In This Issue

Activist Guy Anthony shares his story of getting diagnosed with HIV and then fighting to obtain the care and treatment he needed to become the leader and activist that he is today.

Our friends from AIDS.gov share a story and video from CROI, where Ron Valdesseri spoke with Dr. Gina Brown from NIH about women, girls and microbicides.

The NIH is working with Washington, D.C., to launch the ASCEND study, a clinical trial to examine whether primary care physicians and other health care providers can use a new antiviral therapy as effectively as specialist physicians to treat people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Missouri's Democratic governor, Jay Nixon, has announced that he is working with Republicans on a plan to expand the state's Medicaid program that could require Medicaid recipients to work or pay more for their government-funded health insurance. Kaiser Health News reports.

Finally, there will be a hearing on Capitol Hill today about the federal 340B drug discount program, which allows Ryan White-funded clinics, state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, and a long list of other safety-net hospitals and healthcare providers to buy outpatient prescription drugs at a discount. The Black AIDS Institute has submitted a letter for the hearing record expressing concern about the harm that would come from cutting back or ending this critically important program.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill