AIDS Health Fdtn Recruiting SF Patient via Postcards

Let's look at the snail-mail postcard campaign that hit many LGBT and straight mailboxes this weekend from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The image above is the front of the postcard Mike and I received in Saturday's postal mail delivery.

The back of the postcard features info about services offered along with the days and times the health center is open.

How huge was the revenue figure raked in last year by Michael Weinstein's behemoth AHF? It was $514,000,000 according to their latest IRS 990 filing. They have an incentive to sign up new clients for their various offerings of medical care to keep insurance and other dollars flowing to the organization, is the cynical take.

However, the upside of a new healthcare facility in the Castro is that for the expanded number of area LGBT residents who aren't in care now, they have another option to receive medical services and maintain sexual-health wellness.

I think it's been a full decade since Weinstein and his Los Angeles based nonprofit decided to penetrate the San Francisco AIDS community and lucrative HIV medical delivery market, opening thrift stores with testing on-site, then direct medical care and patient advocacy services and ruffling plenty of feathers of local longtime peacock groups.

For all the years they've had operations in the city, AHF simply hasn't developed good relations with establish groups or grassroots advocates particularly prevention workers and HIV negative dudes taking Truvada as pre-exposure prophylaxis. Will the new facility and outreach effort improve AHF's relationship with locals?

Neither Mike nor I can recall ever receiving a postal mail pitch like this regarding HIV testing and primary care services. Let us know if another nonprofit has ever used postcards to drum up AIDS business in San Francisco.

Do SF People With AIDS Need NYC's ACRIA?

(ACRIA consultants Cesar Angel, left, and Hanna Tessema, held a forum in San Francisco on Nov. 14. Photo credit: Rick Gerharter.)

There are a few questions in need of answers regarding the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, why they recently sent two consultants to San Francisco and how to locate their body of research and findings on the web. This note was sent to ACRIA folks today and when I hear back from them, I'll write a new post:

Hello Hanna and Cesar,

I was unable to make your visit forum at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, so I'm following up with written questions about it and ACRIA's purpose in coming here.

You should check out Matthew Bajko's article in the BAR, http://ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=70186 , because it's really all I know about your forum.

1. Why did ACRIA fly you and Cesar Angel to San Francisco to chat with longterm AIDS survivors? Maybe you were invited by leaders of the Let's Kiss ASS group, and if so, lemme know.

2. How much did ACRIA spend for travel, hotel, renting a room at the center, the catered lunch and all other expenses to have you two come here?

3. Who are ACRIA's primary funders, how much have you received in the past four years from Gilead and did any drug company pay for this trip in part or whole?

4. What exactly is involved with these trainings you're putting on around the country and how will they potentially benefit a longterm PWA such as myself?

5. Why do we supposedly need ACRIA coming from NYC to host such a forum and take an interest in alleged non-cooperation between AIDS and aging groups?

6. What agreement was made between ACRIA and Let's Kick ASS for forum, what other ways are they partnered with each other and how can I obtain the written MOU between the groups?

7. At the BAR site, this comment was made by Mike Wonders:

"We have a New York based group coming out here to tell help us figure out what to do. It's all about funding the professional AIDS machine. We have endless focus groups, surveys, research, meetings, consultants, seminars, paid travel to national conferences etc"

How do you respond to his thinking, which I've heard other SF PWAs express about both ACRIA and leaders of Let's Kick Ass.

8. Your page about aging PWAs and depression, http://www.acria.org/depression-research , contains no links to any of the research or findings, even though it all began in 2007. Can you provide me any links to the actual research or findings? The page also says you're in the process of publishing results. Please inform of which scientific journal will soon publish these results and when.

9. There are no links to any of the results of ACRIA drug research in the past year posted at this page: http://www.acria.org/research-results . Please provide me with links to all of the results and also consider linking to the results at that page.

10. Your only study on your site is the ROAH Report, https://www.dropbox.com/s/2mhuk7xcynqurhd/ROAH%20Report%20Final.pdf , and it's from 2006. Why is this old study the only one on ACRIA's site? Also, financial disclosure about any funding from drug companies or other outside sources that underwrote the study, along with disclosure on the part of the researchers were omitted. Why the omissions?

