Nyhiv.com
POLICY COMMITTEE
Adrian Guzman, JD, MPH and Matthew Lesieur, MA, Co-Chairs
Village Care at 120 Broadway, Suite 2840
10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Members Present: Yves Gebhardt, Adrian Guzman, Matthew Lesieur, Jason
Lippman, Amanda Lugg, Jan Carl Park, Kimberleigh Smith
Members Absent: Graham Harriman, Esther Lok, Paul Meissner, Carlos
Rosario, Lyndel Urbano
NYC DOHMH Staff Present: Nina Rothschild, DrPH
Others Present: Billy Fields, David Martin
Material Distributed:
Agenda Minutes from the February Policy Committee Meeting AIDS United Policy Action Center Material on Sequestration, HIV
Discrimination by Insurance Companies, King v. Burwell, Coverage for PrEP and PEP
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: President's Sequestration Relief
Would Ease Austerity Without Raising Deficits
March 1 Issue of Medicaid Watch Fair Pricing Coalition Documents re HIV Drug Costs and Price
Letter to CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb re Cost of Sustiva Letter from HIV Medicine Association and American Academy of HIV
Medicine Regarding Treatment of HIV and HCV Co-Infected Patients
Black AIDS Institute Report: When We Know Better, We Do Better Planning Council Calendar for March 2015
Welcome/Introductions/Moment of Silence/Review of the Meeting
Packet/Review of the Minutes: Matt Lesieur and Adrian Guzman welcomed
meeting participants. Attendees introduced themselves. Kimberleigh Smith
led the moment of silence. Nina Rothschild reviewed the contents of the
meeting packet. The minutes from the February meeting were accepted for
posting on the Planning Council website at nyhiv.org.
Federal Budget:
A hearing on appropriations will take place in April. The CAEAR
Coalition is drafting a statement. House and Senate budget bills are inauspicious for HIV.
340B Program:
The CAEAR Coalition will submit testimony on the 340 B Program. This
concerns millions of dollars for programs with pharmacies.
High Cost of Sustiva:
The Planning Council will send a letter to the CEO of Bristol-Myers
Squibb concerning the high cost of Sustiva.
AIDS Watch:
AIDS United is organizing AIDS Watch for April in Washington, DC. Profiles are available for each member of the New York Congressional
delegation with data including the number of people in the district with HIV. Individuals who speak with their Congressional Representatives during AIDS Watch can bring the epidemic home to legislators by providing information about the number of PLWHA in their district.
Committee members agreed on the importance of connecting to
legislators' chiefs of staff – i.e., to the policy people – not to the letter-writers in the home offices.
New York State Budget:
The New York State Senate Republicans rejected Governor Cuomo's
End of AIDS proposals because he hasn't distributed his blueprint for Ending the Epidemic. Only a tiny amount of money has been allocated to date: $5 million per year. The Governor's Task Force on ending the epidemic wasn't asked to create a budget.
The Governor's Executive Budget proposed an increase in the amount
of money for runaway/homeless youth.
City Issues:
Jan Park suggested that Planning Council staff invite DOHMH staff from
the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to discuss priorities.
Currently, no major budget items exist at the City level. HASA is in need of reform. Local Law 49 specifies caseloads for HASA
caseworkers. If HASA for All is implemented, more case managers will be needed. Stay tuned regarding a single point of access for HASA clients – meaning that PLWHAs would not need to become sick before qualifying for HASA.
Planning Council Legal Services Update:
Current legal services contractors can provide immigration-related
services under the current directive.
King v. Burwell:
Thirty-six states haven't established state exchanges. The issue before
the US Supreme Court is whether individuals in these states can use federal subsidies to buy insurance on federally-run exchanges. This issue can be tracked on Scotusblog.
Not much is known about alternatives to the ACA proposed by
HIV Criminalization:
Advocates want to focus on modernizing criminal laws and outlining a
strategy applicable to any state.
Even if a PLWHA is not convicted when charged under HIV
criminalization laws, he or she may have to register as a sex offender.
Having a rapid response team to assist when a PLWHA is accused of
HIV-related crimes would be helpful.
David Martin asked whether there is any attempt to update the science,
given that the relative risks of transmission via sexual conduct depend on viral load.
Last year, a nurse sponsored a bill in New York about throwing the
contents of a toilet bowl.
