Category: act
Be A HIV Activist
posted: 08/04/2011
A crowd has far more affect than a single voice shouting for change. HIV Activists is a way to join with others to make your voice for better HIV support heard.
With so many cuts and changes affecting so many people with HIV now and over the next few years we need to work with others to make a difference.
HIV Activists Network is run by NAT and it works together with Positively UK, the Stigma Index and of course the Activists themselves.
They use a handy set of online tools to make things simple and easy to join in and help.
What’s next?
They have a list of things they are campaigning about now and you can join in as many or as few as you wish
Here's some of them
- email your MP about the Welfare Reform Bill
- write to your local NHS about HIV prevention and testing
- Sign NAT’s Agenda for Action
- Talk to your local faith leaders
- Talk to your local gay businesses
- Contacting local schools
- emailing your local councillor about cuts to HIV Social Care
- Contact to your Trade Union
If you are interesting in joining the 'HIV Activists Network' or simply want to find out more, you can
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House of Lords to Investigate HIV
posted: 21/12/2010
The House of Lords today set up a new Committee on HIV and AIDS, chaired by Lord Fowler. Lord Fowler was the Secretary of State for Social Services with responsibility for public health, at the start of the HIV epidemic. He was a key figure in the first national public HIV awareness campaign.
Investigating and reviewing HIV in the UK
The new House of Lords Committee will look in detail at HIV in the UK. They will ‘call for evidence’ in the New Year, inviting written evidence from everyone. They will then hold public evidence sessions, before producing a report next summer.
Prevention, Testing, Treatment, Discrimination
The committee is interested especially in reviewing prevention, testing, treatment and discrimination.
After the creation of the Committee Lord Fowler, said
"The Committee's report will appear almost exactly a quarter of a century since the 'Don't Die of Ignorance' campaign in 1986. This is a good time to review the success of prevention and treatment policies. In the last 25 years, various efforts have been made to check the spread of the infection. Nevertheless today the number of people living with HIV is nearing 100,000. The committee will examine whether public education has been effective and how it might be improved; and also the importance of early diagnosis. Currently about 27 per cent of those with HIV do not know that they are infected. The committee will examine what improvements can be made in testing and consider evidence of discrimination. A call for evidence will be issued in the New Year."
The Committee will have a webpage within the House of Lords Committee section of the Parliamentary website. The HIV Select Committee webpage is here
HIV Committee membership:
- Lord Fowler (Chairman)
- Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall
- Lord Gardiner of Kimble
- Baroness Masham of Ilton
- Baroness Gould of Potternewton
- Lord May of Oxford
- Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill
- Lord Rea
- Baroness Hussein-Ece
- Baroness Ritchie of Brompton
- Lord McColl of Dulwich
- Baroness Tonge
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Be a HIV Activist
posted: 09/12/2010
NAT (National AIDS Trust) invite everyone to join others and become a HIV Activist, whether you are personally affected by HIV or simply feel strongly about HIV issues. All you need is to want to do something that can make a difference.
Local action and local services
Being a HIV Activist empowers us all, including people living with HIV, when we join others in simple direct actions on HIV issues that affect lives, rights and wellbeing. We need local activists in every district now, because more and more decisions, including about cuts, are now being made locally.
We encourage people to be passionate about HIV and HIV Activists will be given the tools to speak out, and help make the voice and needs of people living with HIV heard by the people making the decisions which affect our lives.
Why be a HIV Activist?
You can have your say on the matters you feel strongly about, such as
- Stigma and discrimination
- Funding for effective HIV prevention, treatment and support
- Poverty
- HIV education and awareness
- Immigration
- Confidentiality of HIV data.
NAT offers HIV Activists a choice of eight to ten actions at any one time. At the moment these include writing to your MP about how benefits cuts announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review, and asking your local school if their curriculum includes HIV.
Actions without revealing HIV
There will always be things you can do if you do not wish to disclose your HIV status. Everyone can sign a petition, write a letter to your local MP or school without having to say anything about HIV status.
Feedback and ideas welcome
NAT are keen to get feedback from HIV Activists, and If there’s something you feel strongly about and would like to see included as a future activist action, they’d love to hear about it.
If you are interesting in joining others as a HIV Activist or want to find out more, please email HIV Activist or ring NAT on 020 7814 6767.
There is more information about NAT’s HIV Activists here
Image - The Power to be Strong is a music video and song for World AIDS Day
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Free iPhone HIV Treatment App
posted: 16/11/2010
HIV iChart, a free new iPhone application, has been launched by the University of Liverpool. HIV-iChart gives instant information about the way different HIV drugs interact with other mediations, for people with HIV and clinicians. The new iPhone app for iPhone and iPod Touch is based on the University’s HIV drug interactions website.
Drug interactions and side effects
In HIV treatment, people usually take a combination of three anti-HIV drugs, and may take other drugs to treat other health problems. The various drugs can all interact, affecting how well the treatments work and sometimes producing serious side effects. The iPhone app says which drugs should not be used, whether there is a need to monitor the response, adjust the dose, or make other changes in treatment.
Ward, clinic, and community uses
Professor David Back, Professor of Pharmacology, said: “We are delighted to launch this application for iPhones that will provide HIV patients and healthcare professionals with instant and easy access to information about HIV drug interactions that is relevant, reliable and up-to-date. HIV iChart can be used on a hospital ward or in a clinic, in primary-care units, health centres and the community. In addition to the HIV drugs interaction website, this new tool will increase awareness of how to manage the disease more effectively.”
Dr Ian Williams, Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA), said: “This technology provides a marvellous opportunity to greatly increase the ease of access to drug interaction information. This is a way of helping to maintain best practice.”
Free app
HIV iCharts is available free of charge and can be downloaded free from the App store in iTunes. The application is compatible with both the iPhone and iPod touch and only requires web access for the initial download and updates.
The application has been created by the HIV Pharmacology Group at the University of Liverpool and developed with eMedFusion, a division of the KnowledgePoint360 Group. It is supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, MSD and Janssen. HIV iCharts was launched at the Tenth International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection which was held at the SECC in Glasgow.
HIV drug interactions website
Source
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HIV An Agenda for Action
posted: 09/11/2010
Would you please sign the HIV Agenda for Action and encourage others to join in? The Agenda for Action is six aims that will make a major difference to HIV in the UK. The Agenda for Action is for everyone – Government, business, trade unions, healthcare workers, MPs, the voluntary sector, individuals. NAT (National AIDS Trust) are encouraging all to sign up and pledge to help achieve the aims and practical steps.
The weight of your support is invaluable in campaigning work.
The Agenda for Action Aims are:
- To ensure that there is a national strategic approach across the UK to tackling HIV
- To reduce rates of HIV transmission through effective prevention
- To significantly reduce the number of people with HIV who are diagnosed late
- To address the current failings in treatment, care and support for people living with HIV
- To make rights, equality and respect a reality for people with HIV in the UK
- To deliver effective commissioning of HIV that addresses local need.
More information about the Agenda and the practical steps to achieve it (and pictures from its launch).
Add your support
Please show your support by emailing NAT
NAT want all organisations and individuals to sign up to the Agenda for Action and its aims.
download Agenda for Action
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