Michigan News Archives

See also the DHWDC section and News around the State

See Resources for and Events planned around Michigan for World AIDS Day

Note: St. Mary’s McAuley in Grand Rapids has moved. Their new address is: 310 Lafayette SE Suite 410. See Notice with map.

Fall News

MAF Releases Report Card for MI at Gala Event

The Michigan AIDS Fund chose a new tactic to wake up the citizens of our state to the realities of HIV/AIDS by releasing "HIV/AIDS in Michigan A Report Card," at their World of Desserts fundraiser in Detroit two days before World AIDS Day.

This report card was the result of a focus group meeting of care and prevention professionals as well as affected community members from around the state, weighing more heavily on the most affected Detroit metro area, that MAF gathered about a month ago to discuss the current issues and evaluate the state's progress 25 years into the epidemic. It is important to note this was an independent assessment conducted by MAF, neither a government nor an MHAC study, though key MDCH officials and some Michigan HIV/AIDS Council (MHAC) members took part.

This was a group of about 25-30 people MAF chose to participate. "We had the State's epidemiologist in the room to make sure the data were correct," said MAF Executive Director Stacey Barbas. The significant thing is there was concurrence among the group with the grading, according Barbas.

Care & Treatment	B-
Funding	B-
HIV Prevention	C
Public Policy	C

Care and Treatment

Kudos to the state for "one of the nation's most comprehensive formularies (list of drugs) through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program" and there is broad access to care and case management services. "Follow-through is needed to see that individuals who test positive are directed to the support and care services that will help them manage the disease," stated the MAF report.

Funding

"Funding challenges remain a significant obstacle to providing needed programs, especially for community-based and AIDS service organizations." "Funding for HIV prevention, in particular, is still inadequate despite the fact prevention programs are highly cost effective."

HIV Prevention

The report noted the significant reduction in mother-to-child transmission rates in Michigan and the notable decline in HIV infections among injection drug users - crediting the syringe exchange programs operating in the state. "However, infection rates among young people ages 13 to 24 continue to increase, three-quarters of whom are black," stated the report.

More access to prevention methods and education, as well as routine testing and screening are needed according to the report.

Public Policy

Noting may successes in the state, the report stated there is still a lack of leadership in our state "advocating for sound public policies related to HIV/AIDS."

"Lastly, the state must confront issues of HIV/AIDS among the incarcerated." While noting many good policies in place for this population, the report stated, "condoms should be provided in our jails and prisons to prevent HIV transmission."

See the full report card in PDF file. Note: This is a large file to download.

AIDS Memorial Quilt On Display in Michigan

Affirmations in Ferndale will display five 12 x 12 panels of the internationally celebrated AIDS Memorial Quilt – a 54-ton, handmade tapestry tribute to the more than 90,000 people lost to AIDS – from November 30-December 7. Affirmations and Michigan Employee Resource Group Education Network (MERGE) will host an opening reception of the Quilt on November 30 at 6:30pm in commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1. at Affirmations in Ferndale.

“The Quilt transforms statistics into souls, loss into hope, and indifference into understanding. That is why this World AIDS Day the NAMES Project Foundation has partnered with hundreds of organization around the country to try and get every 12 by 12 foot block of Quilt – almost 6,000 blocks – on display. We are so grateful that Affirmations and MERGE Network is part of this ambitious grassroots effort to raise awareness and saving lives,” said Julie Rhoad, Executive Director of The NAMES Project Foundation Affirmation Press Release (11/27/07)

The Kresge Art Museum and the Michigan State University Museum in East Lansing will also display portions of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on Saturday. On Friday, MSU's Olin Health Center will offer free, anonymous HIV testing from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A candlelight memorial vigil will take place Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. near Fairchild Auditorium. For more information, visit http://laanonline.org. Lansing State Journal, (11.25.2007)

Wright retires from Horizons Project
Between The Lines News reprinted with permission

MAPP CEO elected first gay mayor of Ferndale
FERNDALE -- City residents Tuesday seated the first openly gay mayor in the city and the first elected in the state of Michigan. Covey, a Ferndale resident for 18 years, founded the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project. See News Around the State.

Color Me Healthy
Another successful STD & HIV conference wrapped up on Friday November 2, 2007 at the Marriott Conference Center in Ypsilanti with an awards ceremony honoring a few of those who have done courageous, important and far reaching work throughout the year and a lifetime. Check back for more reports on the conference. See the Conference page for links to presentations.

