Second-Annual Client-Level ADAP Report Released

By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Policy Consultant & Guest Contributor

The Division of Policy and Data in the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) at the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) has released its second annual Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Annual Client-Level Data Report (HRSA, 2020). This report covers client-level data about the ADAP program for calendar years 2014-2018, including client demographics, socioeconomic factors (e.g. – income, healthcare coverage), and service utilization among clients enrolled in ADAP.

The 2018 report found the following:

• ADAPs served 285,000 People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2018;
• The majority of ADAP clients are male, and nearly three-quarters are from racial or ethnic minorities;
• White clients tend to be older than minority clients;
• More than half of female ADAP clients are Black;
• More than one-third of all ADAP clients have no health care coverage;
• Clients living at or below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) are more likely to be minorities, female, and/or transgender; and
• The percentage of clients receiving only full-pay medication assistance has decreased, while the number of clients receiving other services, or a combination of services, has increased.

In looking at this report, one of the things that is confusing, not about the report, but in the way that HHS has classified Geographic Regions does not comport with U.S. Census Regions. This problem is not, however, unique to HHS – federal agencies have no single, standardized way of accounting for several measures – geographic regions, whether or not an area is rural, how populations are measured – each agency has its own ideas about who is whom and where they live. This means that regional reporting across federal agencies will differ from agency to agency, making it difficult to try to run initiatives that operate across state and local agencies, as funding and analysis doesn’t always align.

Those issues aside, the number of clients served increased by around 17,000 from 2017 to 2018, which is likely because more people are aware of and accessing services. I say this, because the total number of new HIV diagnoses has been steadily declining for several years. This can be seen as a partial success – a failure that people continue to contract HIV, but a success in that more people are being linked to care.

ADAP continues to be one of the most valuable programs in our nation’s healthcare system, as funds from ADAP can be used to purchase healthcare coverage for clients though “insurance continuation” – paying premiums and/or co-pays for insurance plans either purchased off the private market, or by reimbursing clients for employer-provided health insurance. 17.1% of clients currently have private insurance, 7.8% have employer-provided insurance, 14.6% have Medicare, and 10.9% have Medicaid coverage.

With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I expect the following things to occur that will make the Ryan White and ADAP Programs more important for PLHIV than ever:

• There will be an increase in new HIV diagnoses in 2020, specifically among People Who Use/Inject Drugs (PWUDs/PWIDs). One of the negative consequences of shut-downs, stay-at-home orders, and hospital/clinic/emergency room service disruptions and restrictions is that PWUDs/PWIDs were often cut off from their social and healthcare networks, including Harm Reduction Programs (HRPs) and/or Syringe Services Programs (SSPs). These disruptions did not, however, mean that these people lost access to their drug suppliers or stopped using – they simply began using less safely. This means that we are likely to see a drastic increase in both HIV, and Viral Hepatitis transmissions within that demographic – a demographic that also tends to have lower incomes and less access to healthcare coverage;
• Regular HIV testing has been disrupted, as a result of service interruptions related to COVID-19 and will likely remain disrupted until the pandemic eases. As such, it is likely that surveillance data will be spotty, at best, returning artificially low incidence counts in 2020 and potentially 2021/2022. We may not know the full scale of HIV transmission until 2023 or later, after testing rates return to normal, the two-year data lag that exists between states reporting to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), case confirmation, and CDC reporting of incidence and prevalence;
• Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Phase II funding is not expected to begin until 2025, meaning that rural states, like West Virginia, that see HIV outbreaks related to Injection Drug Use, and other jurisdictions not included in Phase I may, plainly put, be out of luck when it comes to securing federal funds to expanding testing, surveillance, and linkage to care; and
• The economy during the pandemic has led to millions of job losses and, as a result, millions of individuals who may lose their employer-provided health insurance on top of losing their source of income. For PLHIV, this means that they will be in need of coverage, and for that, Ryan White and Medicaid may need to step in to fill that gap.

These issues mean that patients who do test positive during these times will be more reliant upon the Ryan White and ADAP Programs than at any time in the last decade.

Download the report online at https://hab.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hab/data/datareports/2018-hrsa-adr-data-report.pdf.

