Fw: ADAP Pill Box - Collection of ADAP-Related News & Developments for January 2011

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From: Macsata <info@...>Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2011 15:02:11 -0800 (PST) Vergel<powertx@...>Reply info@...Subject: ADAP Pill Box - Collection of ADAP-Related News Developments for January 2011 ADAP Pill Box: All Things ADAPThe ADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+) is pleased to share its January 2011 edition of the "ADAP Pill Box" - a monthly e-publication focusing entirely on issues relating to the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs ("ADAPs"). aaa+ invites you to share the ADAP Pill Box by forwarding it to your friends and colleagues, and encouraging them to join the aaa+ list-serve on our our website. Tell them that our individual membership is free. Also, please feel free to forward appropriate ADAP-related news items to info@... so that we can include them in the next edition.This past weekend, aaa+ successfully convened the year's first national gathering of ADAP stakeholders in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for its 2011 Emergency ADAP Summit. The two-day event focused on the continuing crisis facing the cash-strapped AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, filled with important updates, lively discussions and timely grassroots advocacy trainings. Held in the epicenter of the ongoing crisis - Broward County, Florida - ADAP stakeholders received the most up-to-date analysis from Murray Penner of the National Alliance of State Territorial AIDS Directors, or NASTAD (Murray also represented the Fair Pricing Coalition), Tom Liberti of the Florida Department of Health and various pharmaceutical company representatives talking about their respective patient assistance programs. But probably one of the most constructive sessions involved a grassroots advocacy training led by and Larry of Housing Works, Wynn of Broward House and ph Terrill of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The session demonstrated that while many HIV/AIDS activists don't necessarily agree with one another on priorities or strategies, we can nonetheless engage in constructive dialogue.Some of the Summit presentations are available online.Ironically, leading up to the Summit I was asked some of the following questions, "Why are you partnering with AIDS Healthcare Foundation?" "Why are you allowing the pharmaceutical companies to participate?" "Why is NASTAD being asked to present at a patient advocacy conference?"I addressed these questions - and others - during the summit with the following very simple response: "The ongoing ADAP crisis facing people living with HIV/AIDS is a war, and why in the world would we go into battle leaving half of our army behind at the base?"Additionally, I addressed the 800 pound gorilla in the room, which was why some organizations - such as NASTAD, NAPWA, NMAC, The AIDS Institute - were more tepid in their advocacy last year compared to other groups, such as AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Housing Works, ACT UP, C2EA, CANN and aaa+? My response might have surprised some of the attendees, but it came from the heart. I summarized that neither "side" was right or wrong, because both were fighting for the very same thing: access to care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. It boiled down to simply a different approach to dealing with the crisis. But it was important to note that both "sides" spent too much time fighting one another, leveling charges and counter-charges and diluting its advocacy with conflicting messages.Ironically, Hill staffers complained about the very same thing regardless of their political party.Hopefully in 2011, we have collectively learned from our mistakes from last year and will strive to work more closely together to ensure that the 5,779 people living with HIV/AIDS on waiting lists are guaranteed the access to care and treatment they deserve and need. That was one of the main tenants behind convening the 2011 Emergency ADAP Summit in the first place.Local blogger, Mark S. King, captured the Summit's energy and succcess with his video blog, "My Fabulous Disease." Mark's blog takes you behind-the-scenes at the summit, where you can see what makes our leading advocates tick, including their candid frustrations and some very moving displays of dedication and fatigue from years of struggle. Best of all, get simple instructions on how you can make a difference as an advocate for this issue!AIDS Activism 101: Steps to end the ADAP crisis.The ADAP Advocacy Association will continue to monitor the ongoing ADAP crisis. Thanks for your ongoing interest and support! M. Macsata, CEOADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+)INSIDE THIS ISSUE NATIONAL: NASTAD Releases January 28, 2011 ADAP Watch NATIONAL: Fair Pricing Coalition Brokering Rescue of Troubled ADAP; Nearly 6,500 Floridians Would Continue to Receive HIV Medications NATIONAL: State of Florida to Move 6,500 People From Life Saving AIDS Drug Assistance Program NATIONAL: AHF Offers Alternatives To Rationing AIDS Drugs NATIONAL: With Divided Congress, States Anxious About AIDS Programs NATIONAL: The Impact of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) on Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral and Antihypertensive Therapy among HIV-Infected Women; NATIONAL: ViiV Joins Welvista Program for People on ADAP Waiting Lists STATE - Waiting list for Florida AIDS Drugs Assistance Program grows longer STATE - How did Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program run 'out of money'? STATE - State AIDS-HIV program out of money; Without those pills, people will die STATE - Virginia: AIDS Drug Assistance Program Disenrolling Some STATE - Florida Leads the Nation in Denying Medications to HIV-Positive People STATE - Brown's budget would hit PWAs STATE - Proposed ADAP Cuts Carry Devastating Consequences Blogs of potential interestNATIONAL NEWS...NASTAD Releases January 28, 2011 ADAP WatchJanuary 28, 2011The National Association of State Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) released its newest January 2011 edition of ADAP Watch. As of January 28th, there were 5,779 individuals (up 229 individuals from 5,550 individuals last week) on ADAP waiting lists in ten states - including 23 individuals in Arkansas, 3,008 individuals in Florida, 879 individuals in Georgia, 621 individuals in Louisiana, 19 individuals in Montana, 106 individuals in North Carolina, 368 individuals in Ohio, 359 individuals in South Carolina, 395 individuals in Virginia and 1 individual in Wyoming. Presently, 93.3% of the ADAP waiting list patients reside in the south. Editor's Note: The waiting lists do not accurately reflect the scope of the ongoing ADAP crisis, as more states are disenrolling patients from the program.Read ADAP Watch - January 28, 2011 TOPFair Pricing Coalition Brokering Rescue of Troubled ADAP; Nearly 6,500 Floridians Would Continue to Receive HIV MedicationsFair Pricing CoalitionJanuary 28, 2011The Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC) today announced that it is brokering agreements that will hopefully allow approximately 6,500 Floridians to continue to receive their HIV medications during a budget crisis in that state. Partners in the agreement include Welvista, a non-profit pharmacy; major manufacturers of HIV medications; and the State of Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). Florida's ADAP is expected to exhaust all available funds and shut down by February 10, 2011 if an emergency solution is not implemented. With these agreements, Florida should have enough funds to provide medications to its remaining 3,500 ADAP clients if the State of Florida fulfills its part of the bargain with Welvista. Under the plan, Florida's ADAP will transition approximately 6,500 of their nearly 10,000 active clients to Welvista beginning February 1, 2011. Welvista will provide up to a 60-day supply of HIV medications to these clients as a "transition" to the next ADAP fiscal year which begins April 1, 2011, when Florida's renewed allocation of federal White/ADAP funds becomes available. Clients will then transition back onto Florida's ADAP program.Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck and Co., Tibotec Therapeutics and ViiV Healthcare already participate with Welvista to expedite access to HIV medications to ADAP clients on waiting lists. As part of this plan being brokered by the FPC, Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead Sciences, Merck and Co., and ViiV will provide medications to Welvista for these additional clients in Florida on a one-time, emergency basis. The FPC is still negotiating with Tibotec Therapeutics. Welvista is still negotiating the plan with the State of Florida as well."None of us are happy with the Florida fiasco," remarked Lynda Dee, spokesperson for the FPC. "It will result in a drain on limited funds from drug company patient assistance programs (PAPs). This inequitable use of industry PAPs could have a very significant, negative impact on the ability of other patients from other states to utilize these PAPs," Dee warned."We are nonetheless grateful to the companies and Welvista for their willingness to step in to provide medications for Florida patients," said Dee. "We clearly recognize this is a one-time, emergency rescue of a program that cannot be repeated or duplicated by Florida or any other state. We therefore implore the federal government and all state governments, especially Florida, to provide adequate funding to state ADAPs to meet the medication needs of its uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV," she concluded.Nationally, state ADAPs are situated in the eye of a "perfect storm." Thousands continue to enroll in state ADAPs each year due to the effects from the economic recession, and other factors are contributing additional pressure. These include rising drug prices on already-expensive medications (some companies have agreed to price freezes for ADAPs while others continue to take price hikes, limited by law for ADAPs to be no more than the rate of inflation); minimal increases in federal appropriations (the federal ADAP contribution has shrunk from approximately 70 percent to 50 percent of the overall national ADAP budget in recent years) and significant state budget cuts; and larger client caseloads due to HIV-positive individuals living longer. Positive developments such as national efforts to