2008 HPLS to be held in Detroit
The National HIV Prevention Leadership Summit (HPLS) will be held in Detroit, MI, June 11-14, 2008. Planning committees are forming now, contact Lisa Taton-Murphy at MDCH-HAPIS (517- 241-5932 or tatonl@michigan.gov ) if you would like to be involved. See the letter of invitation from HAPIS to participate on the Host Committee. See the Call for Abstracts (see page 2), with abstracts due on January 10, 2008.

MICHIGAN:
"Wayne State Grant Will Help HIV/AIDS Research"
Detroit Free Press, (10.30.2007) Ese Esan CDC NPIN Summary (11/5/07)
Wayne State University (WSU) will expand its research into treatments for people with HIV/AIDS, thanks to a $2.5 million grant from the national Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Mark Greenwald, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences, and colleagues plan to screen 1,160 patients over five years, providing assessment and motivational enhancement interventions to around half of them. The clinical researchers' goal is to "address the complex needs of individuals experiencing co-occurring conditions of substance use or abuse and HIV or AIDS among a primarily African-American and uninsured or underinsured population," said Greenwald.

"This grant is significant because psychiatry and the HIV clinic already have a comparable… grant to deliver mental health services to these patients," Greenwald noted.

"With the addition of this grant, we have a tremendous opportunity to create a comprehensive behavioral health unit to evaluate and treat the complex physical, mental health, and substance abuse problems of these patients," Greenwald said.

According to WSU, the metro Detroit area is home to over 10,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. The Detroit Medical Center HIV/AIDS Program currently provides care to more than 1,700 patients, 79 percent of whom are African Americans with incomes below the poverty line.

State Shutdown Over; Workers to Report to Work
State lawmakers reached a deal late last night to raise taxes and end a four-hour state shutdown.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/michigan/news.newsmain

AIDS Walk Michigan
This event was held in cities around the state September 29-30. Check the website, www.aidswalkmichigan.org, to see how this successful this fundraiser was in each community.

MICHIGAN:
"Bill May License Tattoo Parlors"
Detroit News, (09.21.2007) Gary Heinlein
The Michigan Department of Community Health would be put in charge of licensing tattoo parlors under a bill approved by the Senate Health Policy Committee and now being considered by the full Senate. The measure would also require local health departments to inspect the businesses on a yearly basis. Unsafe tattoo practices carry the risk of diseases including HIV, hepatitis B, tetanus, and tuberculosis.

Many tattoo artists have endorsed the measure. Also in favor is the American Red Cross (ARC), which sees the measure as a way to increase the potential pool of blood donors. The people most likely to get a tattoo — 18- to 20-year-olds — are also those most likely to donate blood, and federal law requires a one-year waiting period after a tattoo before a person can give blood. That provision, however, is waived if the donor can prove the tattoo was done at a state-licensed facility.

"From September to May, that's the chief donor pool," Sharon Jaksa, head of ARC-Great Lakes Region, said of school- and college-based blood drives. "On some of our blood drives, we'll have to defer up to 50 percent of the students who show up to donate."

The rules, which would take effect Jan. 1, 2009, stipulate:
*Each tattoo parlor must be inspected by the local health department before being licensed and again annually.
*Workers would have to conform to federal standards to prevent transmission of blood-borne diseases.
*Tattoos would be applied under sterile conditions only.
*Parlors would have to keep confidential records of customers.
*Parlors would face fines if they provided body-piercing kits or devices to minors.

MICHIGAN:
"Number of Teens with HIV/AIDS On the Rise"
Daily Tribune (Royal Oak), (09.14.2007) Catherine Kavanaugh
Young adults ages 13-19 make up an increasing proportion of Oakland County HIV/AIDS cases, from 13 percent in 2001 to 33 percent in 2005, the latest year for which figures are available. "The increase is significant," "scary," and it means youths are not getting the message to protect themselves, said Joy Schumacher, who became the AIDS coordinator for Oakland County in 1988.

On Sunday, the 17th annual AIDS Walk Detroit - which Schumacher helped start - may help to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, which is lagging, say organizers. AIDS Walk Detroit is Michigan's largest and oldest 5-K AIDS walk and run. The nonprofit organizers of the event, Steppin' Out, hope to attract 3,000-4,000 participants and raise $300,000. Proceeds will be split among local AIDS service providers. The walk and run will be held at the Royal Oak Farmer's Market, 316 E. 11 Mile Road.

As AIDS deaths have declined due to better treatments, Charlotte Paul, executive director of Steppin' Out, fears safe-sex and clean-needle awareness have also faded. Paul is also circumspect about state HIV/AIDS statistics, since the people who need to be screened often are not, she said.
Family, Maternal and Child Health, 201 Townsend Street, 6th Floor, Lansing, MI 48913, or e-mailed to oganc@michigan.gov by July 12 2007.A paper copy of the application is available by calling (517) 335-8946, or click here to view the electronic version of the application.