11. Finally, are you or Cesar either HIV poz or over 50 or both? It's important to ask these questions to give me a better and fuller understanding of your backgrounds.

Please give me your answers in the coming days. Thanks.

Syringe Box Nailed to Larkin Street Tree

The control and prevention of HIV, hepatitis and other nasty bugs through needle distribution on the streets of San Francisco is laudable for many public health reasons.

Earlier this week, after eating a delicious vegetarian meal at Ananda Fuara at the corner of Market and Larkin Streets, I saw a syringe box nailed to a tree with a informational flyers attached.

Since the box was so high, there was no chance children or dogs would accidentally get stuck by one of the needles. Basically, I support this sort of street level effort to properly dispose of used syringes.

However, I believe it's better to have a sealed box and not one like what's shown in the photo with a removable top. Do you agree?

HIV Panel to Post Agendas in 2015, Minutes Require FOIL 

(Public domain photo.)

The New York State Department of Health's AIDS Advisory Council is a ludicrous mess from top to bottom. I complained yesterday about the lack of agendas on the web in advance of their November 20 meeting and that no minutes are posted on their site.

However, my chief concern was the removal of corrupt AIDS bureaucrat Gail Barouh for her misspending $179,000 in government funds as documented by a New York State Comptroller's audit. All of this was outlined in an email to the council.

My friends back East reminded me that the chair of the council is Marjorie Hill, pictured, a former executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis who was fired in September 2013 for numerous failures. For a refresher check out this Gay City News article about what led the GMHC board to can her.

This council isn't fully transparent and contains two members who've abused their powers as executive directors of HIV services agencies, showing just how bad things are in the Empire State in terms of AIDS accountability.

It pleases me to know my concerns have been heard and will be included in the council's minutes, but those are small potatoes compared to the large problems of corrupt bureaucrats Hill and Barouh and their ilk who run too many AIDS Inc groups and advisory panels.

This is the note Hill sent me this afternoon:

Your email was shared with me as Chair of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council. Thank you for your comments. 

Beginning in 2015, the Council’s meeting agendas will be posted on the NYS Department of Health website as an attachment to the meeting notice. I have attached the agenda for the November 20, 2014 meeting to this email. 

Meeting minutes from previous meetings are available for public inspection upon written request to the NYS Department of Health Records Access Office in accordance with Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). 

Please note that the Council does not have the authority to appoint or remove members. Members of the Council are appointed as indicated by Public Health Law Article 27-E, Section 2778. 

I have [included] the link to the statutory authority which explains this process. Your comments will be included in the public record for the November 20, 2014 meeting.

When Did SF Last Audit Local AIDS Groups?

During my DIY Democracy campaign for District 8 Supervisor, a key plank in my platform called for audits of all nonprofits receiving City dollars especially HIV groups and the AIDS programs of the Department of Public Health.

According to a story by Seth Hemmelgarn in the Bay Area Reporter, the City appropriated about $12 million for HIV services for the current fiscal year.

I asked the Controller's Office for info about when they last conducted audits of HIV programs and the last round of them for City-funded agencies was in 2007, and for groups receiving federal AIDS dollars it was back in 2008.

Six years is a long time to go without looking at the books of HIV nonprofits and there must be a push to have the Controller audit these groups again in 2015. Here's the reply from the Controller with links to the audits performed in the aughts:

"In response to your email inquiry, the Controller’s City Services Auditor (CSA) has completed the following reports related to HIV/AIDS nonprofit organizations and DPH grantees: Fiscal and Compliance Audits of DPH Contractors/Grantees:

• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/reports/DPH_Baker%20Places.pdf
• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/reports/DPH_FCMonitor.pdf
• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/csa/audit/DPHSubrecipientReport(1).pdf

"Review of Single Audit Reports of Nonprofit Organizations Receiving Pass-Through, Federal Funds from DPH:

• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/reports/DPH_A_133Monitor.pdf
• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/csa/audit/DPH_SingleAuditMonitor.pdf
• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/reports/DPH_SingleAuditMonitor%20.pdf
• http://www.sfcontroller.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/controller/csa/audit/DPH_%20SingleAudit.pdf

Corrupt AIDS Executive Must Be Removed from State Panel

A tipster alerted me to the fact that the corrupt and wildly excessively-compensated Gail Barouh, pictured, whom I blogged about last week, is a member of an important oversight and advisory panel for the Empire State. With her sitting on the panel, it's impossible to believe it can provide a decent amount of necessary oversight.

