The HIV Prevention
Justice Alliance
is
a national network
of over 70 groups building a unified,
effective movement for HIV prevention
in the United States.
CHAMP's Strategy Lab on HIV Prevention Policy links activists, researchers and policy analysts in a decentralized think tank and holds monthly strategy calls. Strategy Lab supports policies that will ensure HIV prevention justice,
including comprehensive and effective HIV prevention research and
programs.
DO ANTI-QUEER/TRANS POLICIES
SPREAD HIV? New Brief
and Policy Recommendations from the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance
(HIV
PJA):
"For groups heavily
impacted by HIV/AIDS, such as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender
(LGBT) community, social discrimination can be deadly:
marginalization and
bias around sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
regularly
prevent LGBT people from accessing vital health care and result in
significant health disparities. This discrimination is a major
underlying
cause of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and places many obstacles in the path
of
effective HIV prevention and equitable access to treatment."
Says
who? The HIV PJA, that's who... And what are we going to do about
it? Be
one of the first to comment on our draft issue brief and policy
recommendations, premiering on the Strategy Lab
call.
click here to access Issue Brief text and public comment site
DOES LUBE SPREAD HIV? Fresh take
on new controversy
from the International Rectal Microbicide Alliance (IRMA):
Since lab data about
potential toxicity of some brands of lubricant came out at
Microbicides
2010, it's been a slippery slope in the hyperbolic media... We'll
have top
lube geek activists join our call fresh from an international
advocates'
discussion leading us in a
chat aboutwhat we
know, don't know, could know and probably will
never know about lube safety; what we should and shouldn't be saying
to the
fine folks who use them; and who should take responsibility in the
US for
putting out guidance on these issues.
WILL FRIEDAN STOP THE SPREAD OF
HIV AS THE HEAD OF
CDC? Report from recent AIDS in America meeting with the man in
charge of Center for Disease Control and Prevention:
In the first week of
June, Dr.Tom Friedan sat down with a dozen leaders of HIV/AIDS
groups to
talk about what he's done and what he wants to do to bring about his
vision
for ensuring the public's health and improving HIV prevention. What did he say, what did he dodge, and what
can we
expect from the agency during his tenure? Share your thoughts.
NEW HHS ANTIRETROVIRAL
GUIDELINES: What are the Issues for HIV Prevention Justice
Activists?
The top
federal panel on anti-HIV drugs now recommends that people with HIV
start
treatment earlier. What does this mean for the rights and lives of
people
facing HIV infection, for those living with the virus, and for the
range of
issues and challenges bubbling up in treatment-as-prevention and
when-to-start research?
Moderator:Kyriell Noon, Executive Director, Stop AIDS Project, San Francisco
Speakers:
Tim Horn, President and Editor-in-Chief, AIDSMeds.com
"HIV experts are at odds regarding an uptick in public policy and advocacy efforts to promote early HIV treatment, in light of the unknowns surrounding its potential benefits and risks. A clinical trial—the 4,000-patient START study—is now under way to explore some of the most pressing questions. But should activists and advocacy groups be waiting for answers?"
"Project Inform appreciates the opportunity to respond to recent
blogs and other conversations that expressed concerns about Testing
& Linkage to Care Plus (TLC+) and a related Project Inform position
paper on when we believe HIV-positive people should start HIV treatment.
These postings exposed the need for a thorough explanation of the logic
supporting TLC+ and contributed to important ongoing national
discussion that could help increase agreement about how to save lives.
In this statement, Project Inform explains key concepts behind
TLC+, asks for caution in the national debate about it, and describes
our position on when to start HIV treatment."
Medical
Ethics and the Rights of People With HIV Under Assault (Sean Strub,
POZ.com, April 28, 2010)
"The approach to prevention and treatment of HIV in the U.S. has
undergone a radical and dangerous shift over the past few months. The
new concept, called "Test and Treat" (TNT) or "Testing with Linkage to
Care" (TLC) will dramatically increase HIV testing, identify more people
with HIV and "link" them to care. Those are worthy objectives.
The danger is that some policy leaders driving these ideas are
more interested in "treatment as prevention", meaning getting people
with HIV on antiretroviral treatment, than they are in providing the
best possible healthcare for them. Because antiretroviral treatment
makes one less likely to transmit HIV, they believe treating all people
with HIV is a good prevention strategy."
