In This Issue

This week we continue our series of stories about the Heroes in the Struggle Hall of Fame inductees, with a story about Marc Meachem, who runs external affairs for Viiv Healthcare, the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company focused 100 percent on HIV. On World AIDS Day the Black AIDS Institute will recognize Mark and several other honorees at the Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration, a star-studded event and photographic tribute, taking place at the Director's Guild in Los Angeles. Go here for tickets or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 213-353-3610, ext. 100.

Next, we run a story from our series about this year's African American HIV University (AAHU) Fellows, spotlighting Christopher Barnes, an outreach specialist at My Brother's Keeper in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The cost of health care can make engaging and remaining in care difficult for people living with HIV/AIDS. ONAP director Dr. Amy Lansky talks about the importance of increasing health insurance enrollment. Next, you will learn about the Secretary's Minority AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF), which funds innovative projects to improve HIV prevention and care in communities of color.

Finally, now that it's time to sign up for health care plans in the nation's marketplace, rising premiums, shrinking provider networks and the departure of major insurers are complicating many people's enrollment process. Our friends at Kaiser Health News provide us with seven tips to avoid costly enrollment headaches.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill