October 20, 2006
PACHA FOCUSES IN ON DC
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Dr. Marsha Martin invited PACHA to leave the halls of HHS and meet the community a little closer to home. |
Earlier this week, the DC HIV/AIDS community shared its challenges and strategies with the President's Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). Local advocates remain skeptical that PACHA - even with diverse new members - will issue recommendations that meaningfully address the crisis in the District.
At the invitation of Dr. Marsha Martin, Director of the DC HIV-AIDS Administration and head of the Mayor's Committee on HIV/AIDS, PACHA met the community a little closer to home for the first time. PACHA traded the high-security and plush leather seating of the 10th floor of the Department of Health and Human Services for the historically black Howard University, a more fitting setting to discuss the epidemic in the African-American community.
"When people of color are in crisis..."
With 1 in 7 black men in the District infected, local PLWHAs and service providers are directly grappling with the tragic neglect of AIDS in communities of color. Some argued for increased funding for treatment and care alongside testing, especially in correctional facilities.
Larry Bryant, HIV-positive community organizer for Housing Works, called on the DC providers as well as local and national policy makers to respond realistically to the local crisis. He said, "Everyone is patting themselves on the back, and there's a constant theme of 'we're all working together and not as out of control and disorganized as the media says.' But I am not encouraged. I am not optimistic."
Giving just one example, he said, "DC is doing this testing initiative to get everyone tested but not putting any kind of emphasis on care and services down the road."
Treatment and care alone are not enough, and participants called for extensive supportive services and the involvement of faith leaders in addition to political officials and health care professionals.
"When people of color are in crisis the first place they want to go is to the church or to the mosque. If the faith community is not able to touch on this subject matter people will still feel as if they are lost," said Trina Scott, Program Manager for the Young Women of Color Initiative at Advocates for Youth and member of the Mayor's Committee.
Commissioner Dr. Kenneth Robinson, the Director of the Tennessee Department of Health, said that the faith-based institutions are the root of communities of color and must be tied into the fight in order to break the chain of HIV within the African-American community.
New members- Same song on Ryan White
When PACHA looked to federal matters, they passed a resolution affirming the convoluted and contentious Ryan White bill that passed in the House and calling for the Senate to reauthorize "by the end of this year."
With a nod to the geo-political mess RW reauthorization has instigated, they also called for the appropriation of "sufficient" funds "to ensure that every American, no matter which part of the country they reside in, has access to life-saving treatment, care and support services that improve medical outcomes." Although the did not specify an amount, about $500 million should do it.
Many advocates believe PACHA remains tied to the Bush Administration's misguided priorities as well as inaccessible and out of touch. About 60 people attended the PACHA two-day meeting, a much bigger crowd than ever came to HHS. Yet although the meeting as held at Howard and the topic for the second day was HIV/AIDS issues and sexuality on college campus, especially black college campuses- no students were there.
The good news is PACHA's newest members were willing to take-up issues they have previously avoided: "sensitive" issues - like transitional treatment and care for people leaving correctional facilities and reentering their communities - and cutting edge developments - like microbicides. Bryant said the fresh composition also seems to be reinvigorating a "let's make something happen" attitude. Time will tell.
Who are the new PACHA members?
New members named to the advisory council are:
Marilyn Maxwell, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician and internal medicine physician. She is Associate Director of a Combined Internal Medicine/Pediatric Residency Training Program at St. Louis University School of Medicine and is an Associate Professor. She recently served on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV/AIDS Advisory Workgroup. She also provides primary care for patients with HIV/AIDS.
Freda McKissick Bush, M.D., is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is in private practice at East Lakeland OB-GYN Associates in Jackson, Miss. She is a Clinical Instructor in both the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Family Medicine at the University ofMississippi Medical Center.
Shenequa Flucas is an outreach worker with the Triangle AIDS Network (TAN). She works extensively in the local youth community on HIV prevention. She resides in Port Arthur, Texas.
Robert J. Kabel is Of Counsel to the firm of Baker & Daniels, LLP. Among his many distinguished career accomplishments, Mr. Kabel served as a Special Assistant to President Reagan for Legislative Affairs. He also served as a member of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission. He worked for Senators Richard Lugar and Paul Fannin. He serves as a trustee of Whitman-Walker Clinic and was Board Chairman of the Log Cabin Republicans from 1994-1999.
David Malebranche, M.D., is an Assistant Professor at Emory University's School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. He specializes in research regarding the racial, gender, age and cultural factors that influence black men's health.
John C. Martin, Ph.D., is President and CEO of Gilead Sciences, Inc., a worldwide pharmaceutical company that has developed a number of medications to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. As a researcher, Dr. Martin has discovered a number of pharmaceutical breakthroughs throughout his career.
Barbara Wise is co-founder of WiseChoices, an organization that provide education on HIV/AIDS and encourages the formation of healthy relationships. She resides in Denver, CO.