The following letter was sent today to various elected officials, friends who are poz and negative, reporters across the state and healthcare watchdogs. It's my hope that others will also call for the removal of Barouh from this panel and quickly too.

Tomica Collado-Robinson

New York State Department of Health

AIDS Advisory Council

Secretary of the Council

Dear Ms. Collada-Robinson,

There are several crucial HIV-related matters I wish to bring to your attention and request that they be immediately addressed, in order to adequately allow the general public to fully engage with the department in crafting beneficial policies.

First, I see that the AIDS Advisory Council will be meeting on November 20 and must protest the lack of a published agenda on the AAC's web site.

 

Why is there no agenda available? An agenda is necessary to assist the public and HIV activists and persons living with AIDS decide if they should attend Thursday's meeting from 10:30 am to 1 pm. 

Furthermore, I cannot locate minutes from any previous AAC meetings. Where on the department's site are minutes available for public inspection?

Second, I wish to know what steps, if any, will be taken at the November 20 meeting to potentially remove AAC member Ms. Gail Barouh, the executive director of the Long Island Association for AIDS Care. 

As you know, on September 30, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a damning audit of LIAAC and found that Ms. Barouh was responsible for questionable spending totaling $179,000 from state government HIV contracts. 

Third, since the AAC takes many positions on state government spending impacting health services for HIV poz persons and those at-risk of contracting the virus, and provides oversight of that spending, it is unethical to retain Ms. Barouh on the AAC in any capacity.

Since I am unable to attend the November 20 meeting, I request that you enter this letter into the public record and provide a copy to the person taking minutes.

Please confirm by 12 noon on November 19 that you have received this letter and will present a copy at the AAC meeting and make sure the minutes include my concerns.

Regards,

Michael Petrelis

CDC's NAPWA Audit Released; Ex-ED's New Job at the NMA

(Frank Oldham. Courtesy photo.)

Long before the National Association of People With AIDS declared bankruptcy in February 2013 and ceased to exist, it lost its focus on individuals living with HIV/AIDS and was in no way a genuine community-based organization.

The CDC, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request I made shortly after the group's collapse, has released a 500-plus page audit of NAPWA and it's not a pretty picture. I've posted the audit here for all to read.

By the way, the last NAPWA executive director, Frank Oldham, now works at the National Medical Association in Silver Spring, MD. The nonprofit is dedicated to the health needs of African-Americans. I reached him on the phone last week to get his thoughts about the audit and he promised he'd get back to me by the end of the week, after speaking with his lawyer. Unfortunately, Oldham didn't call or email me.

Reporter Duncan Osborne is a longtime watchdog of AIDS nonprofits for Gay City News and friend who I asked to review the audit and here are his observations:

Osborne: See page 131, pictured, for the minutes of an April 20, 2009 meeting of the executive committee of the board. They approved a cut in the NAPWA budget of at least $300,000 so the agency was already in trouble then. 

Go to pages 304 to 308 to see documentation on the lack of progress for this capacity building contract. They appear to be falling short on many substantive measures due to lack of staffing among other reasons. 

On 309, they're late reporting results by about two months. On 317, they are promising to correct flaws in their earlier reporting.

Osborne: See page 433, pictured. Half of NAPWA's cash was coming from the feds in 2008. That is up from 43 percent in 2007. This reliance on federal dollars means the minute the feds cut you, you're in trouble. Fed contracts were down to 42 percent in 2009. And down to 41 percent in 2010. These percentages weren't declining because NAPWA was replacing that money with private cash. They were declining because the feds were cutting the contracts and the agency WASN'T replacing those dollars. 