"In his blog post, Sean Strub raises serious concerns about
three central issues. The first is the on-going debate about when to
start ARV treatment. The second involves proposed new studies seeking to
improve HIV testing utilization and linkage to care. The third regards
the benefits that ARV treatment can have on preventing new HIV
infections. There is a good deal that needs to be refuted and/or
clarified in order to have an open discussion on these issues."
CDC CAVES, RE-AFFIRMS
PLANS TO ENGAGE ON HIV CRIMINALIZATION ISSUES: Is it what's needed?
Is it
enough?
Hundreds
of your organizations signed on to the HIV Prevention Justice
Alliance /
Project UNSHACKLE letter to CDC, urging them to follow through on
plans to
work with state and county health departments to provide resources
to
confront the criminalization of HIV transmission. What have they
agreed to,
and will it make a difference? What else do we need from CDC to stem
the
tide of prosecutions of people living with HIV and the media-fueled
HIV
stigma that ensues from these cases?
“We cannot make criminals out of positive people struggling to survive in the face of lack of access to treatment, care, and support and we cannot do this in the name of good public health policy,” Lillian Mworeko, Regional Coordinator, ICW East Africa Office.
OBAMA's AIDS OFFICE
HOLDS MEETING ON NATIONAL HIV/AIDS STRATEGY: What's in the plan, and
what
has to happen to make it real, make it work?
Even as
criticism mounts over the lack of systematic community engagement on
the
actual text of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), the Office of
National AIDS Policy (ONAP) is planning a meeting/conference call on
May 14
with community members to discuss the NHAS. Join us for a debrief,
and to
talk about what is needed to ensure that the NHAS is useful,
strategic and
a real tool for HIV prevention justice.
Presentation by David Munar for the 4/27 Latino HIV/AIDS Congressional Briefing: click here for slides
AGENDA
1:05 - 1:30: Testing Linkage to Care Plus Treatment: Study launches in the US to
evaluate feasibility of an ehanced, community-level HIV testing,
linkage to care plus treatment strategy
Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH; Co-Principal Investigator of HPTN 065 TLC+ study
1:30 - 1:45: ART as Prevention: Scaling down HIV requires scaling up human rights, testing and treatment
Robert Carr, Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) Background Reading: ICASO Statement on ART as Prevention
1:45 - 2:30: Q&A and Discussion
Moderator: Walt Senterfitt, PhD, MPH, RN, Co-Chair, CHAMP, Los Angeles, CA
March 31, 2010 • Call Agenda and Materials
"HIV Decriminalization: Resisting and Rolling Back the Criminalization of Sexual Behavior of People Living With HIV/AIDS"
Speakers will brief Strategy Lab on current trends in prosecution for PLWHAs caught in the net of statutes that criminalize transmission of and/or perceived exposure to HIV to others. We will review current advocacy efforts, including correspondence with the CDC between CHAMP (in collaboration with the Center for HIV Law and Policy and others) and the HIV Prevention Justice Alliance and other partners. Presenters will also point us to new and ongoing campaigns and resources focusing on HIV decriminalization.
Speakers:
Catherine Hanssens, JD, Executive Director, Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY
Vanessa Johnson, JD, Executive Vice President, National Association of People Living with AIDS (NAPWA), Washington, DC
Sean Strub, Senior Consultant, Center for HIV Law and Policy, New York, NY
Moderator: Walt Senterfitt, PhD, MPH, RN, Co-Chair, CHAMP, Los Angeles, CA
Background Materials:
2008 CHAMP letter to CDC (formulated with input from Center for HIV Law & Policy, NAPWA, HIV Law Project and HIVCRIM listserv members)
2010 HIV Prevention Justice Alliance and Project UNSHACKLE follow-up letter to CDC
Center for HIV Law & Policy Resource Bank: Start page for comprehensive database of a wide variety of materials that support and increase the advocacy power and expertise of attorneys, community members, and service providers, as well as all people living with HIV.