significantly expand HIV testing and linkages into care and new HIV treatment guidelines calling for earlier therapeutic treatments have further pushed ADAPs to a fiscal tipping point from which recovery will be difficult.The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) reports that as of January 27, 2011, there are 5,779 individuals on ADAP waiting lists in ten states. Twenty states have instituted, or anticipate instituting cost containment measures other than ADAP waiting lists before the end of the ADAP fiscal year ending in March 2011. Florida has the greatest number of individuals on its waiting list (3,008) which will continue into the next fiscal year. Those individuals are, for the most part, already receiving medications through other pharmaceutical patient assistance resources, and are not affected by this plan. To see a list of states with access restrictions, please visit NASTAD's website at www.nastad.org.The FPC remains concerned about the fiscal health of Florida's and many other state ADAPs. Moving forward, the FPC will work with local advocates to push Florida for additional state appropriations and to seek additional drug rebates that should have been applied for heretofore. In addition to working on this stopgap measure to ensure uninterrupted medications for 6,500 Floridians, the FPC will also continue to work with all stakeholders and ADAPs on long-term solutions to the national ADAP crisis. About the Fair Pricing Coalition (FPC): The FPC is a group of community treatment activists advocating for fair and sustainable pricing of HIV and viral hepatitis drugs in the United States. The FPC also works with manufacturers of HIV medications to ensure adequate co-pay and patient assistance programs are in place to help ensure all Americans living with HIV have access to life-saving medications. For more information, visit www.fairpricingcoalition.org.About Welvista: For over 17 years, Welvista, a nonprofit organization located in Columbia, South Carolina, has been providing access to prescription medications to the uninsured and underserved throughout South Carolina. Welvista partners with 12 branded pharmaceutical companies who donate medications and a network of over 3,000 health care providers, making them one of the largest mail-order pharmacies for the uninsured in the nation. In 2009, Welvista filled and dispensed more than 135,000 prescriptions to the uninsured valued at over $47 million. With a grant from the Heinz Family Philanthropies and Abbott Laboratories, Welvista began serving ADAP waiting list clients as part of its mission in August 2010. For more information, visit www.welvista.org.####Source: Fair Pricing Coalition press release TOPState of Florida to Move 6,500 People From Life Saving AIDS Drug Assistance ProgramThe AIDS Institute January 28, 2011READ PRESS RELEASE The AIDS Institute Calls on Florida, Congress and the President to Take ActionTAMPA, FL (January 28, 2011) - In an unprecedented move in the treatment of HIV/AIDS in the United States, the State of Florida is moving 6,500 low-income people from its AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). The Florida ADAP program currently serves about 10,000 people across the state but officials say they only have enough money left to support roughly 3,500 patients until April 1, 2011 when new federal dollars are expected."This is devastating," stated Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute."Efforts to fill the financial gap from additional state or federal sources have yielded nothing. We are in a perfect storm with the loss of jobs and health insurance, increased infections and increased diagnoses through expanded testing programs, while at the same time State and Federal governments are cutting their budgets."Ruppal continued, "We are risking peoples' lives with the potential of treatment interruptions that dramatically increase their chances of becoming resistant to the same drugs that are currently saving their lives."ADAP's provide HIV-related medications to uninsured and under-insured people living with HIV/AIDS or about one-quarter of the people with HIV/AIDS estimated to be receiving care in the U.S. ADAP is part of the White HIV/AIDS program, which is funded by both federal and state resources. Receiving medications daily is critical to effective AIDS treatment.The ADAP crisis is not unique to Florida. Ten states have instituted waiting lists to receive medications from the program. Of the over 5,550 people on waiting lists, Florida's is the largest with 2,879. Wait lists are just one measure of how a state ADAP is doing. States are also reducing their eligibility, and in the process, actually disenrolling patients from the program, and reducing their formularies.U.S. Senator Bill of Florida stated in recent letters to President Obama and Florida Governor Rick , "These events make it clear that the current federal funding level for the ADAP program is not enough to ensure the program's viability during this period of economic turmoil." He went on to say, "I will also encourage state officials to work with your administration to ensure that Florida's ADAP program is administered properly and that all money is spent as efficiently as possible." also requested that "find additional