March 10 - Redoubling Our Efforts on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

By Tina Tchen, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and Executive Director of the Council on Women and Girls, (Cross-posted from the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Blog)

(Left to right) Moderator Rosie Perez, Dr. Howard Koh (HHS), Tina Tchen (White House Council on Women and Girls), Janet Cleveland (CDC) and Amna Osma (Michigan Department of Community Health) participate in a briefing on HIV/AIDS and women

Today, we commemorate the 5th annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to participate in a briefing held by the National Alliance for State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) and the HHS Office on Women's Health with important leaders in Congress. The event highlighted how the domestic epidemic is affecting women and how much we need to maintain our commitment to addressing this public health issue.

The statistics are sobering: Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. While women in the U.S. represented 8 percent of AIDS diagnoses in the 1980's, they now account for 27 percent. The HIV epidemic in the U.S. disproportionately impacts women of color: HIV/AIDS is one of the leading causes of death among black women and Latinas. Compared to white women, the AIDS case rate is 5 times higher for Latinas and 20 times higher for black women. Clearly, we must redouble our prevention efforts as well as improve care and treatment for women living with HIV.

National HIV/AIDS Strategy Meeting Videos Now Available

By Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director

As we mentioned in last week’s post, the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) held a meeting on February 24, 2010 for the public to hear about the progress to date on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). A video is now available of last week’s public meeting.

We spoke with some of our fellow attendees and asked them what they took away from the meeting, and we’ve created a video capturing some of those conversations. We hope you’ll take a look, and leave a comment about what you hope to see as development of the NHAS goes forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9R0f_Nj-kA

Read the transcript.

Stay tuned to AIDS.gov and the ONAP website for more updates about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Federal Interagency Members Meet with Public on Next Steps for the National AIDS Strategy

By Julia Eisman, New Media Communications Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Gregorio Millett, Senior Policy Advisor in the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, addresses the crowd

Approximately 200 people gathered today to hear about progress on one of President Obama's major initiatives—the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). This meeting provided an opportunity to update the public on the process for developing the Strategy, as well as current status and next steps. It allowed the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and HHS to share feedback from community discussions which began last summer, and offered participants the opportunity to meet with the Federal HIV Interagency Working Group – made up of representatives from agencies working on HIV/AIDS across the Federal government, including White House offices. The working group was brought together in an effort to establish a coordinated response to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

What is the United State's Plan to Respond to HIV on the Home Front? National AIDS Strategy Public Meeting

On Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 2 pm, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and HHS will provide an update on the framework for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) and provide an opportunity for participants to meet the Federal HIV/AIDS Interagency Working Group. This group is made up of representatives from agencies working on HIV/AIDS across the Federal government, including White House offices, and is responsible for developing the NHAS.

Responding to Concerns Over Ryan White Emergency Housing Policy

Posted by Mary Wakefield
Cross-posted from Office of HIV/AIDS Policy Blog

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced today that it is rescinding enforcement of its 24-month cumulative cap on short-term and emergency housing assistance under the Ryan White program. This is a temporary step pending a broader review of Ryan White housing policies. See the announcement in the Federal Register. (PDF 49 KB)