AIDS Drug Assistance Programs Support New ACA Coverage Options for Thousands of People Living with HIV

State Health Departments Navigate ACA Enrollment Challenges While Strengthening Insurance Purchasing Infrastructure and Addressing Unmet Need

Washington, DC – The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) released new data emphasizing the essential role the Ryan White Program, specifically the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), plays for people living with HIV (PLWH), including those who have insurance and those who are uninsured. During the inaugural open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), ADAPs transitioned over 25,000 clients to new coverage options. This represents a significant portion of the estimated 56,000 previously uninsured Ryan White clients.

In This Issue

As we near the month of June, which is both Men's Health and Gay Pride month, it's important that we stop to consider Black men's mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. Writer Tamara Holmes explores the importance of creating safe spaces for Black men, and particularly for men who have sex with men. Beginning this Thursday Doug Brooks, the newly appointed Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, will head a series of listening sessions in the South—in Jackson, MS, this week followed by Columbia, SC and Atlanta next week. Read on for the logistics and to learn how to register for these free events.

Questions About Black Masculinity? There's an App for That

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNartlSyA1s

When I walked into the "Question Bridge: Black Males" exhibit at Brooklyn Museum a couple of years ago, two things immediately caught my attention. First, there was the intimacy; on video screens throughout the exhibit, black men asked one another intimidate questions about mental health, sexuality and masculinity. But what also grabbed my attention was the scale. There were throngs of people surrounding each screen watching these private moments unfold before them. It was a jarring but effective way to bring black men's internal lives to center stage.

Protection Is the Priority

For the past several weeks, there's been a lot of talk about VH1's reality show Love & Hip Hop Atlanta—chatter primarily focused on 44-year-old Mimi Faust and 32-year-old Nikko Smith's now-infamous sex tape. The public's response has ranged from disbelief that the mother of a 4-year-old would stoop to such lows to allegations about financial ploys. But someone must speak from a health perspective.

Black Voices: "Wait a Minute Did I Take My Meds?"

"Wait a minute did I take my meds?" This is a question I often ask even if my pill box, mobile application, or friend says I have. Anxiety, nervousness, fear, and due diligence keep me on track to continue to the best of my ability to take my medications faithfully. For me the process of taking my three medications everyday at 9 am is an experience both with and without emotion. Every time I swallow my pills, I am reminded that HIV is living inside me.