References:

• Health Resources Services Administration. (2020). Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Annual Client-Level Data Report. Rockville, MD: Health Resources Services Administration: HIV/AIDS Bureau: Division of Policy and Data. https://hab.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hab/data/datareports/2018-hrsa-adr-data-report.pdf

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

Treatment Delays Continue to Increase for Vulnerable Patients

By: Marcus J. Hopkins, Policy Consultant & Guest Contributor

There were numerous news reports over the summer about patients experiencing medication delivery delays being caused by the ongoing issues confronting the United States Postal Service (USPS). For patients who rely on mail-order prescriptions it is problematic. For those patients who are people living with HIV, it is even more problematic. Why?

Photo Source: NBC News

“Make certain you take your meds at the same time, every day, and never miss a dose.”

This was the first piece of advice I remember hearing about HIV medications, back in the 90s, and also when I started on my first regimen (Norvir, Lexiva, + Truvada). I had to store the Norvir capsules in the refrigerator and take my meds to work in a waterproof baggie kept in a lunchbox with an icepack – if the pills got wet, the dyes in the Truvada would melt everywhere, and it was just a freakin’ mess.

When I moved to Tennessee from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, my Ryan White Part B meds were delivered via mail order, and I had to remember to reorder meds, every month, or I would be left with no alternatives, but to skip a dose. And skipping doses is very bad business, I was told.

“If you miss your dose, take it within 24 hours, or your virus will mutate, and you’ll become resistant to your meds, making it harder to treat!”

This was the conventional wisdom, for much of our treatment knowledge around HIV, because the older regimens had shorter half-lives (the presence of the drug in the blood decreased more quickly over time). As regimens have improved, we’ve seen 72-hour half-lives in some regimens, and research indicates that missing a single dose won’t cause the development of a drug resistance (Tong, 2017):

Wohl explained that people most commonly miss antiretroviral medication doses because of events in their life that cause chaos or get in the way of pill-taking. It’s not because HIV antiretroviral pills are harder to take than other pills or because they cause more side effects. (Tong, 2017)

When I moved from Los Angeles back to Morgantown, West Virginia, I was receiving prescriptions in three-month amounts. I had my ex send me my prescriptions via the USPS, and the first time, everything went perfectly. The second time, in July, the delivery went astray, which forced me finally get meds, here in WV, instead of relying upon my California AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) prescription to run out, but there was a sincere scare, there, that I would miss several days’ worth of Stribild.

That single mail mishap – which was apparently left where dogs were able to carry it off – resulted in a panic like none I’d ever faced; one that I’m seeing replicated all over the U.S. as a result of recent mail delays.

2020 has been a nightmare, on a number of fronts: a global pandemic, an incompetent U.S. response to said pandemic, and criminally competent administrative officials determined to disrupt and delay mail delivery in the U.S.

COVID-19’s arrival in the U.S. resulted in a very bad set of circumstances for the HIV world:

1.) For those most at risk of contracting HIV, organizations and agencies that traditionally provided regular HIV testing as a part of their services (e.g. – Harm Reduction Programs, Syringe Services Programs, Health Departments, Free Clinics, et cetera) have been forced to reduce their hours of operation, change the way they operate by limiting access to on-site facilities and reducing off-site/mobile services, or cease operation, altogether;

2.) In response to the threat of overcrowded hospitals and physicians’ offices led to extreme measures being taken to limit the number of persons allowed in buildings at any one time, with many existing HIV patients having to reschedule their visits for months later, in the hopes that circumstances would improve;

3.) For those receiving their medications via mail delivery, a number of critical changes put in place by a newly confirmed (and supremely unqualified) USPS Postmaster General have led to the destruction of mail sorting machines, the removal of overtime approvals, and an order that mail trucks leave regardless of whether or not there is still mail to load. This has resulted in mail delays of days – in some cases, even weeks – which, for people treating their HIV, can mean the mutation of their virus and the development of multi-resistant strains.

To be fair, there have always been minor snafus with mail order medications. A lost prescription; deliveries to the wrong addresses; weather-related mail delays. Since July 2020, however, these mail delays have gotten longer and more serious (Soprych, 2020).

Photo Source: The Spokesman-Review 

Medication delays create a terrifying feeling of helplessness – there’s nothing that you, as a patient, can do to make postal/parcel workers find your medications, any faster; few pharmacies have in place the ability to narrow down or track medications using any GPS tracking; depending on the price of your medication(s), insurance companies and/or Medicaid may refuse to replace lost medications.

There is an abject feeling of despair, wondering whether or not you could’ve done something differently. You run scenarios in your head of going to get your mail, and to find it waiting for you with a note from a neighbor or the carrier, apologizing for the delay. You entertain vengeful fantasies of mail carriers fired for their incompetence. All the stages of grieving, all over some lost pills.

The worst is when you try to make do by trying alternatives – purchasing individual doses from the pharmacy, is one:

Matheny called the Postal Service about his prescription and was told that employees couldn't locate his medication. He called his insurer, but it wouldn't approve another refill because the medication is too expensive.

So, Matheny has been buying a single blood thinner pill from a community pharmacy every few days, when he can afford it. He has spent more than $400 so far. (Pfleger, 2020)

I did the same, once, with my HIV medications, in Los Angeles: $600 for three days of medications. As a waiter in a sports bar, I could bring in $120, on a Friday or Saturday night. During the week, I’d be lucky to break $100. Every dollar I made, in one week, went to purchase meds for three days.

For patients who live in rural areas, however, access to a pharmacy willing to do this may be entirely out of the question. For those patients, mail delivery may be the only way they can reliably receive medications. This makes the types of consistent mail delays that have occurred since July – when many of these policy changes were introduced – wholly unacceptable. 

Worse, still, is that no one will be held accountable for the negative consequences of these policies. No postal officials who approved these “cost saving measures” will be hauled before a court of law and charged with the deaths or criminal negligence that results from these delays, because that would require a system being in place to hold them criminally liable.

So, what can be done?

Much like those patients who are relying on a crippled USPS, the only thing to do is wait.

References:

• Phleger, P. (2020, August 25). Postal Service Slowdowns Cause Dangerous Delays In Medication Delivery. Washington, DC: National Public Radio: Side Effects Public Media: Shots. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/25/905666119/postal-service-slowdowns-cause-dangerous-delays-in-medication-delivery
• Soprych, C. (2020, September 10). Mail delivery mostly on-time until July [Graphic]. Spokane, WA: The Spokesman-Review: News. https://thumb.spokesman.com/KpKPwHsKl5SlEp-AZMgy7F0rnoE=/1200x0/media.spokesman.com/photos/2020/09/10/5f5b027f540f3.image.jpg
• Tong, W. (2017, December 04). Here’s what you need to know about HIV drug resistance. San Francisco, CA: San Francisco AIDS Foundation: Treatment. https://www.sfaf.org/collections/beta/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-hiv-drug-resistance/

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

Gareth Thomas: Fighting HIV Stigma with Empowerment

By: Sarah Hooper, intern, ADAP Advocacy Association, and senior at East Carolina University

The decision to disclose an HIV status has become more common over the last decade, but challenges remain. Namely, HIV-related stigma. Dating back to 1991 with the disclosure by Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr., celebrities sharing their HIV status has helped to change societal attitudes. In late 2019, Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas announced he was HIV positive, with the end goal to make sure that people understood HIV did not weaken him as a person. (The Guardian).

The stigma surrounding HIV has often created the false narrative of ‘this is the end’ - which is anything but true! Thomas used his massive media celebrity platform to speak, not only for himself, but others with living with HIV. Thomas wants to educate the world using hope and resiliency to end the negative stigma associated with HIV. 

Thomas is a big name within sports in the United Kingdom, and the announcement of his HIV status came just prior to the news about his marriage to Stephen Williams-Thomas. Revealing his sexuality in the world of rugby back in the early 2000s made headlines but coming out with HIV in 2019 felt just as big, according to Thomas. 

Photo Source: Huffington Post UK

“It felt much more shameful,” Thomas said. “This was something that I felt people wouldn’t understand.”

