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World AIDS Day 2009: Uphold Women's Rights to Achieve Domestic HIV Targets
December 1, 2009 -- World AIDS Day 2009 comes just weeks after the release of the first World Health Organization (WHO) report on women's health worldwide indicating that globally HIV is the leading cause of death among women of childbearing age. Findings in the report show that regardless of a nation's wealth, health outcomes are directly related to socio -economic factors... [read more]
A Dangerous Precedent: Using Anti-terrorism Laws to Prosecute HIV Transmission
Authored by the U.S. Positive Women's Network
December 1, 2009 -- Last month, Daniel Allen, 44, had a dispute with his neighbor Winfred Fernandis Jr. that led to a fight in which Allen bit Fernandis. In addition to the traditional assault charges already being brought, Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith has decided to charge Allen with bio-terrorism. One might ask how a dispute between neighbors could lead to such a serious felony charge against Allen; a charge that would allow the court to sentence Allen to prison for up to 25 years?
The answer: Allen is HIV-positive. [read more]
August 26, 2009
Naina Khanna, 2009 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awardee
Read a full profile at the Ms. Foundation for Women
July 9, 2009
U.S. Organizations Speak Out on Women and HIV to Inform Health Policy and National AIDS Strategy
(Washington, D.C.)—Fourteen U.S. organizations working on issues related to human rights, women, and HIV/AIDS submitted a series of policy recommendations to guide the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and related agencies in their efforts to achieve better outcomes for women living with and affected by HIV. The report, entitled “Critical Issues for Women and HIV: Health Policy and the Development of a National AIDS Strategy” calls attention to the factors contributing to disproportionate rates of HIV among low-income women and women of color, as well as poor health outcomes for women living with HIV – and proposes concrete solutions that integrate systems of prevention and delivery of care.
“The face of the HIV epidemic is increasingly that of a minority woman living in poverty,” said Gina Brown, Medical Case Manager of the NO/AIDS Taskforce. “Health care systems have largely neglected the complex medical, economic, and social realities of HIV-positive women.”
The working group identified six key areas of focus for better policy and practices: Meaningful involvement by HIV-positive women in development of policy and monitoring and evaluation of programs; greater consideration of HIV-positive people’s civil and human rights; health disparities in the U.S. South and rural areas; health care access; integration of sexual and reproductive health services with HIV testing, prevention and care; and HIV prevention. The report articulates specific policy recommendations that seek to improve the outcomes of women living with or vulnerable to HIV.
“Involving the expertise of HIV-positive people and those working on the frontlines of service delivery is critical to improve prevention and care outcomes for communities impacted by HIV. We must use a human rights framework as we reform health policy and develop a National AIDS Strategy that will truly reduce HIV incidence and increase access to care for women,” said Naina Khanna, Coordinator of the U.S. Positive Women's Network and Director of Policy and Community Organizing at WORLD.
Representatives from these organizations plan to meet with Jeff Crowley, Director of ONAP, and other key White House officials in the upcoming months to discuss their recommendations and the development of a National AIDS strategy.
The organizations that authored the report are African Services Committee; AIDS Alabama; Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina; Center for HIV Law & Policy; Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP); Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE); HIV Law Project; International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW); National AIDS Fund; National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC); Sisterlove, Inc.; The U.S. Positive Women’s Network (PWN); The Women’s Collective; and Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD).
The full text of the report can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
July 6, 2009: HEALTH CARE REFORM NEEDS YOUR VOICE NOW!!!
FAX AND CALL-IN WEEK OF ACTION FOR
PEOPLE AFFECTED BY HIV
50% of people living with HIV in the U.S. do not have regular health care and women with HIV are disproportionately out of care. The health care reform process is moving FAST, and this is a moment of opportunity to expand coverage for all low income people and particularly women living with and vulnerable to HIV. We need all hands on deck NOW to keep key components of proposed legislation that will protect us.