state resources to keep the program fully operating."Florida officials, in an attempt to prevent treatment interruptions to patients, announced their plan for the 6,500 patients to receive their medications from a pharmaceutical sponsored charity for the next 6-8 weeks. Ruppal stated, "This charity program was established to provide a temporary safety net for those patients who are on wait lists. It is supported by donated medications by many pharmaceutical companies but was never intended to handle the volume and scale of this crisis.We need long lasting solutions."In the last Congress, funding proposals by the House of Representatives called for an increase in ADAP of $60 million for fiscal year 2011, while the Senate proposed an increase of $65 million. Unfortunately, Congress did not pass a full year spending bill and the government is operating on a continuing resolution at current funding levels."There are rallying cries from many members of the new Congress to significantly cut spending," stated Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute."The ADAP program cannot afford to be cut; too many lives are at stake."A twenty percent cut to the program would translate into removing over 19,100 people across the country from the program. Even with level funding, the situation would continue to be grave since ADAP utilization continues to skyrocket."We need states such as Florida and the U.S. Congress to protect ADAP from any cuts. Additionally we need Congress to increase funding by at least the $65 million that was proposed by the Senate for FY11. We also need the Obama Administration to forcefully insist on these increases in addition to proposing adequate increases in FY12 and relay the urgency of this request to the Congress as they deliberate next year's spending bill," stated Schmid.We are living in challenging times with record budget deficits and there is a call for spending freezes and cuts. In the process, programs must be prioritized and protected from cuts. For the sake of the over 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in our own country, ADAP must be one of those programs.####Source: The AIDS Institute press release TOPAHF Offers Alternatives To Rationing AIDS DrugsAIDS Healthcare Foundation January 24, 2010READ PRESS RELEASE LOS ANGELES, CA (January 24, 2011) - In anticipation of an additional round of cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to be implemented in the next few months, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today proposed three possible funding solutions to the current ADAP crisis-which has left more than 5,000 people on waiting lists to receive lifesaving medications and thousands more scheduled to be disenrolled from the program altogether. Currently, ADAP waiting lists are growing at a rate of 550 people per month. Due to a perfect storm of AIDS budget cuts, increased demand and rising drug prices, the federally-funded, state-operated ADAPs-which currently provide lifesaving AIDS drugs for 165,000 low-income Americans-can no longer provide treatment to all of the people who need it. As of January 2011, more than 5,300 people are on ADAP waiting lists, with an additional 2,500 at risk of being dropped from the program altogether. This crisis is quickly worsening as many larger ADAP programs are being forced to stop providing treatment to new patients. For example, Florida, which has the third highest HIV population in the country, instituted a waiting list in June 2010 that now has 2,816 people on it. California (with 40,000 ADAP patients) has proposed cuts intended to force many patients off the program. In 2011, ADAPs will need to serve an additional 25,000 people who cannot afford their treatment. Given the high cost of AIDS drugs, upwards of $12,000 per year for a single drug, at least $260 million is needed to ensure that ADAPs can provide assistance to all those who need it. According to AHF, there are several available offsets that would provide these funds without adding to the deficit. The three proposals are below: 1. Reallocate a portion of the $48 billion in unobligated funding within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget. Secretary Sebelius has the authority to transfer portions of these funds to other HHS accounts (such as ADAP). A transfer of roughly 0.5% of these funds would be enough to restore ADAP. 2. Apply a 10% cut to the administrative overhead of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These agencies, which are tasked with implementing ADAP and other AIDS programs, spend a combined $2.3 billion on administration and overhead. 3. Secure an additional 20% discount/rebate for ADAP drugs from AIDS drug manufacturers. Drug price increases are one of the main causes of this crisis and additional discounts would mean ADAPs could serve everyone who needs it without new funding. Moreover, given the unique nature of ADAP, i.e., it operates independently from other Federal/State programs and the budget for drugs is fixed, these discounts would not impact price calculations for other drug programs or reduce drug company revenues. "Whether it is through allocation of unobligated funds, trimming the fat from federal administration or the procurement of additional drug rebates, intervention is needed now to end this crisis," said Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Added Weinstein: "Skyrocketing drug prices are a key factor in this crisis. Since 1996, drug spending by state ADAPs has increased by more than 617%--that's more than twice the rate of patient growth over the same time period. In earlier negotiations, the efforts of AIDS advocates have resulted in additional discounts from drug companies. If federal funding does not come through and soon, we must return to the negotiating table. AHF hopes that all of those working in the HIV health care field-including the National Alliance of State Territorial AIDS Directors-would support this reasonable and common-sense approach." The AIDS Drug Assistance Program is vital to combating the nation's epidemic. Lack of access to AIDS treatment significantly impedes the community's ability to address the epidemic. When not properly treated with antiretroviral medication, AIDS patients quickly become increasingly sicker and more expensive to care for. The opportunistic infections that develop in patients due to their weakened immune system are more costly than treating AIDS correctly, and typically lead to more expensive inpatient care. Moreover, advanced antiretroviral treatment for those patients experiencing treatment failure-because they can't obtain their medication-is not only more toxic and intolerable, but costs thousands of dollars more than standard therapy. "AIDS treatment is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent new infections," said Tom Myers, AHF's Chief of Public Affairs and General Counsel. "People who are successful on treatment have less HIV virus in their bodies, which means they are less infectious and less able to infect others." Added Myers: "The crisis has already caused a decline in testing. The best medical model to combat the spread of the virus is to test as many people as possible and treat those who test positive. People at risk for HIV are less likely to get tested if they cannot receive treatment after their diagnosis. They would just rather not know."####Source: AHF press release TOPWith Divided Congress, States Anxious About AIDS ProgramsWGLB | By ph ErbentrautJanuary 21, 2011READ ARTICLEWith the new Congress split between Republican and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, respectively, HIV/AIDS advocates across the country are anxiously watching the budget process. It?s a particularly tense time, when many states? AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) have reached the crisis point. ADAPs, which account for roughly one-third of the people currently being treated for AIDS in the United States today, provide medication to low-income HIV-infected people. Under the weight of their own burgeoning budget deficits, 10 states have turned to ADAP waiting lists as of Jan. 6, according to data released by the National Alliance of State Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). Ann Lefert, NASTAD care and treatment director, said the increased enrollments in many states' ADAP programs are due to increasing health care costs, along with more and more people losing their private health insurance due to the economic downturn. Add to that flat state funding for ADAP and other HIV/AIDS treatment services. As a result, many ADAPs are bowing to deep-seated structural deficits in their attempts to both serve newly eligible enrollees as well as existing clients. As for federal funding, Lefert said it simply has not kept up with the ever-increasing demand. The states' waitlists all together have already forced 5,154 individuals to look elsewhere to receive the medication they need. Leading the way with its waitlists, which have grown more than two-fold cumulatively since July 2010, are Florida (2,175), Georgia (853) and Louisiana (578). Further, at least 11 other states and Puerto Rico are also looking at cost containment measures for their own ADAPs, including adjustments to their financial eligibility policies. Without ADAP, many individuals infected with HIV/AIDS who lack the income to purchase their own medications rely on patient assistance programs. Some are offered by pharmaceutical companies through non-profit organizations like Welvista. In Florida, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has recently stepped in to offer five-day supplies of medication for individuals transitioning off of ADAP to an assistance program or -- if they qualify -- Medicare Part D. But such solutions are somewhat confusing and can be overwhelming to individuals who require stability in their lives to maintain their drug regiments. Every drug and each program has different eligibility requirements and different application processes to go through. Lefert admitted that some individuals "fall through the cracks" of the different programs. In effect, they are going without their medication. (And yes, this is happening in the United States, not sub-Saharan Africa.) The threat of no meds "I would never say that 100 percent of those on waiting lists are receiving their medications through these programs," Lefert said. "I would guess some people have just been discouraged by the whole situation." HIV-positive individuals going without medication presents a major threat