Prior to announcing his HIV diagnosis in 2019, Thomas said he ran into issues with the press wanting to reveal his diagnosis before he could tell his parents. The Sun ran a story about an ‘unnamed sports player’ who would reveal he had HIV, which upset Thomas greatly.

Thomas was disappointed in the media’s response to his HIV diagnosis, and said the media still has an appetite to expose people as HIV positive. One example of this was the negative reaction to Magic Johnson’s announcement of his HIV positive diagnosis in the 1990s, when HIV was still unfamiliar to many. Even with proper treatment and prevention, HIV still carries a stigma for many people, which Thomas felt. 

“I actually feel kind of empowered and feel like I live a freer, happier life when I don’t have secrets. I’m quite happy to shine a light on the negative moments in my life,” Thomas said. 

Photo Source: On Top Magazine

Thomas was recently tapped by ViiV Healthcare and the Terrence Higgins Trust to serve as the spokesman for Tackle HIV, which is a new public awareness and education initiative. 

Said Thomas about the Tackle HIV campaign, "Since finding out I have HIV I have learnt so much about the virus and about how it affects people living with it. HIV is still misunderstood and because of that stigma still exists. I have heard first hand stories of how deeply this stigma and self-stigma affects people living with HIV and I am determined to change this. That’s why I have started the Tackle HIV campaign."

Learn more at https://tacklehiv.org.

Celebrity transparency about HIV status has increased in the past three decades, which mirrors the general public. The announcements by celebrities, like Thomas, demonstrates that more needs to be done to combat HIV-related stigma. But every positive message (no pun intended) chips away at the negative attitudes still persisting today among some people. Thomas sharing his HIV journey, like the stories shared by many of our family, friends, and neighbors, serve as a reminder that an HIV-positive diagnosis and living a full, healthy and successful life don't have to be mutually exclusive. 

References:

• Godfrey, C. (2020, June 08). Gareth Thomas on coming out as HIV positive: 'It was my right to tell my family – not somebody else's'. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jun/08/gareth-thomas-on-coming-out-as-hiv-positive-it-was-my-right-to-tell-my-family-not-somebody-elses

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

The Quest for an HIV Cure Looms Large

By: Sarah Hooper, intern, ADAP Advocacy Association, and senior at East Carolina University

Earlier this year, it was revealed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it would pump $14.6 million into a HIV research program headed up by the University of Southern California (USC) and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The aim of the research program is to eliminate the need for HIV patients to take daily medication, and to hopefully achieve an overall cure. 

Photo Source: RT News App

According to End Points News, the therapy would allow a patient’s own stem cells to fight the HIV infection and allow them to make new immune cells when the infection is fought. (End Point News)

“The approach was inspired by three patients who appear to have been cured of the virus — all of whom received blood stem cell transplants from donors who carried a mutation in the CCR5 gene. One of them, dubbed the “Berlin patient,” had been off antiretroviral drugs from 2007,” End Point News said.

In 2006, Timothy Ray Brown (also known as the Berlin patient) was diagnosed with myeloid leukemia. In 2007, Brown received two bone marrow transplants, and halted his HIV medications in the process (ScienceMag). Since the bone marrow transplant, researchers have only found traces of HIV, none of which is able to replicate in Brown’s system- effectively curing him of HIV.

NIH’s new research program is using similar technology in its search to find a cure for HIV. By using stem cells to fight the disease, the need for medication is much lesser, as one’s own body can fight HIV. However, the process Brown went through to fully cure himself of HIV is intense.

“The first is the process of conditioning, in which doctors destroyed Brown’s own immune system with chemotherapy and whole-body irradiation to prepare him for his bone marrow transplant. His oncologist, Gero Hütter, who was then with the Free University of Berlin, also took an extra step that he thought might not only cure the leukemia but also help rid Brown’s body of HIV. He found a bone marrow donor who had a rare mutation in a gene that cripples a key receptor on white blood cells the virus uses to establish an infection. The third possibility is his new immune system attacked remnants of his old one that held HIV-infected cells, a process known as graft versus host disease,” ScienceMag said. 

In September 2020, Brown passed away from his cancer, and the HIV community mourned his loss.