See Summer Archives

News Around the State

KARIBU HOUSE MARKS ITS 10th YEAR WITH SUCCESS AND CELEBRATION

(Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - Detroit, MI) Karibu House, Inc. has received an award announcement from the Arcus Foundation for $20,500 under the Arcus Gay and Lesbian Fund to support development of a multi-cultural community center in Detroit, primarily focusing on the LGBT people of color and ally communities. An official announcement will be made at Karibu House's annual Pre-Kwanzaa Brunch.

The organization plans to use this award amount to hire its first paid staff member that will focus on laying a foundation to support continued growth through creating both a strategic and donor base cultivation plan. These plans will guide the KH Board of Directors toward on-going organizational and program development.

This has been an extraordinary 10th year anniversary for Karibu House, Inc. a non-profit, multi-service community center that exists to promote the positive mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being and identities for lesbians, gays, bi-attracted, and transgender (LGBT) persons of color and allies. In addition to the Arcus Foundation's award announcement that will lead KH into 2008, and the next ten years, other achievements and recognitions mark Karibu House's 10th anniversary, such as: the University of Michigan award of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP), to conduct a needs assessment of LGBT persons of color and other community members across Metro Detroit; the Equal Access Initiative, which awarded Karibu House a state-of-the-art computer system to provide the community access to the latest information regarding HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), and Internet surfing; and a recognition award at the 98th Annual NAACP Convention, by the National Black Justice Coalition.

"Our board and volunteers continue proudly under the mission and work started by Karibu House co-founder Clifford Weems" says Reynaldo A. Magdaleno, Karibu House, Board Vice Chair. "We recognize the need to work together toward closing the gap of inequality and bridging relationships across communities. Our accomplishments this year will continue to fuel our combined efforts that will lead us [Board, Staff, Supporters/Volunteers, and Community] into the next 10 years as we make the center a reality."

In acknowledgment and celebration of its 10th year anniversary, Karibu House, Inc. will host its annual Pre-Kwanzaa Brunch on Saturday, December 8, 2007 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Hilton Garden Inn on Gratiot behind the Music Hall in Downtown Detroit.
Sponsors/Supporters, guests, and honorees will enjoy a delectable brunch and light entertainment by local performing artists in a smoke-free environment and share in:
. Learning more about Kwanzaa, an African American
holiday
. Installation of the annual Clifford Weems Award
. Announcing: Karibu House received an Arcus
Foundation Grant
. Presentation by founder of Detroit Public School's
first Gay-Straight Alliance

Dress in African attire if you have it. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door, Students 24 and under $20 in advance or at the door. Tickets are limited so purchase them early from any board member.
If you cannot attend, please donate a "scholarship"
ticket for an LGBT youth to attend. Donation of survival items for Simon House, home for women and children living with AIDS/HIV are welcome (soaps, lotions, diapers, etc.)

For tickets and information call (313) 865-2170 ext.
3. Tax-deductible donations can be made payable to "Karibu House, Inc." and sent to: Karibu House, Inc.
17800 Woodward Ave., Suite LL4, Detroit, MI 48203.

"Doctor Keeps License for Now"
Grand Rapids Press, (11.16.2007)
Kent County Health Department officials issued an alert on Nov. 14 that a Grand Rapids dermatologist allegedly reused sutures, syringes and needles, scalpels and gloves, and other unsterilized surgical instruments on patients. By the following day, 758 people called the department, and 132 made appointments to screen for HIV and hepatitis. The alert stemmed from claims made by three former employees of Dr. Robert W. Stokes during the course of an insurance fraud investigation.

The state Department of Community Health filed a complaint against Stokes on Oct. 11 to begin the long process of revoking his license. Stokes, convicted on 31 counts of Medicare and insurance fraud, has filed for a hearing to fight US District Judge Gordon Quist's April 9 order that Stokes stop treating patients. Stokes' license expires at the end of this year, and on Dec. 13 he is scheduled to be sentenced for fraud. No criminal charges relating to unsterilized instruments have been filed.

On Tuesday, the county sent letters to 4,900 of Stokes' Medicare and Blue Cross patients, notifying them of the possibility of disease exposure and the need for testing. Those patients were identified by federal officials during the insurance fraud investigation. But county officials believe many more patients were treated, including the uninsured and patients with other health plans, said Dr. Mark Hall, the health department's medical director.

Hall said the doctor did not follow proper sterilization practice, but he did have materials cleaned in a solution that normally kills HIV and hepatitis. The chance of patients being infected through treatment is slight, said Hall.

