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