Photo Source: HIV Plus Magazine

The search for a cure to HIV has been ongoing since the virus was discovered. Treatment with antiretrovirals has been a massive step away from a death sentence and towards a normal life for HIV patients. The issue with the HIV virus is it can be hidden in cells while being suppressed by current HIV treatment. The only HIV patients who have been successfully cured of the virus were also undergoing intense treatments for a separate cancer diagnosis, according to ViiV Healthcare. 

These patients underwent a bone marrow transplant in which an HIV free bone marrow was placed in their body, which is a high-risk surgery as is. 

“While their treatments were extremely high risk and not amenable to wide scale implementation, these instances of cure bring hope of what is possible in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic,” ViiV Healthcare said. 

The NIH initiative to eliminate the need for daily medication is an incredible effort made available by years of previous research and effective treatment. If successful, this effort could change the lives of millions of HIV patients in the United States and around the world. 

References:

• A cure for HIV the end goal. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2020, from https://viivhealthcare.com/en-gb/our-stories/innovation-hiv-science/towards-a-cure-exploring-cure-and-remission-in-hiv/
• DeFeudis, N. (2020, September 03). Researchers teamed up to develop a 'three in one' HIV treatment - and the NIH is throwing in $14.6M. Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://endpts.com/researchers-teamed-up-to-develop-a-three-in-one-hiv-treatment-and-the-nih-is-throwing-in-14-6m/
• Jon Cohen Sep. 25, 2., Meredith Wadman Sep. 16, 2., Adrian Cho Sep. 15, 2., Ian Morse Sep. 14, 2., Eli Cahan Sep. 14, 2., Scott Waldman, E., . . . Rebekah Tuchscherer Aug. 26, 2. (2017, December 10). How did the 'Berlin patient' rid himself of HIV? Retrieved September 16, 2020, from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/how-did-berlin-patient-rid-himself-hiv

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.

How Drug Imports Can Endanger Patients

By: Brandon M. Macsata, CEO, ADAP Advocacy Association

I was diagnosed with HIV just shy of my 30th birthday. That day, everything changed. I was apprehensive about my prognosis, my treatment plan, and my ability to live a normal life.

That was me in 2001 (pre-Dx)

Fortunately, medical advances have turned HIV from a certain death sentence into a manageable condition. Still, like all Americans who depend on complex medications to stay healthy, I worry about high drug prices, and this concern has only intensified amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Especially since some of the proposed "solutions" to high drug prices would put patients' health at risk.

Just recently, the Trump administration announced that it would allow states to import prescription medications from Canada with the aim of saving money for consumers. Doing so, though, could expose millions of Americans to counterfeit drugs, while achieving little in the way of savings.

I've seen firsthand how importation schemes can put patients at risk.

Shortly after learning I was HIV-positive, I ordered my anti-retroviral drugs from an online Canadian pharmacy. For two months, I received medications via mail without ever wondering where they were sourced or whether they contained the active ingredients I needed to keep me alive.

Then my doctor intervened. She told me that drugs purchased through online storefronts are often adulterated or counterfeit—in fact, the global trade in fake medicines is a $30 billion-a-year business. Unknowingly, I had been rolling the dice with my health.

There are two types of counterfeit drugs. The first contains potentially deadly substances—everything from arsenic to antifreeze. The second contains few, if any, active ingredients. Though pills in the latter category don’t contain actual poisons, they can be just as deadly.  Anti-retroviral drugs have to be taken exactly as prescribed; missing even a few doses can allow the virus to reemerge.

There is no mechanism in place to regulate the quality of drugs imported by American patients. A senior official at Health Canada explicitly told the US surgeon general that her agency "does not assure that products being sold to U.S. citizens are safe, effective, and of high quality." The FDA, meanwhile, plainly states that it "cannot ensure the safety and effectiveness of drugs that it has not approved."

Photo Source: PolicyMed.com

Moreover, drugs purportedly from Canada could come from anywhere. A 2017 study by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found that three-quarters of online pharmacies claiming to sell Canadian drugs actually sourced their products from places like India, Singapore, and Hong Kong, all major suppliers of counterfeits. Back in 2005, the FDA reported that only 15% of imported drugs marketed as Canadian actually originated in Canada. The other 85% came from "27 countries around the globe," meaning that many likely didn't go through rigorous quality control.