Condoms as Evidence:
The NYPD's memo on the topic doesn't go far enough. A coalition here in NYC is working to end the use of condoms as
evidence of intent to engage in prostitution.
Planning Council staff can reach out to the mayors of cities and towns in
the Tri-County region, who operate separately from Mayor de Blasio, and ask how they handle the issue.
Planning Council staff can reach out to counterparts in San Francisco
and ask whether the SF Planning Council played a role in creating the current policy regarding condoms as evidence.
Health Literacy:
Nina Rothschild summarized a document from the Black AIDS Institute
on the low health and scientific literacy of non-clinical HIV/AIDS workers in the US and some territories.
Health literacy is an important topic to consider when the IOC
Committee develops service directives, and staff health literacy should be part of the condition of the award when DOHMH contracts with providers.
UNAIDS Task Force:
The UNAIDS Task Force has begun hosting regional meetings.
Mail Order Pharmacies:
GMHC is heading a drive calling on the Governor and the NYS
Legislature to allow patients to choose whether or not to use mail order pharmacies. If you or your organization wants to sign on, please contact Lyndel Urbano at [email protected].
Items for Follow-Up:
Planning Council staff will build on the presentation on the care status
reports at the previous Policy Committee meeting and arrange for a presentation to the full Planning Council in May.
Planning Council staff will invite staff from DOHMH's Intergovernmental
Affairs to discuss the Department's legislative agenda.
Planning Council staff will send out directions about how to connect to
the FAPP list-serve.
The Policy Co-Chairs will send information on Congressional Districts
to committee members so that, as constituents, they can schedule visits with their Representatives.
Planning Council staff will invite elected officials Hoylman and Johnson,
along with VOCAL, to address single point of access to HASA.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned.
Source: http://www.nyhiv.com/pdfs/committees/Policy%20Committee%20Meeting%20Minutes%203-20-15.pdf
Neither lavender oil nor tea tree oil can be linked to breast growth in young boys Robert Tisserand Introduction In 2007, a correlation was alleged between commercial products containing lavender and tea tree oils and breast growth in young boys. Three cases were seen in boys aged 4-7, who had all been using such products. In each case, the breast growth reduced to normal parameters within several months of ceasing to use the products. Subsequent laboratory testing showed that both essential oils had estrogen-like properties (Henley et al 2007). In the report, no information was given about any of the product ingredients, and there is scant information on product use. No analysis was carried out to confirm or rule out the presence of essential oil constituents. Case one In the first case, "The patient's mother reported applying a "healing balm" containing lavender oil to his skin starting shortly before the initial presentation." No further details of the product or its use are given, but a healing balm sounds like something that might only be applied to a small area of skin. If so, then it is unlikely that any ingredient could have entered the boy's blood in sufficient concentration to cause gynecomastia within a short time period. Case two In the second case, a styling hair gel was applied to the hair and scalp every morning, along with regular use of a shampoo. Both tea tree oil and lavender oil are cited on the ingredient list of both products. In a subsequent website report, it is claimed that the two hair products used in this case were manufactured by Paul Mitchell®, and that these were analyzed by a competitor. The shampoo was said to contain "very low concentrations" of tea tree oil, and the content in the hair gel was "virtually undetectable". Lavender oil concentration was not checked (Neustaedter 2007). Dermal absorption of fragrance from shampoo application has been estimated to be 80 times less than that from body lotion (Cadby et al 2002) and tea tree oil constituents are poorly absorbed by human skin. In one study, only 3% of the essential oil volume, applied as a 20% concentration in ethanol, was absorbed in a 24 hour period (Cross and Roberts 2006). If the website report is reliable, considering that shampoo is a wash-off product, and that there was only a negligible amount of tea tree oil in the hair gel, tea tree oil can be ruled out as a possible cause of this boy's gynecomastia. However, liberal use of a hair gel rich in lavender oil could result in moderate dermal absorption of lavender oil constituents (Cal 2006).
Etude Suisse sur la santé des enfants après une maladie grave Questionnaire pour les parents Ce questionnaire s'intéresse à la santé et à la qualité de vie des enfants qui ont été atteints d'une maladie grave (cancer, leucémie ou tumeur). Les résultats aideront les médecins à améliorer le traitement et le suivi de ces enfants. Vos réponses resteront strictement confidentielles. La première page con-tenant votre nom sera détachée du questionnaire et traitée de façon confidentielle. Ensuite les données seront saisies et analysées anonymement.