MP: These lines are evidence of how the group was not first and foremost committed to representing people with AIDS: "NAPWA is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to halting the spread of HIV through serving people impacted by the disease and the community-based organizations which assist them. NAPWA provides a wide-range of HIV/AIDS services which include development of effective and far-reaching HIV prevention education messages."

What the hell NAPWA doing making prevention its number one priority when the PWA part of its name were already infected with HIV? The answer is keeping the CDC prevention dollars flowing and in the final years of its existence receiving grants from the Ora-Sure to promote HIV testing. Their constituency was supposed to be poz folks, not negative people in need of prevention of services.

Osborne: See page 479, pictured, as well. NAPWA refinanced its bank debt in 2010. They were losing money and borrowing on their line of credit, I presume, to pay expenses and payroll. Page 479 has a discussion of their "sustainability plan." Page 481 suggests they were having trouble paying payroll taxes. The last 20 pages or so suggest was NAPWA being monitored, but had not done anything sneaky. It looks like they weren't paying their bills and I suspect that includes payroll taxes. You should check for state and fed tax liens. This looks like a classic mistake -- too much reliance on government dollars leading to failure when those government bucks get cut.

MP: I am waiting to hear back from the Silver Spring and Maryland state attorneys general offices about their investigation into the demise of NAPWA. Stay tuned for updates.

AIDS Orgs Must Disclose All Gilead Grants on Their Sites
(Originally posted at my Facebook campaign site on November 3.)

Recent hearings held by the Board of Supervisors have focused on access to Gilead's HIV drug Truvada for use as a PrEP regimen, but the politicians haven't addressed the price of this drug and Gilead's other HIV and hepatitis medicines.

At the same time, there's been tremendous cheerleading from AIDS service and advocacy organization pushing Truvada as PrEP, and I don't have a problem with that. What I do object to is how AIDS Inc has by and large not demanded lower pricing, and groups receiving Gilead donations have not disclosed financial support from the firm.

It's time to call on our HIV community organizations to create and regularly update transparency pages on their web sites fully disclosing all grants or in-kind gifts from Big Pharma and medical supply companies, and from all corporations. We need to see the amounts given, when they were made and for what purpose they will be used.

In our backyard, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation has received at least $600,000 from Gilead in recent years and their spokesman James Loduca worked for the firm handling public affairs for their HIV drugs (http://tinyurl.com/SFAF-Gilead-Loduca), while IRS 990 filings from Project Inform reveal they've accepted $417,000 from the company (http://tinyurl.com/PI-IRS990-2012 and also http://tinyurl.com/PI-IRS990-FY2013).

These two groups have collaborated to create a social marketing campaign promoting Truvada as PrEP, and like their home web sites, the campaign's site omits mention of robust grants from Gilead (http://tinyurl.com/SFAF-PI-PrEP).

SFAF publishes the BETA newsletter about HIV drug developments and a recent report in it looked at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's ad campaign opposing Truvada for prevention. Nowhere does BETA disclose SFAF received money from Gilead (http://tinyurl.com/BETA-PrEP-AHF).

In New York City, the Gay Men's Health Crisis has accepted at least $400,000 from Gilead in the past two years and GMHC's Treatment Issues newsletter has also covered Truvada and like BETA failed to disclose the Gilead grants (http://tinyurl.com/GMHC-PrEP). GMHC has also organized PrEP rallies and as far as I can determine, at them doesn't make the Gilead grants transparent to participants.

Back in 2011, SFAF, PI and GMHC signed on to an open letter (http://tinyurl.com/Truvada-Letter-2011), addressed to the FDA and Gilead urging prompt review of regulations that would approve Truvada for PrEP and they weren't the only AIDS organizations that had received Gilead money to add their group's name to the letter. Other groups include:

AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts (http://tinyurl.com/AAC-Gilead-lunch);
AIDS Foundation of Chicago (http://tinyurl.com/AFC-Gilead-grants);
AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta (http://tinyurl.com/ARCA-Gilead);
AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (http://tinyurl.com/AVAC-Gilead);
Black AIDS Institute (http://tinyurl.com/BlackAIDS-Gilead);
Fenway Health.