It's relatively easy to get hoodwinked by online pharmacies that promise quality drugs at bargain prices. CanadaDrugs.com, for instance, started out in 2001 as a seemingly reputable online pharmacy. But soon it turned to distributors outside of Canada to secure medicines. In 2018, a U.S. court prosecuted and fined the company for selling fake cancer drugs to American doctors.

Counterfeiters have shown they are willing to prey on people living with all kinds of diseases, including HIV. In 2011, a British regulatory agency discovered that two fake HIV medications had infiltrated the market and were circulating among patients.

Opening the door to drug imports would allow that kind of thing to happen here, putting us all at risk. And it's not even certain that legalizing importation would cut costs. The FDA acknowledges that it is "unable to estimate the cost savings" from President Trump's new plan. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote that "when importation of foreign drugs is done under a regulated scheme, it really wouldn't save money."

Right now, Americans are anxious enough about our health. Let's not add drug imports to our list of things to worry about.

This opinion piece was also published in the November 1st edition of the International Business Times.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.

Biden & Science Win; Trump & Stigma Lose

By: Brandon M. Macsata, CEO, ADAP Advocacy Association

On Saturday, November 7th at 11:25 AM Eastern Standard Time, people living with HIV/AIDS breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Associated Press called the 2020 Election, and recognized Joseph R. Biden, Jr. as the 46th President-Elect of the United States. In that very moment, science bested stigma. The electoral landslide turned the page on a dark chapter in this nation's history. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization the ADAP Advocacy Association stayed neutral during the election for obvious reasons, but we welcomed the news with open arms!

Soon to be gone are Donald J. Trump's constant attacks on vulnerable populations disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS - such as the LGBTQ community, Muslims, racial & ethnic minorities, and immigrants. They will be replaced by compassion, empathy, and a keen understanding that sound public health policies are rooted in science.

Since 2016, HIV-related stigma was fueled by government sanctioned healthcare discrimination, eliminating most non-discrimination protections, and the discharge of military service members living with HIV/AIDS, only naming a few. Not to mention there were numerous misguided public health changes harmful to the HIV community driven by politics rather than sound policy, such as drug importation, pro-insurance co-pay accumulator regulations, raiding Ryan White funding for immigrant deportation, and proposed budget cuts. And don't forget how Trump’s anti-FDA Tweets undermine public health!

And that doesn't even consider the nearly 250,000 deaths due to COVID-19 resulting from Trump's lack of presidential leadership. But our nation's poor response to the coronavirus didn't come as any surprise considering that Trump tapped anti-LGBTQ, anti-science Vice-President Mike Pence. After all, Pence was the same guy who, as Indiana's Governor, oversaw one of the Hoosier State’s worse HIV outbreaks in the state's history.

But all of that darkness is about to change...

Starting on January 20, 2021, a brighter future awaits the LGBTQ community under the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to advance equality. This change alone is significant, considering how new HIV-infections continue to disproportionately impact much of the LGBTQ community. Since the 1990s, President-Elect Biden has been a strong supporter of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and its AIDS Drug Assistance Program, as well as a staunch ally of President George W. Bush's President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 

Jirair Ratevosian, M.P.H., who served as the Legislative Director for HIV/AIDS Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Barbara Lee, summarized Biden's support for HIV-related causes (The Body, 2020):

"The vice president’s prioritization of HIV/AIDS programs continued after his Senate career. The Obama-Biden administration delivered major advances in prevention and treatment efforts for people living with HIV. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) assisted Americans living with HIV by eliminating preexisting conditions and provided them with much-needed health insurance. In addition, the Obama-Biden administration eliminated the entry ban for tourists and immigrants living with HIV; ensured HIV testing would be covered under the ACA; implemented a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy; and directed federal agencies to examine the intersection of HIV with violence against women and gender-related health disparities. The programs under ACA had an important impact on addressing HIV prevention and treatment in communities of color."

Biden has made his intentions clear: "You deserve a partner in the White House to fight with conviction and win the battles ahead. Together we’ll pass the Equality Act, protect LGBTQ+ youth, expand access to health care, support LGBTQ+ workers, win full rights for transgender Americans, recommit to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2025, advance LGBTQ+ rights around the globe, not just at home" (Artavia, 2020). 