For Immediate Release
Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD) Welcomes New Executive Director
Oakland, CA -- Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases (WORLD) is thrilled to announce the hire of Cynthia Carey-Grant as our new Executive Director. Founded in 1991, WORLD connects HIV-positive women, their allies, families and communities to one another through peer-based education, support, advocacy, and leadership development.
Outgoing Executive Director Maura Riordan states, “It is really exciting to have someone of Cynthia’s caliber stepping into the Executive Director position. She brings a blend of skills, experience and expertise that will enhance the amazing work that the women of WORLD have been carrying out since 1991. It feels great to pass the torch to such a strong and capable leader.”
Cynthia brings a strong background in women’s health, particularly sexual and reproductive health to WORLD. She has served in several executive management positions, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of a consortium of family foundations. Among her past positions, Cynthia has served as Executive Director of California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League. According to WORLD Board Chair Laura Thomas, “Her vast experience addressing social justice, reproductive justice, and women’s health issues will be a great fit for WORLD at this critical moment in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.” Cynthia will begin her tenure with WORLD on June 1, 2009.
“Coming to WORLD brings me back full circle to what has always been a life calling for me -- advocating for the improved quality of health and life for all women, but particularly women of color and the impoverished who are most vulnerable. This has been a core value and passion for me throughout my life. My experience as an advocate for women's health has shown me the urgency of addressing the HIV epidemic among women. And, as someone whose life has been personally touched by HIV, I know the face of women most at risk for HIV looks like my daughter, my sister and myself. I believe we must make the change we want in the world. That's why I am so deeply inspired by the staff and board of WORLD who model this principle in a very real way everyday. The WORLD mission is my mission and it is an honor for me to use my experience to serve in this capacity,” says Cynthia.
Over the past eighteen years, WORLD has grown to an staff of sixteen diverse women and become a local and national leader in developing innovative peer-based programs to support, inspire and involve women living with HIV. WORLD’s HIV University, a peer-based treatment education program, has been replicated in 40 cities nationally. The Lotus Project, a collaboration with the Oakland-based Center for Health Training, has trained HIV-positive women to work as Peer Advocates in eight cities throughout the U.S. More recently, WORLD launched the U.S. Positive Women’s Network, a national membership body of HIV-positive women, inclusive of transgender women, advocating for policies and programs reflective of women’s needs.
HIV-positive women outraged at lack of funding for women & families
Ryan White Part D provides funding for services designated to women, children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. Data consistently shows that women are less likely than men to stay in care once diagnosed. Approximately 76% of women living with HIV have at least one child under 18 in their homes, and services for women must reflect that reality in order to keep women in consistent care, say advocates.
"Without the services provided by Part D funding, I don't know if I would have been able to overcome the depression, loneliness, fear and stigma of my HIV diagnosis," says Linda Scruggs, an HIV-positive woman living outside the District of Columbia, where one in ten African American women are estimated to be living with HIV. Loren Jones, a Ryan White Part D services recipient and co-chair of the Community Input Task Force in Oakland, CA adds: "These are the only services entirely dedicated to HIV-positive women and men with dependent children. It is a major part of our attempt to provide services including whole family emotional support, legal assistance, and education to those members of the community that are not often highlighted as being impacted by HIV disease."
Organizations receiving Part D funding have been funded at the same level for the past five years, though the number of women they are serving has continued to grow. Women's organizations are fearful of the repercussions this cut will have on services to women. "Level funding is essentially a cut in funding - and is just another sign that women's needs are not being taken seriously," says Maura Riordan, Executive Director of Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD) in Oakland, CA.
Liz Brosnan, Executive Director of Christie's Place in San Diego adds: "I am shocked to see that the vast majority of the Ryan White program is slated for increases, while Part D, serving women and children, will not receive any additional funding -- though the need to serve women continues to grow exponentially. These are successful programs that provide clinical and support services for women and youth. We should fund what's working."