February 24, 2010 • Call Agenda and Materials
"Test-and-Treat" Research Advocacy Efforts Evolve into Concept of "Testing, Linkage to Care Plus (TLC+)"
Last summer, Strategy Lab featured a discussion of the "test and treat" concept, an experimental intervention and service delivery strategy that seeks to drastically scale up access to testing in a geographic area and facilitate rapid connection to care, with the goal of decreasing community viral load and, subsequently, HIV incidence. In December 2009, Project Inform hosted a convening, co-sponsored by CHAMP, of advocates, providers, policy-makers and researchers designed to steer discussion towards the concept's potential broader implementation as part of a national strategy to intervene in the epidemic, which participants revisioned as "TLC+" meaning Testing, Linkage-to-Care Plus (the "+" signifying treatment). Speakers will review the dialogue and discuss emerging advocacy efforts.
NEW REPORT: Implementing a National Strategy of Testing and Linkage to Care Plus Would Improve the Health Outcomes Of Many More Hiv-Positive Americans, and Support a Reduction in New Cases if HIV Infection
How can recent housing research help us understand the need for a paradigm shift in HIV prevention? What might an HIV prevention justice housing policy agenda look like -- and what advocacy opportunities can we expect in 2010?
Moving Past the Individual to the Structural: New Paper on Social Drivers of HIV Incidence Offers Models and Strategies for Methodology So We Can We Decide When, How and Where to Intervene
Justin Parkhurst, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Click here to download Dr. Parkhurst's presentation (pdf)
So Gay, Bi Men 50 Times Are More Likely to Have HIV, Yet Resources Aren't Following the Data - What Now? A Call for Strategy and Solidarity: Walt Senterfitt, CHAMP
Biomedical Prevention = Hot Topic ... But Are We Moving Forward Towards Real-World Interventions?: Cindra Feuer, AVAC
Strategy Session: The National HIV/AIDS Strategy
National Advocates' Summit Calls for Cross-Cutting Strategy, Community Integation on Planning, Systematic Cross-Governmental Engagement - What's Next?
Presenter: Chris Collins, amFAR
Click here to download Chris Collin's presentation (pdf)
July 15, 2009 • Call Agenda, Recording, Notes and Materials
HIV Screening, Targeted Testing, and the Challenge of Expanding Testing in Distinct Communities
Speaker: Cornelius Baker, National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition, Washington, DC
Test-and-Treat: Beginning the Dialogue
Speakers:
Theresa Gamble, PhD., Scientist, Family Health International; Protocol Team Member, Test-and-Treat (TNT-PLUS), HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN)
A. Toni Young, Executive Director, Community Education Group, Washington, DC
HIV Transmission Among Main Male Partners
Speaker: Patrick Sullivan, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Rolllins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA
June 17, 2009 • Call Agenda, Recording, Notes and Materials
Sex Venues for Gay Men and MSM: How Do They Influence Risk to HIV, and Can We Develop Policy and Interventions to Reduce Transmission?
Speakers:
William J Woods, PhD, Associate Professor, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
Demetre C Daskalakis, MD, Assistant Professor, NYU School of Medicine/NYU Langone Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital Center; Program Director, Men's Sexual Health Project (New York)
Understanding, Formulating, and Implementing Structural Interventions to Reduce HIV Transmission
Speaker:
Jen Hecht, MPH, Education Director, STOP AIDS Project (San Francisco)
Materials for the June 18, 2008 Strategy Lab Call: Managing Expectations of PrEP, Prelude to Future Release of Revised CDC HIV Incidence Estimate, Proposed Vaccine Trial
Click on the link for presentations accompanying the speakers:
Materials for the March 19, 2008 Strategy Lab Call: The President's FY 2009 Federal HIV/AIDS Budget: Continued Neglect of the Epidemic
President Bush's Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) budget flat funds or drastically cuts appropriations for domestic HIV prevention, treatment and care. For HIV prevention, a $1 million cut in domestic programs is nothing less than shameful, as it presages the release of new CDC HIV surveillance data that are expected to show a substantial increase in annual new HIV infections. Bush also includes a $28 million increase in harmful and ineffective abstinence-only programs.
Presenters Anna Ford and Laura Hanen will take us through the President's FY09 request, highlighting its impact on HIV prevention programming in various areas of the federal prevention funding portfolio.
Sue Perez will present on a campaign spearheaded by ABAC - the AIDS Budget & Advocacy Coalition, a working group of FAPP (the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership) - that seeks to respond to flat-funding of NIH since 2003 by demanding a 15% increase in AIDS research spending.