Women - especially women of color - will also have a brighter future under the Biden-Harris Administration. Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris will be well-positioned to ensure more is done for African American women and Latina women, who as we all know are disproportionally impacted by HIV/AIDS in the United States.

Biden's record on public health isn't perfect, but it is far better than what we've witnessed the last four years. The ADAP Advocacy Association stands ready to aid the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to return our nation's HIV epidemic response to science-based policies.

References:

• Artavia, David (2020, September 25). Joe Biden Recommits to Ending HIV, Passing Equality Act, LGBT+ Rights. Out. Retrieved online at https://www.out.com/politics/2020/9/25/joe-biden-recommits-ending-hiv-passing-equality-act-lgbt-rights. 
• Ratevosian, Jirair (2020, July 27). Joe Biden Is Our Strongest Option to End the HIV Epidemic. The Body. Retrieved online at https://www.thebody.com/article/joe-biden-strongest-option-to-end-hiv-epidemic.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

HIV & COVID-19 in Southern Black Communities

By: Venton C. Hill-Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Black Policy & Advocacy Network

It is no secret that Black Americans in the U.S. South lead our nation in diagnoses and deaths caused by HIV, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol and lack of mental health resources. Knowing this, it came as no surprise that the Black community would also lead the nation per capita in diagnosed and undiagnosed cases of COVID-19, as well as the virus’ mortality rate. According to amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, Black communities are facing a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in the U.S. South. 

In a May 2020 study conducted by amfAR, it was reported that in the United States: “COVID-19 diagnoses and deaths increased in counties with a greater proportion of Black residents. While disproportionately Black counties constitute only 22% percent of U.S. counties, they account for 52% and 58% of COVID-19 cases and deaths, respectively. Ninety-one percent of disproportionately Black counties are located in the Southern U.S.” 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, SBPAN has worked to utilize social media and digital engagement (web meetings, virtual conferences, etc.) to continue the dialogue with Black public health and community leaders representing, and serving, these Southern Black communities. Through our engagement, we have found that many leaders feel that, prior to COVID-19 pandemic, conversations and actions surrounding the overarching state of public health in the South were limited. As a result, Black communities living in the U.S. South face a disproportionally high number of health disparities directly linked to the social and economic barriers rooted in the unique history of racism, religion, segregation, and slavery in the U.S. South. Because of this environment, the U.S. South remains the epicenter of health disparities that continue to reduce the morbidity and mortality of Black communities living in this part of the United States.

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest and the ongoing call for racial equity in the South, we must focus our conversations and mobilization efforts on addressing intersecting epidemics and social challenges. Now is not the time to regress in having open dialogues, showing human solidarity and human perseverance, nor showing collective support for our society. Look at how promptly we bonded together to administer personal prevention essentials (PPE), enacted federal/state legislations and local ordinances to assist families and individuals with food, housing, and supplemental income that have been financially impacted, or ensured everyone that wants to get tested has the unencumbered availability to do so. Now imagine if we utilized those same strategies, focus, and fortitude and applied them to the same public health emergencies that will remain once COVID-19 is gone?  

People living with HIV/AIDS in the Black community mirror the same external barriers that require the exact same meaningful impact that we have responded to COVID-19 with. There are basic human right essentials including employment and housing that we need all local municipalities to pass anti-discrimination ordinances against. Only through solidarity and perseverance can we collectively make further progress in addressing health disparities for southern Blacks."

About the Southern Black Policy & Advocacy Network. SBPAN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was created in 2018 to improve health, social, and economic conditions facing Black communities living in the U.S. South. SBPAN's mission is to improve health outcomes and reduce social, and economic disparities impacting Black communities living in the U.S. South through training, education, advocacy and mobilization. SBPAN is committed to building and strengthening programs and partnerships focused on improving the health and quality of life for diverse populations of Black southern communities in the U.S., specifically those living at the intersection of marginalized Black communities including, but not limited to those who are same gender loving (SGL), lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), youth, women, and persons over the age of 55. Donate to Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.