"The importance of data concerning the trends
and determinants of the HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be denied. For
people living with the virus it impacts us in many ways. Data can
help improve the level and scope of care and treatment services
which we receive and it can contribute to mitigating at least some
of the impact of the stigma and discrimination which we face on
a daily basis.
Governments, donor organizations, communities, NGOs and the private
sector all need HIV/AIDS monitoring data. Data can be used to mobilize
political will in order to increase the scale of both prevention
and care interventions, to identify priorities for the allocation
of scarce resources, to select and target activities, and to monitor
the progress in the response to the epidemic. True, accurate and
reliable data regarding the pandemic are essential to ensure that
the scale of the crisis is both understood and to improve our collective
response.
People living with HIV/AIDS, organized under GNP+, are concerned
when different information about the epidemic is collected and presented
by different groups of people and institutions. Information about
the global and national trends which is not consistent cannot be
used for planning and setting priorities for prevention and care
investment. This directly affects the lives of people living with
HIV in the respective countries as time is lost in debating the
validity of the sources of information and preference is often given
to the source that paints the picture less gloomy. We are concerned
that those who wish to deny the true scope and nature of the crisis
can also misuse data. In addition, endless debate can yield ongoing
inaction or misallocation of funds.
We therefore call upon the International Organizations, National
Institutes/Ministries of Health and the National AIDS Control Programs
to emphasize the need for reasonably accurate statistics on the
epidemic for planning and making the right decisions. Factors that
bring about the inaccuracies should therefore be isolated and corrective
measures put in place. At the same time, academic discussion about
the validity of the data should give room to concrete action for
preventing further spread of HIV and ensuring access to care for
those infected.
People living with HIV/AIDS can be a valuable resource to assist
epidemiologists and program managers in their difficult work to
provide a true picture of the situation. From our participation
in cohort studies to assistance in identifying potential sample
populations for participating in behavioral surveillance investigations,
we offer our experience and abilities to assist in ensuring that
data collected are not only valid but are further transformed from
mere numbers to action and hope for our future." The Status
and Trends of the HIV/AIDS Epidemics in the World
|
A
guidebook for Resettlement Agencies Serving Refugees with
HIV/AIDS
|
The
purpose of this publication is to assist resettlement agencies
in preparing for and providing care to refugees who are living
with HIV/AIDS
|
69 kb pdf
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AIDS Employment Discrimination: Impact of Chadbourne v.
Raytheon |
As soon as
the company knew that it had an employee with AIDS who wanted
to return to work, it directed its occupational nurse… Despite
the assurance from Chadbourne's doctor, the local public
health department, the CDC and its own doctor, Raytheon would
not reinstate Chadbourne or attempt to accommodate his
physical handicap. |
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AIDS TESTING AND MEDICAL INFORMATION Legal Issues |
The
Connecticut General Assembly established protections
regarding the confidentiality of individuals with HIV
infection or AIDS in 1989. Below is the current language,
which was updated in 1997 and again in 1999. |
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Anti-Terrorism's Lengthy History and Current Abuses
|
Throughout
Terrorism and the Constitution, Cole and Dempsey
diverge from popular opinion by insisting that civil
liberties, far from being a threat to national security, are
the essence of America. What are we "fighting" for
in this war on terrorism, they ask, if not to protect our way
of life--which has personal liberty at its very core?
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Bioterrorism-Coordination
& Preparedness Report
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GAO report
before subcommittee
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1,229 kb
pdf
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Bush Administration HIV/AIDS Report Card
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With
preliminary reports from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) showing that the number of new AIDS cases
increased in the United States by 8 percent last year and
medical inflation reaching 11 percent, community-based AIDS
service organizations around the country face significant
challenges in their efforts to increase access to
comprehensive care with less funding. When medical inflation
is taken into consideration, flat funding the Ryan White CARE
Act programs, as twice proposed by the Bush Administration,
has the affect of reducing or eliminating care and treatment
to nearly 16,000 individuals currently receiving care under
this program
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Bush
Administration HIV/AIDS Report Card-2002
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In
addition, the Administration has attacked comprehensive,
locally tailored HIV prevention programs. The ultimate goals
and scope of an Administration-driven review of all HIV/AIDS
programs, including prevention programs, remains unclear and
undefined.
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Bush
Administration HIV/AIDS Report Card-NIH
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The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the backbone of the
nation's AIDS research initiative and President Bush's support
for doubling of the entire NIH budget is critical and
supported.
