV does not cause AIDS and claiming that HIV prevalence was being
exaggerated, the editorial says (Toronto Globe and Mail, 8/12).

* Washington Post: While the "very fact" that Mbeki's government plans to
provide antiretroviral drugs "represents a breakthrough" in its approach to
the AIDS epidemic, "one statement cannot undo the damage already done," a
Post editorial says. With nearly five million people in South Africa
already HIV-positive, "[w]hat is needed now is not just acceptance of the
disease's existence but an aggressive assault on AIDS," which will require
significant changes in the country's "medical and political bureaucracy,"
the Post says. South Africa's political influence and "sophisticated"
medical system and medical schools place the country in a position to lead
the continent in the fight against AIDS; however, it has "abdicated this
role far too long," the Post concludes (Washington Post, 8/12).

6. Rise in Number of AIDS Cases Highlights Need for Continued AIDS
Education, Editorial Says

Access this story and related links online:
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=19319

The "good news" of the success of antiretroviral drug regimens in treating
AIDS "should not change the important efforts in outreach, education and
treatment that have developed over the past 20 years," a Rochester Democrat
and Chronicle editorial says. The perception of AIDS as a chronic and
manageable illness has led to a "false sense of security" and to an
increase in risky behaviors, the editorial says. Education, especially
among those populations most at risk, "must continue," the Democrat and
Chronicle says, concluding that educational outreach programs must be taken
"directly to the people -- into the communities where having AIDS is a
stigma, where poverty or drug abuse makes treatment less of a priority"
(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8/11).

________________________________________

-------------------------------------------------------
CONTACT DAILY REPORTS EDITORIAL STAFF
http://www.kaisernetwork.org/contact/contact.cfm
EDITORIAL PHONE: 202-672-5952 FAX: 202-672-5767
EDITORIAL E-MAIL: dailyreports@...
E-MAIL REGISTRATION: www.kaisernetwork.org/email

The Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a
service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, by The Advisory Board
Company. (c) 2003 by The Advisory Board and Kaiser Family Foundation. All
rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------
kaisernetwork.org Editorial Contacts:
For editorial questions about kaisernetwork or the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS
Report, please contact Larry Levitt, Kaiser Family Foundation vice
president, editor-in-chief, kaisernetwork.org; Jill Braden Balderas,
Editor, kaisernetwork.org; Regina Davis, Senior Web Producer, HealthCast;
Tina Murrow, Online Production Manager, HealthCast; Joshua Kolling-Perin,
editor-in-chief, Daily Reports; Alyson Browett, editor, Kaiser Daily
HIV/AIDS Report; or Susannah Hunter, associate editor, at
dailyreports@....
-------------------------------------------------------
kaisernetwork.org Contacts:
Marla Bolotsky, Vice President; Director, Online Communications and
Publishing
Robin Sidel, Manager, Online Communications
Dana Greil, Coordinator
For questions and further information about kaisernetwork.org, please
contact us at info@... or at 202-347-5270.
--------------------------------------------------------
Manage Your Email Subscription at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/email .
SUBSCRIBE by choosing "Create a new subscription."
CHANGE your subscription by logging in and choosing "Update your Report
Preferences."
UNSUBSCRIBE by logging in and choosing "Please delete my profile."
-------------------------------------------------------
kaisernetwork.org is a free service of the Kaiser Family Foundation. For
access to the Foundation's policy research, analyses, reports and fact
sheets, and media partnerships, visit the Foundation's main website at
www.kff.org.