Materials for the November 14, 2007 Strategy Lab Call: Fact Check II: The Real Deal with Recently Closed Microbicide Trials
In 2007, two sets of microbicide effectiveness trials (for Savvy and Cellulose Sulfate) were stopped before completion because of data suggesting that the products might possibly increase HIV risk. Sixteen clinical trials of candidate microbicides are still underway – four of them large scale effectiveness trials.
Researchers currently do not have a clear biological explanation for what happened in the Savvy and CS trials but they are actively evaluating the data and looking for explanations. A wide range of physical biomarkers and other factors have been identified that may be early signals that a product is causing harm or irritation. Unfortunately, scientists do not yet know for sure which of these markers actually signals increased HIV risk and which show up for totally unrelated reasons.
In this call, we will review what happened and what it may mean for the future of the field.
Materials for the September 2007 Strategy Lab Call: Going Upstream: How can Community-Based and AIDS Organizations take on structural interventions?
The field of structural interventions is broad, and can include everything from designing single-use syringes to undoing racism and homophobia.
This discussion will identify how to strategically think about which interventions to select to complement our behavioral interventions. We’ll review a national “concept-mapping” process through which national experts selected interventions for feasibility and impact. We’ll also discuss sexual networks as the pathways through which many of the “-isms” we confront affect transmission of HIV and other STDs. This can help us identify key venues and institutions for targeting, prioritize advocacy efforts, and suggest key operating principles for how to intervene on -- not just in -- these networks.
An educational briefing paper for US AIDS communities: How did circumcision prevent HIV in clinical trials in Africa… and what does it mean for the United States?
Recent research shows that circumcision could be an effective new HIV prevention tool, especially in areas of the world with high HIV prevalence and low rates of circumcision. This promising news is clearly significant for sub-Saharan Africa. It is still unclear what this data could mean for HIV prevention strategies in the United States, where the epidemic is severe within specific communities, but is different from the epidemic in hard-hit regions of Africa where AIDS is common among the general population.
How could — or should — these findings impact HIV prevention strategies in the United States?
¿Cómo es que la circuncisión previene el VIH en las pruebas clínicas en Africa… y qué implicaciones tiene esto para Estados Unidos?
Un documento de información educativa para las comunidades contra el SIDA en Estados Unidos.
Can HIV Drugs Prevention HIV? Research on Pre-Exposure Prohylaxis (PrEP)
Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is an experimental strategy in which HIV-uninfected people take antiretroviral medication (singly or in combination) once-daily to protect themselves against HIV infection. PrEP has not yet been proven to have any efficacy or to be completely safe. It is, however, one of several experimental prevention interventions (including microbicides and vaccines) which could potentially provide additional modes of minimizing the risk of HIV infection.
In February 2005, AIDS advocacy groups issued a sign-on statement in support of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) research. The sign-on statement prompted a comprehensive and welcome response from the investigators of ongoing trials studying PrEP in men who have sex with men. In April 2006, CHAMP hosted a public forum on PrEP research.
The dialogue between advocates and scientists is an important step. But there is a need for continued, informed community advocacy around PrEP research in the United States and around the world. For complete information, including forum presentations, check out our PrEP page.
Fix It or Nix It Campaign on CDC's PEMS (Program Evaluation and Monitoring System) "PEMS won’t give us the answers we need”
CHAMP warn that PEMS, the impending CDC reporting program, risks program effectiveness and participant privacy, and demand community-led program redesign, adequate resources for comprehensive monitoring and research, and assurances of privacy safeguards. For complete information, see our resource page.
HHSWatch Click here HHSWatch is CHAMP's watchdog newsletter that monitors and reports on activities related to HIV prevention at Health and Human Services agencies, including CDC, NIH, HRSA and SAMHSA.
HHSWatch is a resource for community members, policy advocates, researchers and anyone interested in more fully understanding and tracking the committees, panels and administrators whose recommendations and decisions affect our work.
HHSWatch is committed to providing an outlet for those concerned about infringements upon science-based HIV prevention and treatment, and will respect your wishes for confidentiality. If you are interested in contributing information or suggesting a story, please contact champ@champnetwork.org
Historical documents:
The War on Condoms
The Right and the Bush Adminstration are waging a war on condoms. Find out more about the efforts to spread public distrust about condoms, and take action here
What is the real story about the case of fast-progressing HIV in New York City?
CHAMP provides information and analysis for community activists, prevention providers and the media more info here