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Bush
Budget Shortchanges CDC
|
In the front line against bioterrosim, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention stands tall, heralded and
lauded by President Bush as 'new heroes in America.' Now,
three months after heaping praise on the Atlanta-based agency,
Bush has slashed the CDC budget for next year.
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CDC's
March 2000 national estimates of annual percutaneous exposures
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The
following figures were calculated based on 1996 EPINet data.
We do not know to what degree new
HIV
treatments have affected health care worker risk of HIV
infection. They have probably reduced the risk somewhat since
there are now fewer AIDS patients in hospitals.
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CHEVRON U.S.A. INC., PETITIONER
v. MARIO ECHAZABAL |
The court of
appeals correctly held that respondent is a "qualified
individual" under Title I of the ADA, but the court erred in
invalidating the EEOC's regulations and precluding petitioner's
defense that respondent's performance of the job posed a direct
threat to his own health or safety. By addressing threat-to-self
concerns as a regulatory defense to liability, the EEOC struck a
proper balance between the rights of disabled individuals to
work free of discrimination and employers' need to maintain a
safe workplace. Under the EEOC's regulations, an employer need
not hire an employee who poses a threat to self, but only if the
employer demonstrates, on an individualized basis, a real threat
to the employee's health. |
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DKT INTERNATIONAL, INC.,APPELLEE v. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RANDALL L. TOBIAS,
ADMINISTRATOR, UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT, IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY, APPELLANTS |
The
official position of the United States is that eradicating
prostitution and sex trafficking an integral part of the
worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS. In awarding grants to
private organizations for HIV/AIDS relief efforts, the
government – through the U.S. Agency for International
Development – only funds organizations that share view. DKT
International refused to certify that it has a policy
opposing prostitution and sex trafficking, and therefore not
qualify for a grant. The district court struck down the
funding condition on the ground that it violated DKT’s
freedom speech under the First Amendment. We reverse.
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Pdf 36 kb |
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FTC Antitrust Actions in Health care Services and Products |
In the
mid-1970’s, the FTC formed a division within the Bureau of
Competition to investigate potential antitrust violations
involving health care. The Health Care Services and Products
Division consists of approximately thirty-five lawyers and
investigators who work exclusively on health care antitrust
matters. |
293 kb pdf |
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Global
tensions grow over AIDS
|
The number
of people infected with HIV/Aids will grow significantly by
the end of the decade, reaching up to 75 million in the
world's five most populous countries and continuing to
decimate millions in Central and Southern Africa
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Helm's
Ashamed of Role in AIDS Fight
|
In spite
of -- or perhaps, because of -- his long-standing and
frequently vehement opposition to increased funding for HIV
prevention and AIDS treatment, Sen. Jesse Helms said on
Wednesday he was ashamed he had not done more to fight the
worldwide epidemic.
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Hepatitis
C Origin Points to Possible Military Link
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Documents
obtained by Forward Times under the Freedom of Information
Act, for an investigation of the hepatitis C epidemic, reveal
that U.S. servicemen were used to test experimental vaccines
while they were in Basic Combat Training during the Vietnam
Era.
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Hepatitis C-Silent Epidemic, must public Health respond
(Large report-increase download
time) |
Report
from congress committee on Hepatitis C Virus in the USA |
6,043 kb
pdf |
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HHS
BUDGET FOR HIV/AIDS INCREASE 8 PERCENT
|
"We
must do more to prevent and treat this terrible disease, which
continues to ravage the lives of millions of people in America
and around the world," Secretary Thompson said. "We
are leading the world on AIDS research and doing our part to
stem the tide of this global epidemic."
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High Court Declines HIV Disability Case
|
The U.S.
Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a case brought by a
Georgia dental hygienist who was demoted when his employer
discovered he was HIV-positive. Citing protection from the
Americans with Disabilities Act, Spencer Waddell filed suit
against Valley Forge Dental Associates in Atlanta. Citing a
potential threat to patients, a federal district judge
dismissed his complaint in 1999.
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HIPAA
Nondiscrimination Requirements
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Summary of
the law
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50 kb pdf
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Hospitals
prepare for new privacy law 2003
|
Representatives
of the city’s two hospitals said the law won’t
dramatically change privacy protections at their institutions.
