National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness

September 18^th will mark the 3^rd annual National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD). This year's theme is "Aging is a part of life; HIV doesn't have to be" and is being recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy and AIDS.gov. It is becoming increasingly important to recognize this population and provide them with prevention, testing care and treatment.

According to Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of the AIDS Institute, "This year's campaign theme, Aging is a part of life; HIV doesn't have to be, illustrates the need to promote HIV prevention, education and testing among older Americans. The aging population is frequently ignored when it comes to diagnoses, perhaps because of the disconnect with regard to HIV testing in older adults."

It is important to understand that the 50 and older population is the fastest growing population in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 50 and older account for:

- 16% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses
- 27% of persons living with HIV
- 33% of persons living with AIDS
- 19% of all AIDS diagnoses
- 38% of deaths of those living with AIDS

Unfortunately, even with these statistics there are older adults who still do not know their status. The AIDS Institute believes that may be due to the following reasons:

I. Health care providers do not always test older people for HIV/AIDS and may miss cases
during routine checkups.

II. People who are 50 years and older may mistake signs of HIV/AIDS for the aches and
pains of normal aging.

III. They are less likely than younger people to get tested.

IV. Older Americans know less about HIV/AIDS than younger people and may not know
how it spreads or the importance of using condoms, not sharing needles, and getting tested
for HIV.

V. Older people are less likely than younger people to talk about their sex lives or drug use
with their health care providers.

VI. Health care providers may not ask older patients about their sex lives or drug use or talk
to them about risky behaviors.

It is important to know your status and get educated about the risk of transmission no matter what your age. Knowing your status helps reduce the number of people becoming infected. For free and confidential testing call Good Samaritan Project's testing hotline at 816-778-0772 to set up an appointment.

Information obtained and adapted from The AIDS Institute www.theaidsinstitute.org

2nd Annual Kansas City Latino Gay Pride/Orgullo Latino

Mario Canedo has planned the second annual Latino Gay Pride for September 11 from 2:00 – 8:00 pm. This year's event will be held at Washington Square Park and will feature music, dancing and live performances. This event has partnered with the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) which is October 15. NLAAD takes place on the last day of the Hispanic Heritage month and was established in 2003. NLAAD hopes to unite and raise awareness in the Hispanic/Latino community. The 2010 theme is Save a Life, It May be your Own. Get Tested for HIV.

The Latino Gay Pride event allows an open and inviting venue for discussing HIV/AIDS and the need for safe sex within the Latino community in Kansas City. Here are some facts about Latinos and HIV/AIDS:

∙ Latinos account for 17% of all of new HIV infections and this is a 5% increase from 2005 – 2008.
∙ HIV infection among Latino men is double that of white men and four times that in Latina women than white women.
∙ Early detection can help prevent the spread of HIV; of those Latinos testing late, 41% develop AIDS within the first year.

We hope you will join us on September 11 as we raise awareness about HIV in the Latino community. Free and confidential testing will be available. For more information please call our Spanish hotline 816-778-0793 or visit http://www.nlaad.org/ for information about events in other cities.

Statics taken from http://www.nlaad.org/

AIDS Bicycle Challenge

The weather if finally starting to cool off and that means it is time once again for the AIDS Service Foundation of Kansas City's AIDS Bicycle Challenge. The bike challenge raises funds for local Kansas City HIV/AIDS organizations including Good Samaritan Project, Save Inc., KC Free Health Clinic and Hope Care Center.


This will be the event's sixth year and hopes to continue the growth from last year. In 2009 the event grew to over 300 riders up from just over 100 in 2008. To help encourage team participation this year they are offering a VIP tent for the team with the most participation and overall team fundraising. Of course I will be there with Team GSP, unfortunately I won't be riding but I will be hanging around our table at the event. I would love to see everyone come out and ride with us. Check out our team page on Firstgiving to ride with us or to help one our team members.

This year's event will be at Berkley Riverfront Park and will have four routes – 50, 35, 16 and 2 miles. Registration is $25 before the event and $30 the day of. Riders raising over $50 will be guaranteed a tech shirt or you can register for $50 to get the shirt.

For more information about the event and to see the routes check out the ABC website.
http://aidsbicyclechallenge.org/

Join the Circle!

We need you for the GSP Circle of Caring! The GSP Circle of Caring is a way for children, teens, families and individuals to participate in monthly activities that directly benefit people affected by HIV/AIDS in the greater Kansas City Area. We are currently facebooking (is that a word?) to spread the idea (join us at GSP Circle of Caring). Here is our project for the month of June.


Help Us Diaper KC

Imagine having to limit changing your baby to once a day because of an inability to afford diapers. For low income families affected by HIV/AIDS, this is a reality. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Help us diaper KC by donating packs of disposable diapers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t public funds pay for this?
Programs such as food stamps or WIC do not cover diapers. Food pantries and other programs for low income families usually have a small supply of emergency diapers, but not a consistent supply for a family with a baby.

Why not give families cloth diapers?
While cloth diapers are great, they also require the ability to clean and sanitize them. Many of our families do not have on-site laundry facilities. Also, most day care centers require disposable diapers. The lack of access to disposable diapers can affect a parent’s ability to secure adequate employment that may help their family improve their economic situation.

The average cost for diapering a baby in the first year of life is $800.

Help us Diaper KC – donate today!
For more information please contact Nicole Davis at (816) 561-8784 or ndavis@gsp-kc.org.

Watch This Spot!

Coming soon! The Circle of Caring - fun, easy, volunteer activities for the whole family. Keep watching for more details!

Sister Kevin

After twenty plus years of service to Good Samaritan Project, Sister Kevin clocked in her last hour on Friday. For those of you who had the pleasure of working with her know how much she will be missed. I think this quote by Audrey Hepburn really describes her spirit.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

I'm From Driftwood

I was reading the profiles of 40 under 40 on Advocate.com. In addition to our own senator (and GSP friend) Jolie Justus, another profile also caught my eye. Creator and editor of I’m From Driftwood, Nathan Manske has made a place for sharing true stories of gay life. This quote from their website sums up the need for this type of outlet.

To the gay teens struggling to come out and deal with their sexuality, who to this day still attempt suicide 4 times more than straight kids, it says “you are not alone.” Other people have dealt with similar situations, families, communities and churches, and have overcome and are now living happy lives.
It can happen for you, too. It gets soooo much better, I promise. Hang in there, kiddo.

And to the people who don’t support equal rights, it says we’re not all that different afterall. We all have stories and problems and loves and lives just like everyone else. So maybe we should all be treated like everyone else, too.

Every day there is a new story, a different life reveled. So whether you’re part of the LGBT community, or struggling to come out, or an ally, this website is for you. Check it out at http://www.imfromdriftwood.com/