And these aren't the only HIV nonprofits raking in Gilead money. According to the Gilead Foundation's IRS 990 filings from 2010 through 2012 (http://tinyurl.com/Gilead-990s-GuideStar), and 2013 (http://tinyurl.com/Gilead-IRS990-2013), the following groups received robust six-figure grants:

AIDS Atlanta, $200,000;
AIDS United, $200,000;
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, $200,000;
Howard Brown Health Center, $400,000;
International AIDS Vaccine Coalition, $200,000;
LA Gay & Lesbian Community Center, $200,000;
Metro Teen AIDS DC, $400,000;
Whitman Walker Clinic, $500,000.

There are dozens of other groups that also accepted Gilead dollars, but in lesser amounts and regardless of the amount, all AIDS nonprofits must become transparent on their sites about the Gilead and all Big Pharma grants.

All medical journals now require financial and conflict of interest disclosures from authors and researchers, which accompanies all articles. We need the same transparency standard from AIDS groups.

If you're pissed off, #VotePetrelis!

Bono & BofA Begging for HIV Bucks in the Castro

The acronym WAD, for many HIV organizations and corporations looking to increase their revenue or brand awareness, stands for World AIDS Dollars. Technically speaking, WAD equals World AIDS Day every December 1st, but it's increasingly nothing more than a marketing tool of little benefit to people living with AIDS or those at risk-of contracting HIV.

A perfect example of how this can be found in San Francisco Castro's district at the LGBT crossroads of Castro and 18th Streets, in the windows of the Bank of America.

This financial institution, with billions in profits, has partnered with U2 musician Bono and his RED organization that works on international HIV efforts, for the Turn Your Miles (RED) fundraising project.

Here's how BofA describes this PR, er, philanthropic endeavor:

From October 12 until December 7, 2014, for every mile, up to a weekly cap published at NIKE.COM/ONESTEP4RED, recorded on Nike+ Running as part of the Turn Your Miles (RED) pledge program Bank of America Corporation will donate $.40 to the U.S. Fund for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to support and fund prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, up to a total maximum donation of $1,000,000.

BofA is probably spending at least one million dollars on its feel-good PR campaign and could easily drop a few million bucks into Bono's charity's coffers without any problem.

If you want to help a homeless person with HIV or any individual living on San Francisco's streets, as the holiday season begins and we approach World AIDS Day, skip giving any money to Bono or BofA.

Instead, drop some green bills into the hands of the homeless folks on the streets of the Castro, trying to survive the winter and keep warm and food in their stomachs.

Gay HIV Org's CFO Fired After 5 DUI Arrests

(Image courtesy of PGN featuring Chaban's profile photo.)

Kudos to Philadelphia Gay News and editor Jen Colletta for her recently article about the troubles of an executive at a local gay health agency with a strong focus on HIV services. 

There needs to be much watchdogging of all Gay Inc and AIDS Inc nonprofits and we really can't have an over-abundance of scrutiny by the LGBT media, individual bloggers and donors, not to mention state attorneys general.

From Colletta's story, which ran on October 9:

Mazzoni Center has fired its chief financial officer after he was arrested multiple times in the last 10 months on DUI and drug charges. Nicholas Chaban, CFO of the LGBT health facility for nine years, was arrested five times in Montgomery County since December, including two consecutive days in July. 

After the fifth arrest last month, a judge revoked bail on his previous cases, and he has been in Montgomery County Prison since Sept. 24. A court source said Chaban, of Roxborough, asked that he delay reporting to prison until Oct. 6 because of work obligations, but the judge denied that request. 

Mazzoni Center executive director Nurit Shein confirmed Chaban was recently terminated, but declined to say when or provide any specifics, citing personnel policies. [...] 

According to financial records, Chaban’s salary at the end of 2012 was $121,448, an $11,000 increase over the previous year. The organization reported income of $10.2 million in 2012, with net assets of $3.2 million.

One piece of constructive criticism for Colletta. Would have been great if she clearly spelled out that the salary and budget info came from Mazzoni Center's IRS 990 tax reports and that the nonprofit does not make the 990s available for public inspection on their Annual Reports page.

You can read the three most recent IRS 990s from the Mazzoni Center here at the GuideStar site.

Poz Mag: Positive Politics With Heywood & Petrelis
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis

There are two openly HIV positive candidates on the ballot in America this November according to an excellent story by Casey Halter at the Poz magazine web site last week, (http://tinyurl.com/POZ-2014-candidates).

Todd Heywood is vying for seat on the Community College Board of Lansing, Michigan, and Petrelis is running for District 8 Supervisor in San Francisco.

Halter reports that there currently are very few two self-identified positive political leaders including John D'Amico who is the mayor of West Hollywood and New York City Councilmember Corey Johnson. We could use a few more poz politicians.

We're especially pleased Halter quoted us about races here in which there is just a single person, usually the incumbent, on the ballot. This year, Public Defender Jeff Adachi, Assessor Carmen Chu and District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang have no competition and that is very unhealthy for San Francisco democracy.

Here are excerpts from the Poz piece:

"Like [longtime advocate and person living with AIDS Sean] Strub, Petrelis is running in protest. 'In the past few years, there have been too many races [in San Francisco] where there was only one candidate. There were no serious challengers to incumbents.' The former ACT UP member describes himself as the 'underdog' in the District 8 race. [...]

“I say I’ve already ‘won’ in the sense that, for the past 10 or 11 months, I have engaged with voters as a person living with AIDS,' Petrelis says. 'I’ve engaged with many other HIV-positive people in San Francisco and a number of people who are HIV negative and certainly concerned about AIDS. It’s really been a fulfilling endeavor.' [...]

"For Petrelis, being HIV positive is an asset in his race for supervisor. 'One benefit, if I were to be elected, would be that I know how to follow the money through the AIDS groups,' he says. He has a long record of pushing AIDS service organizations to release their federal tax returns to increase financial transparency.

"We’ve been throwing so many millions of dollars at AIDS in San Francisco, but I don’t think we’ve asked the question: Has the money been effectively used?” [...]

"In addition to delivering on policy goals that support people living with the virus, Heywood, Petrelis and Strub believe that getting the HIV/AIDS community involved in politics also helps combat stigma and discrimination.[...] Whatever your politics, remember to vote."

Thank you, Casey Halter, and Poz magazine for this write up!

Here's a photo of Petrelis with his good friend Dean Oullette at a recent City Hall rally.

Sean Strub, Poz Mag Founder, Donates to #VotePetrelis
By Michael Petrelis

My friend Sean Strub published a memoir this year entitled "Body Counts" and he graciously mentioned my unique brand of HIV advocacy on the first page, which was an honor to be included in his personal history book.

Sean has spent decades advocating for the rights of LGBT folks and people living with AIDS, and many know him as the founder of Poz magazine. We met back during the dark plague years when we both were members of ACT UP/New York.

Today he made a generous contribution to our DIY Democracy campaign of $100, as a show of support for me individually and the ideal of more HIV positive people running for elective office.

It's my hope that you'll be inspired by his donation and today make a contribution to my campaign for District 8 Supervisor. All the info you need to do this is in the About box on the left of this Facebook page.

There are only three weeks left until Election Day and a donation of any amount from $5 to the maximum allowed of $500, would go a long way toward assisting me in garnering votes. Please give today.

And thank you, Sean, for the monetary support and friendship!

Ebola Signs Posted at UCSF's HIV Clinic
By Michael Petrelis

October 10 was my follow up visit date to get lab results from a blood draw two weeks ago and it was impossible to ignore the many signs at the HIV clinic about Ebola.

They were impossible to ignore starting with the two at the reception desk, in the examining room where my vitals were taken, and also on a bulletin board in the hallway.

Even though Ebola has not spread to San Francisco, I was curious why several alerts were posted around the UCSF 360 Positive Clinic and asked my physician if there was a special concern for HIV poz folks about the Ebola epidemic.

Dr. Susa Coffey said the signs were put up because of heightened concerns among the healthcare workers throughout the UCSF clinics and hospitals, and administrators want to build general awareness regarding Ebola.

It's never too early to educate everyone about a public health hazard and I certainly understand the fears healthcare workers have, coming in contact with lots of people with illnesses and infections.

Personally, my lab results were pretty good considering the recent week-long bout with food poisoning and going off my AIDS cocktail and all meds during that time.

As I've written before, I'm a Truvada bore and take the drug (comprised of two treatments in one pill), to combat my HIV and hepatitis B infections, and it continues to radically reduce my hepatitis B viral load.

Before my consultation was over, I shared a #VotePetrelis campaign card and button with Dr. Coffey, who wished me all the best in the election.

Final point. Dr. Coffey was pleased I got my flu shot two-weeks ago because it means I'll have maximum protection during the height of the flu season. Have you had your flu shot yet?

Wiener Accepted Gilead's Medical Affairs VP's Donation 
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis

Last month, District 8 incumbent Supervisor Scott Wiener generated lots of media attention after disclosing he's taking Truvada as part of a PrEP regimen to avert contracting HIV.

The disclosure was made in advance of a hearing he and Supervisor David Campos held at City Hall, looking at a supplemental budget allocation to the Department of Public Health in order to investigate educational and cost issues related to Truvada for use for pre-exposure prophylaxis reasons.

We wondered why these gay Supervisors waited more than two-years since the FDA approved Truvada for prevention purposes and how many sexually-transmitted HIV infections occurred in San Francisco in this period that could have been averted if the at-risk individuals had access to PrEP.

A story in the Bay Area Reporter by longtime LGBT health writer Liz Highleyman on the hearing generated a comment from John Steen asking if either Supervisor had received donations from Gilead. Steen seems unaware that such info is a few clicks away.

The SF Ethics Commission's contributions search engine (http://tinyurl.com/SF-Ethics-search-engine),shows that Wiener in 2010 during his first run for Supervisor, received $125 from Hans Reiser who is Gilead's vice president for medical affairs.

We seriously doubt that donation played any role in Wiener pushing for the DPH to receive the Truvada educational allocation, but in the interests of providing transparency between the incumbent and Gilead we're sharing the info since it was omitted from the tremendous coverage last month.

ACT UP Vets Mark Castro Sweep Via Protest Songs
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis

Members of the original ACT UP/San Francisco chapter who were present at the October 6, 1989, Castro Sweep twenty-five year ago marked the anniversary with a one-hour vigil and singing of protest songs on Monday, October 6, 2014.

Francis Collins, who's at many a progressive protest with his guitar adding music to demonstrations, and Dennis McMillan, alias Sister Dana Van Iquity of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, spoke at Castro and 18th Streets about the SFPD roughing up LGBT and HIV activists to the point of leaving them bloody and harmed.

The vigil commemorated the Castro Sweep and also delivered visual solidarity with the Yes on G ballot prop, the anti-speculation tax that will protect renters if passed, and the #VotePetrelis candidacy.

Dean Oullette was a member of ACT UP/New York and he used a Sharpie and large piece of cardboard to spell out why we gathered in the gayborhood last night.

A gay couple and their pooch came to the vigil to get #VotePetrelis signs and let us know they're voting for Petrelis. They allowed Petrelis to pose with their adorable little dog.

Many thanks to everyone who participated in the vigil and to Bill Wilson for snapping the great photos.

Oct 6 Vigil to Mark 'Castro Sweep's' 25th Anniversary
By Todd Swindell and Michael Petrelis
(Cross-posted from the ‪#‎VotePetrelis‬ campaign site.)

In the annals of bloody misconduct by members of the San Francisco Police Department, the events of October 6, 1989, and the Castro Sweep ranks high on anyone's list.

It was a national day of protest organized by people with HIV/AIDS and our allies for access to drugs and more government funding, and before the night was over the SFPD had harmed and bloodied many LGBT and poz people with dozens arrested.

