HIV Testing Blog » Living with HIV

Vermont CARES Makes a Difference

hiv_test — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:10:13 +0000

Vermont CARES (Committee for AIDS Resources, Education and Services) is a non-profit, federal- and state-funded organization that provides support and care for people infected with HIV/AIDS, as well as doing screening testing for over 1200 people a year for the disease and conducting HIV/AIDS educational programs at businesses and schools.

For more than 20 years, the Burlington nonprofit has helped provide Vermonters with HIV/AIDS everything from a ride to the doctor’s office to a new home. Vermont CARES also will pay the rent for an infected individual, if the need arises. The organization held a rally Saturday to show support for more than 450 Vermonters diagnosed with the disease. People at the rally wore red shirts and stood in a ribbon formation at the University of Vermont’s Redstone Campus.

*For the complete article, please refer to http://hivtestingblog.com/original-articles/

Health District Cuts $400,000 Grant that Helped HIV Sufferers Stay on Medications, Navigate Insurance System

hiv_test — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:46:44 +0000

On Wednesday, the Palm Beach County Health Care District board unanimously approved a planned $400,000 cut to the Comprehensive AIDS Program’s case management services despite testimony from 10 patients and providers that the services are vital.

Case management helps patients to stay on complex drug regimens, navigate insurance plans, and keep important appointments, advocates told the board. “If a person stops taking their medication, not only does their own health suffer, they become more infectious to other people,” said Yolette Bonnet, CEO of the AIDS program.

Anita Byrd of West Palm Beach said: “I was addicted to street drugs, and I have been clean now for 11 years because of case management. They found me in places where people never want to come.”

The HIV/AIDS grant was among a raft of cuts the board made in its tentative 2010 spending plan. Out of a $250 million budget, the special taxing district must slash $31 million due to increased demands on its insurance programs, which will serve nearly 40,000 people this year. School nurses’ hours were cut from 40 hours a week to 33 to save $3 million.

Jonathan Satter, the board’s chair, said he felt “darned if he did, darned if he didn’t” cut services or raise taxes to preserve them. “We cannot be the sole source for every program,” he said, noting he hoped the AIDS program was seeking foundation money.

For the complete article, and for more information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, please refer to http://www.cdcnpin.org/

Ten Ways to Take Care of Yourself When You Have HIV Disease

hiv_test — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:18:08 +0000

1) Take Responsibility For Your Health and Your Life.
2) Get A Support Network To Be With You In Good and Bad Times.
3) Find A Health Provider With Whom You Can Build A Relationship.

Some resources for HIV treatment information include:
www.aidsinfo.org	1-949-248-5843
www.aidsmeds.com
www.catie.ca	1-800-263-1638 (toll-free in Canada)
www.gmhc.org	1-800-AIDS-NYC
www.projectinform.org	1-800-822-7422
www.natap.org	1-888-26-NATAP
www.thebody.com
www.tpan.com	1-773-989-9400

4) Take HIV Medications When You Need Them.
5) Maintain Good Nutrition.
6) Get Up and Do Some Exercise.
7) Learn About Benefits and Services You Might Be Eligible For.

There are many benefits and services available to people living with HIV disease but you have to know about them and their requirements in order to get them. Benefits you might be eligible for include:

SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) this is the program you paid into when you worked
SSI (Supplemental Security Income Program) this is the disability program for folks who didn’t have enough points for SSI or who have never worked
ADAP and ADAP Plus — state-run HIV drug assistance program
Medicaid — medical program associated with Welfare or SSI
Medicare — medical program associated with SSDI
Short-term Disability
Long-term Disability
HASA (HIV/AIDS Services Administration)
Section 8 and other housing programs
Food services
Legal services
Case management services
Home health services
Welfare

8 ) Get A Life Outside HIV.
9) Stop Stressing…So Much.
10) Ask For Help When You Need It .