not only to that individuals? life, but has public health implications as well. Schaefer is public policy director at New York-based Gay Men's Health Crisis, the largest private AIDS service organization in the world. Such a scenario presents the risk of the disease's spread as well as higher costs to the state in the future, should individuals become hospitalized, he said. The ADAP crisis further creates wide disparities of care depending on where a person lives. "I think the real danger that this results in are different levels of care and health care opportunities for people living in different states," Schaefer told EDGE. "People in many states will face compromised care if the places where they live are less able to create and maintain a robust ADAP." In response to the crisis, many states have either sustained -- or in some cases, increased -- their ADAP funding. But it has simply not been enough in many cases. Jeff Graham, executive director of Georgia Equality, said the program has been popular with state legislatures, even as Georgia's state budget has been cut by nearly 25 percent overall over the past two years. Georgia's ADAP waiting list is expected to swell to as much as 1300 individuals by the summer without additional funding. "The state has done their due diligence in maintaining their funding for this program," Graham said, but it?s important to recognize in these sorts of financial crises that this issue is a federal one and not just a state issue." In their hopes to restore federal funding for ADAP, HIV/AIDS advocates are coming up against a new Congress in Washington that is looking to cut their spending wherever possible. Some GOP don't want any funding Some Republican leadership in recent days has even questioned whether AIDS programs should receive government funding. On Jan. 10, North Carolina State Senator Larry Brown ® believes many patients don't deserve any help. While not opposed to government support for HIV-positive children, Brown argues HIV-infected adults "caused [their infection] by the way they live." North Carolina is another of the 10 states currently running an ADAP waitlist. While noting that ADAP has a few Republican champions in Washington, D.C. -- including Senator Burr (R-N.C.) and Senator Enzi (R-Wyoming) -- Lefert acknowledged their effort to garner support for the program will be "slightly more difficult" this year, when compared to last. Schaefer added that while there is a precedent for the federal government stepping in with emergency funding for ADAP - as President W. Bush did in 2004 - these are different economic and social times today. And while healthcare reform will likely contribute to a better atmosphere for those infected with HIV/AIDS when it is enacted in 2014, that reform has also come under threat of repeal by Republican leadership. "We're not dismal on that possibility but the issue needs to be addressed presently," Schaefer said. "The federal government is not reacting in a sufficient way to address the recent [ADAP] crisis ... This crisis holds implications for so many more people than just that one individual and in the long run, it is more cost efficient to fund ADAP." Lefert added that it is important that lawmakers hear about the ADAP issue, as it often has been overshadowed by other legislation and - therefore - not even on the radar of many leaders. Without action, she said, more states run the risk of instituting waiting lists, holding potentially grave repercussions for the virus's continued spread into at-risk communities. "Whether folks are in states with waiting lists or not, we need to make sure their members of Congress know this is an important issue and that it affects the community," Lefert said. "The new members of Congress especially need to know about the system of care we have for people with HIV in this country and how it really is struggling." TOPThe Impact of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) on Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral and Antihypertensive Therapy among HIV-Infected WomenJournal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes | By Yi T, et alDecember 15, 2010READ PERIODICALOBJECTIVES:: To evaluate the association between enrollment into an AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and antihypertensive therapy. METHODS:: Cross-sectional analyses of data were performed on HAART-eligible women enrolled in the California (n=439), Illinois (n=168), and New York (n=487) Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) sites. A subset of HIV-infected women with hypertension (n=395) was also analyzed. Unadjusted and adjusted backward stepwise elimination logistic regression measured the association between demographic, behavioral, and health service factors and non-use of HAART or antihypertensive medication. RESULTS:: In adjusted analysis of HAART non-use, women without ADAP were significantly more likely not to use HAART (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]= 1.5-3.7) than women with ADAP. In adjusted analysis of antihypertensive medication non-use, women without ADAP had an increased but not significant odds of antihypertensive medication non-use (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 0.93-6.0) than women with ADAP. CONCLUSIONS:: Government-funded programs for prescription drug coverage, such as ADAP, may play an important role in how HIV-positive women to access and use essential medications for chronic diseases. TOPViiV Joins Welvista Program for People on ADAP Waiting ListsBelow is an excerpt from a community announcement from Marc Meachem, ViiV's Director of External Affairs for North America, describing the new patient assistance option. January 1, 2011ViiV Healthcare is committed to putting patients at the center of everything we do. We have met with many community leaders across the country and the key theme consistently identified was the need to help patients access medications. We have listened and we have responded. In 2010, we extended our patient savings card program and worked with the National State and Territorial AIDS Directors and the ADAP Crisis Task Force to address the unprecedented need for access to antiretroviral medicines through AIDS Drug Assistance Programs.It gives me great pleasure to announce the implementation of ViiV Healthcare's newest access initiatives, effective January 1, 2011. ViiV Healthcare Patient Assistance ProgramThe new program aims to do more to help increase access for patients who cannot afford their medication or those who were previously on medication who have now lost access due to increasing ADAP income thresholds. Patients are eligible to receive medications produced by ViiV Healthcare up to one year and people who use Medicare Part D are eligible to receive medications for the remainder of the calendar year, once enrolled in the program. Patients and patient advocates can visit (www.viivhealthcareforyou.com) which provides details about the program including products available, eligibility, and enrollment information. Eligibility for ViiV Healthcare's new Patient Assistant Program includes:Patients without private or government supported prescription coverage and who's household income level is no greater than 500% of the Federal Poverty limit. Patients on ADAP waitlists who meet the Federal Poverty Limit.People who use Medicare Part D who have spent $600 or more in out-of-pocket and meet the Federal Poverty Limit.For more information about our Patient Assistance Program, please visit: www.viivhealthcareforyou.com. Source: Marc Meachem. ViiV Healthcare Launches New Patient Assistance Program and Participation in Welvista Program for ADAP Waitlist Patients. Community announcement. January 3, 2011. TOPACROSS THE NATION...Waiting list for Florida AIDS Drugs Assistance Program grows longerSource: Florida Independent | By Marcos Restrepo January 26, 2011READ STORYFORT LAUDERDALE, FL - The number of Florida HIV/AIDS patients on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting list has continued to rise over the month of January. According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, 2,879 HIV/AIDS patients were on Florida's Drug Assistance Program waiting list by Jan. 20 - up from 2,715 people around Jan. 6. (See the full fact sheet below.) The program supplies anti-retroviral medications through federal and state funds to more than 10,000 low-income HIV/AIDs patients in Florida. The Sunshine State's program was capped on June 1, 2010 - leading to the steadily rising number of those assigned to the waiting list.To read the entire article, visit http://floridaindependent.com/20155/waiting-list-for-florida-aids-drugs-assistance-program-grows-longer. TOPFlorida: How did Florida's AIDS Drug Assistance Program run 'out of money'?Source: The Florida Independent | By PillowJanuary 19, 2011READ STORYFORT LAUDERDALE, FL - Florida officials are scrambling to come up with money for the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program.Lorraine Wells of the state Department of Health told the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations subcommittee last week that the program, which provides free drugs to 10,000 qualifying HIV/AIDs patients, is set to run out of money on Feb. 10. The problem: New federal money won't arrive till April, and it will cost $14.5 million to keep it running in the meantime, according to the department.To read the entire article, visit http://floridaindependent.com/19484/how-did-floridas-aids-drug-assistance-program-run-out-of-money. TOPFlorida: State AIDS-HIV program out of money; Without those pills, people will dieSource: Highlands Today | By Pinnell January 16, 2011READ STORYSEBRING, FL - Keeton, who grew up in Lake Placid, was diagnosed with HIV 13 years ago. "Everyone I knew back then who was HIV positive are all dead," said Keeton, 43, an HIV activist who now lives in Polk County.Drug Assistance ProgramKeeton takes Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy, a $9,000 per month, three or four drug cocktail that boosts his T-cell count. Those white T-cells fight the virus, and that keeps the viral load low in Keeton's body. Without those drugs, he acknowledged, he'd be dead too.To read the entire article, visit http://www2.highlandstoday.com/content/2011/jan/16/state-aids-hiv-program-out-of-money/c_2/#comments. TOPVirginia: AIDS Drug Assistance Program Disenrolling SomeThe BodyJanuary 13, 2011RICHMOND, VA - While Virginia has seen a surge in people needing help from its AIDS Drug Assistance Program in recent years, state and federal support have remained flat, say health officials. To ensure ADAP does not run out of money before the grant year ends in March, administrators narrowed enrollment criteria, among other measures. An estimated 760 clients are being disenrolled by more restrictive eligibility criteria, with state workers assisting most in transitioning to private charity programs run by AIDS drug manufacturers, according to a Dec. 7 letter from Dr. Remley, Virginia's health commissioner. Disenrollment criteria include having joined the program most recently and having not picked up medications in the past five months; CD4 cell counts are also a consideration. To read the entire article, visit http://www.thebody.com/content/art60172.html?wn. TOPFlorida: Florida Leads the Nation in Denying Medications to HIV-Positive PeopleWGLB | By LombinoJanuary 15, 2011READ STORYOur culture is inundated with one crisis after another. Energy crisis, healthcare crisis, financial crisis, unemployment crisis ... These are all very real and they are scary. Yet, there is another serious crisis that is somehow hidden from our collective consciousness. The ADAP crisis. ADAP, or AIDS Drug Assistance Program, is a vital program that assists HIV-positive individuals with paying for the incredibly expensive medications needed to treat and manage this devastating disease. Without these essential medications, a person's HIV disease is more likely to progress to AIDS. HIV/AIDS can become life-threatening.Currently, ADAP funding is being slashed in many states across the country. More and more people are becoming infected with HIV and as a result, states are struggling to keep up with the demand for ADAP assistance. Thousands of HIV-positive people have been terminated from the program and thousands more are being placed on waiting lists. Currently, there are more than 5,100 people in ten states on ADAP waiting lists.To read the entire article, visit http://wglb-tv.blogspot.com/2011/01/florida-leads-nation-in-denying.html. TOPCalifornia: Brown's budget would hit PWAsThe Bay Area Reporter | By Seth HemmelgarnJanuary 13, 2011READ ARTICLESAN FRANCISCO, CA - Governor Jerry Brown proposed a budget this week that could have big impacts on low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.Brown's budget, which cuts spending by $12.5 billion, calls for increased cost-sharing in the AIDS Drug Assistance Program and reduces funding in Medi-Cal and other programs. "What I propose will be painful," Brown said in announcing his budget Monday, January 10. "It will take sacrifice from every sector of California." However, he said, the "gimmicks and tricks" used in recent budgets have only plunged the state deeper into debt. He said he realized many would object to his proposal, "but there will be even more people who will say, 'Thank God we're facing the music.'"One area of sacrifice will be the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which the state estimates will provide services for over 42,000 people in 2011-12. Many rely on the program for lifesaving medications.To read the entire article, visit http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=5383. TOPCalifornia: Proposed ADAP Cuts Carry Devastating ConsequencesSan Francisco AIDS Foundation | Press ReleaseJanuary 12, 2011READ PRESS RELEASESAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco AIDS Foundation urges Governor Jerry Brown and state legislators to re-examine the proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS programs and identify alternate cost-saving measures. In these difficult economic times, the foundation stands with a community of HIV/AIDS leaders prepared to help explore more reasonable solutions to contain costs in state AIDS programs.The governor's plan calls for low-income and uninsured HIV-positive people in the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Plan, or ADAP, to share costs. Forcing co-payments for AIDS drugs will ultimately result in people dropping out of the program altogether and will have devastating short and long-term consequences for HIV/AIDS prevention and care in California.To read the press release, visit http://www.sfaf.org/about-us/newsroom/media-releases/2011/proposed-adap-cuts-carry.html. TOPBlogs of potential interestADAP: A Battle For Life - Friday, January 28, 2011Is this a good example of federally a controlled health care system? - Friday, January 28, 2011AIDS Funding for Poor Floridians Set to Run-Out in Two Weeks - Friday, January 28, 2011National HIV/AIDS Strategy Tiptoes Forward - Thursday, January 27, 2011Senator Bill tells Florida Gov. Rick to "Make [ADAP] a Priority" - Sunday, January 23, 2011Virginia Does Not Show Its Love for HIV-Positive People - Friday, January 21, 2011The Idiots We Vote Into House of Representatives - Thursday, January 20, 2011Bad News: Virginia + ADAP Waiting Lists = - Saturday, January 15, 2011 TOPFor further information contact:ADAP Advocacy Association (aaa+)Email: info@...Website: http://www.adapadvocacyassociation.orgCopyright 2011 - All Rights Served This email was sent from ADAP Advocacy Association to powertx@....If you would like to completely remove yourself from the mailing list, please click here to UnsubscribePO Box 15275 | Washington DC 20003