For a short and comprehensive look back at what transpired during the Castro Sweep exactly 25 years ago, check out this page with eyewitness accounts, photographs and a video: tinyurl.com/Castro-Sweep-25-years-ago.

Here's how the #VotePetrelis team will commemorate the important 25th anniversary of the Castro Sweep:

WHAT: Vigil & Speakout
WHEN: Monday, October 6th
TIME: 6 pm to 7 pm
WHERE: Castro & 18th Streets

We'll be out that night to remind everyone of contemporary concerns such as the fatal shooting of Alex Nieto by the SFPD, the gentrification of District 8 and eviction epidemic, lack of affordable housing for low income people and artists, the dwindling diversity of the Castro, harassment of homeless and poor people, and the negative impacts of Google buses clogging our streets

The Castro Sweep was big news among gay and AIDS activists, and to assist the survivors of the police assaults with their legal and medical bills, tee shirts were marketed reading:

"My domestic partner went to the Castro, and all I got was this bloody t-shirt. Night of Resistance, October 6, 1989."

This photo and activist apparel courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society.

CA's HIV Stats & A Question About Truvada 

Making sense of California's HIV statistics requires a few emails to the state Office of AIDS, because the epidemiology surveillance reports continue to be confusing and difficult to decipher.

The latest semi-annual report contained a chart (see below), with annual HIV figures represented with practically indistinguishable colored lines and no yearly breakdowns of transmission categories, personal demographics or by county. Let's get to my Q & A with the California Department of Public Health:

QUESTION 1: Are California's HIV reported cases up, down or stable?

CDPH RESPONSE: The numbers of new HIV diagnoses reported to the Office of AIDS for the last two years were 4,944 (2011) and 4,960 (2012). This small 0.3 percent difference suggests that newly reported HIV diagnoses were stable across the two years. The total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the state continues to increase since the number of new diagnoses is stable and people with HIV/AIDS are living longer.

QUESTION 2: Since chart of annual HIV stats uses very similar colors for recent years that overlap, making it impossible to determine the difference in stats each year, why does the AIDS Office make it difficult for the public to make sense of the chart?

CDPH RESPONSE: Thank you for this feedback. We will use colors that are more dissimilar in future reports.

QUESTION 3: I've advocated for years that the state provide the public and HIV prevention and treatment organizations with year by year and county by county breakdowns, so we can see what's happening with stats and transmissions and all, and better direct services and dollars. Why is the semi annual report not providing these breakdowns?

CDPH RESPONSE: These data will soon be easy to access. Summary HIV surveillance data for 2012 will be placed on the new CDPH Data Portal by the end of the year, and previous years will be added in the near future. The Data Portal allows for easy access to public data and can be found at https://health.data.ca.gov/ . Additionally, OA is actively working to revise our semi-annual report to provide more useful surveillance data, including data broken out by year.

QUESTION 4: Is there any evidence that HIV diagnoses have dropped due to Truvada as a PrEP method, or maybe because of PWAs being on cocktails with undetectable viral loads, or sero-sorting and poz people having sex only with poz people?

CDPH RESPONSE: The numbers of new HIV diagnoses reported between 2011 and 2012 is stable, so there is no evidence of a drop that could be attributed to using Truvada as PrEP, which received federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in July 2012. In the longer term, California has experienced a decline in new HIV diagnoses since the early 1990s. However, we do not have the data to be able to attribute this to any particular intervention or behavior change.

It's good to have this information and I have some responses to share.

I must point out that the state Office of AIDS has been promising for years to make the annual stats chart easier to read and to use a color scheme that allows readers to grasp the rates, and it shouldn't take the agency years to simply redesign one chart.

Since the agency again confirms declining HIV rates for about two decades, it's troubling they can't attribute any cause or two or more to why the transmission rates have fallen. It's never too early to ask questions about new prevention modalities such as taking Truvada as part of a pre-exposure prophylaxis plan.

If the state lacks data about the decline's causes, how many more years are needed before determining the causes and we should know this data to keep the numbers going down.

Follow this link to read the new semi-annual report: http://tinyurl.com/lwtdsey.