Patients aren’t likely to notice the impact of the law,
although they will be asked to read a brochure on how the law
protects their privacy and will be asked to sign a form
acknowledging they have read the information.
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Legality of Assisted Suicide for States to Decide
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The
Supreme Court rekindled the ethical debate over assisted
suicide today by giving states the ultimate authority to
decide whether doctors can legally prescribe deadly drugs for
mentally competent but terminally-ill patients who want to
die.
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Mandatory
HIV Reporting Gaining Advocates
|
The New
York Times reports that as AIDS treatment advances continue,
the privacy concerns that have long set HIV-infection apart
from other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis,
gonorrhea, and syphilis have begun to fade.
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New
Bill would Force Disclosure of HIV status
|
The
Associated Press reports Republican Rep. Tom Coburn of
Oklahoma is seeking support for a bill that would require
states to alert people to possible contacts with HIV-infected
partners.
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NHIS
survey description.
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Survey of
US households
|
178 kb pdf
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OSHA
AIDS-Hepatitis C Virus law.
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Exposure
to blood borne pathogens
|
1,297 kb
pdf
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OSHA Standards Interpretation and Compliance
|
It is
important to note that the definition of "occupational
exposure" comprises the reasonable anticipation that the
employee
will come
into contact with these fluids during the course of performing
his or her work duties.
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Policy without Politics-The Limits of Social Engineering
|
The United
States is the only developed country whose government does
not guarantee access to health care for its citizens. It is
also the developed country with the least representative and
most insufficient democratic institutions, owing to the constitutional
framework of the political system, the privatization of
the electoral process, and the enormous power of corporate
interests in both the media and the political process.
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Powell's
AIDS Prevention Message Angers Right
|
Secretary
of State Colin Powell on Thursday deeply angered some the
White House's most ideologically conservative allies when he
strongly advocated condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS.
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Red
Cross violated Blood Safety Rules
|
The
American Red Cross may have released tainted blood to
hospitals, the government said Friday, reporting more than 200
violations of federal blood safety rules in its battle to get
the Red Cross to improve the quality of its blood operation.
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Ryan
White Care Act-1990
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Federal
Law to assist those positive with HIV/AIDS
|
143 kb pdf
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State Medicaid Eligibility Cutbacks & Exclusions-Proposed &
Recently-Enacted, 2001-04 |
Nonetheless, many states dropped coverage of legal
aliens; cut eligibility and benefits for, or even dropped,
state-only medical assistance for the federally-unmatchable
poor; added or raised premiums and copays and cut "optional"
services in S-CHIP and Medicaid; raised Medicaid drug copays;
added preferred formularies, generics requirements and monthly
number limits for Medicaid drugs; stopped “presumptive”
eligibility for pregnant women (a clever back-door way to bar
otherwise-federally-mandated coverage of citizen-to-be fetuses
of poor illegal alien mothers) and curtailed services and
enrollment in expensive home and community-based (HCB)
waivers. |
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The Global Infectious Disease Threat and Its Implications for the
United States
(Large report-increased
down-load time)
|
This
report represents an important initiative on the part of the
Intelligence Community to consider the national security
dimension of a nontraditional threat. It responds to a growing
concern by senior US leaders about the implications--in terms
of health, economics, and national security--of the growing
global infectious disease threat. The dramatic increase in
drug-resistant microbes, combined with the lag in development
of new antibiotics, the rise of megacities with severe health
care deficiencies, environmental degradation, and the growing
ease and frequency of cross-border movements of people and
produce have greatly facilitated the spread of infectious
diseases.
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The
Status and Trends of the HIV/AIDS Epidemics in the World
|
This
report, co-authored by the Durban MAP Symposium participants
and produced in less than 24 hours, reflects a consensus of
the analysis, projections and recommendations brought forward
during the symposium. Its aim is to provide information that
can be used by international bodies, to briefly review the
most important aspects of the history of the HIV/AIDS
epidemics to date, to recognize the current status of and
trends within these epidemics, and to take immediate action to
affect the course of these epidemics in the future.
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US Census IDB Data Access
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Online
access help and data bank
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898 kb pdf
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US
is 37th in Health care
|
The United
States, which spends 14 percent of its national income on
health -- more than any other country -- was ranked 37th in
the WHO survey, barely edging out No. 39 Cuba, says a recent
report in The Seattle Times.
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USA
Patriot Act
|
A break
down of the rules and regulations of the act
|
124 kb pdf
|
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