The Positive Women's Network calls on members of Congress to increase FY 2010 appropriations for Part D of the Ryan White program. "We will be in Washington, DC next week to discuss this with our legislators," says Pat Kelly, an HIV-positive woman from Orangeburg, South Carolina. Statistics show the epidemic is over 50 percent female in some counties in the Deep South. "We urge HIV-positive women, families and those who work with them to join us in demanding funding levels that correspond to the needs of the epidemic."
Survey on Employment and Vocational Needs of Women Living with HIV
The U.S. Positive Women's Network (PWN) is collaborating with Dr. Liza Conyers of the National Working Positive Coalition to conduct a survey that will help the PWN identify the vocational and employment needs of women living with HIV/AIDS.
To volunteer for this study online in English click here
Para Espanol, haga clic aquí
To download a paper survey please click the best choice below:
I am Not Working No estoy trabajando
I am Working Estoy trabajando
Given the implications of this study, it is critical to have as much representation from women as possible to ensure that women are adequately represented in the overall sample and included in the policy and advocacy efforts that will result from this study. If you would like additional information about this study, please contact Dr. Conyers: lmc11(at)psu.edu.
At the bottom of this page are downloadable flyers in English and Spanish and more information about the study to post at your agency.
If you have any questions about this study, please call (866) 362-0015. For more information on the National Working Positive Coalition, please visit www.workingpositive.net. For more information about the U.S. Positive Women's Network, please visit www.womenhiv.org/positivewomen.
Why Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Matters, Part I: Voices of Positive Women by Naina Khanna, U.S. Positive Women's Network Coordinator Here in the United States, women comprise about 27% of HIV infections, up from about 8% in 1984. In many countries around the world, women already represent over 50% of HIV infections. Rates of sexually transmitted infections among youth and teenage pregnancy have risen over the last several years – both indicators that we may soon see a corresponding rise in HIV infections among both young women and men. And, although generally considered a chronic manageable condition in the U.S., HIV continues to be the leading cause of death among African American women aged 25 to 34 years old. Yet most of the general public in the U.S. think of HIV as a men's disease and some members of the HIV advocacy/policy community have gone so far as to say "HIV/AIDS in this country is a men's disease". The U.S. Positive Women's Network believes we urgently need a comprehensive, outcomes-oriented National AIDS Strategy that addresses homophobia, HIV stigma, and racial and gender disparities in access to awareness, prevention, testing, treatment, and care. This Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I spoke to several HIV-positive women leaders around the U.S. to hear their perspectives on why HIV matters, in their own words. Read more here.
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 was an important and historic election day for America and the world.
And the decisions made by our new Administration and Congress will have critical implications for people living with and at risk for HIV all over the world. Here in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data in August 2008 showing that more people are getting HIV in the U.S. than previously thought. 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV; and more than half a million people with HIV/AIDS have died since the epidemic began.
Women and people of color in the U.S. tend to experience worse health outcomes, regardless of HIV status. In an era when we know what it takes to prevent HIV, life-saving treatment is available and comprehensive health care and housing should be equally accessible to everyone, this is unacceptable.
We need a coordinated, national plan to fight the epidemic here at home from awareness, to prevention and testing efforts, and comprehensive high-quality care and support services. A plan that incorporates the voice of all stakeholders, public, and private, and that includes meaningful input from communities disproportionately impacted by HIV, including women and men living with HIV.
WORLD and our allies call on our next administration to endorse, fully fund, and implement a National AIDS Strategy (NAS). This strategy must be coordinated, and results-oriented. It must further include mechanisms to hold our government accountable for improved outcomes when it comes to prevention, care, and the quality of life or people living with HIV here in the U.S. For more information on the National AIDS Strategy and to endorse this call, go to www.nationalaidsstrategy.org
We are excited about our new Administration and the possibilities it brings. Now it's time to get to work.
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Supporting these women, and encouraging others to follow their example, must be our strategy for the future. It is among them that the real heroes of this war are to be found. It is our job to furnish them with strength, resources and hope."
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, International Women's Day statement, 2004.
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