The Kent County Health Department will issue an order directing Stokes to surrender his patients' records, said Sherry Batzer, the county's corporate counsel. If Stokes refuses, the county will seek an order in Kent County Circuit Court, she said.

Wright retires from Horizons Project

By Jan Stevenson Originally printed 11/08/2007 (Issue 1545 - Between The Lines News) reprinted with permission

DETROIT - Heroine, friend, healer, confidante, mentor, advocate, teacher, champion, visionary. These are some of the adjectives to describe Dr. Kathryn Wright, an adolescent pediatrician who has devoted the last 15 years to treating teenagers in Detroit affected by HIV/AIDS. Dr. Wright founded the Horizons Project in 1992, an adolescent clinic with a mission to support and love children and families affected by HIV.

Her life's work, cut short prematurely earlier this year due to a medical disability, was recognized at a retirement celebration Oct. 12 at the Roostertail in Detroit, where over 250 people gathered to honor her remarkable legacy of care and service. Guests included fellow physicians, co-workers, patients, leaders of other HIV/AIDS organizations, friends and family. Dr. Herman Gray, M.D., president of Children's Hospital, lauded Wright, her career and her contributions through the Horizon's Project. He described her as, "loving, learned, tenacious, and one of the nicest people I've ever had to argue with." He jokingly described her dogged appeals for more support and resources for the Horizons Project, and he applauded her extraordinary ability to garner resources for Horizons, which he said brought in over $10 million in grants and contributions.

Several days after the celebration, this writer met with Dr. Wright at her home in Pleasant Ridge which she shares with her life partner, Joette Lambert, and their 16 year old daughter. Wright discussed her career and her passion for her patients. "Shame kills more than the disease," said Wright, who has treated over 1,200 people with HIV/AIDS between the ages of 13 and 24. "It is part of our (Horizon Project's) job to get them out of their shame and into a community. Eventually some of our patients have become teachers themselves and peer advocates. It's a powerful transformation to witness." Wright received her doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine at Michigan State University in 1980, and completed her pediatric residency at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, and an Adolescent Medicine Fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle. In 1990, she returned to Detroit and to Children's Hospital as an attending physician and a teaching physician at the Wayne State University School of Medicine.

It was not long after her return to Detroit that she began seeing her first cases of HIV/AIDS in teens. "Part of my clinical responsibilities were to provide service at a free clinic for teens at the Detroit Health Department," said Wright. "It was there in the early 1990s that I started seeing youth present with HIV/AIDS. It was also abundantly clear that these young people had a lot more needs than we were providing at the free clinic. They needed transportation, case management and patient advocacy. "It was tough," she said. "Two of my patients died violently. One was a transgender prostitute who was murdered, and the other patient was shot."

Wright realized that to effectively treat the young people at the highest risk for HIV/AIDS, she needed to expand services to treat the whole person and their family. "I would see young girls come to the clinic because they were pregnant. We had lots of single moms, and in the course of their pre-natal care we'd sometimes discover that they had HIV/AIDS. They were without community support, depressed and were unable to follow their medical regimen. Sometimes I'd feel like they would just give up and die," said Wright who set out to provide some of the services these young people needed so desperately. Wright said that the Horizons Project was created with the needs of the young people always at the forefront of their plans.

"We knew we needed to be very flexible with appointments, and that we had to work around significant issues that are unique to teens," said Wright. "Young people won't come to see me when they're sick because they were too ill to get there, and they won't come to see me when they were well because they feel good - why should they see a doctor? We have to be flexible and 'teen sensitive' or they won't connect, and they won't come back. So we would see then when they showed up, whenever that was, even if they didn't have an appointment."

Wright has a driving commitment to her young patients, and to understanding their special needs. When asked what she sees as the biggest challenge in dealing with HIV/AIDS in teenagers today, she gave a surprising answer. "Young people don't feel it's a death sentence anymore," she said, acknowledging that new drugs and treatment options provide hope for her patients. "But it is actually harder in some ways to get their attention, and to keep them involved in their care. There is more denial since the advent of these new medications, and the denial complicates treatment because they don't think they need care. It often takes about 10 years for teenagers to convert from HIV to AIDS, and in the beginning they are still pretty healthy. We've had to face lots of non-compliance with medications and other care regimens.

The Horizons Project developed a peer model that helped to bridge the gap between the medical professionals and their young patients. "We would develop and hire young people who were infected themselves to become peer models. They'd become mentors, friends and guides for newer patients who could identify with them. We found that it dramatically increased adherence, and sometimes the peers would become a family that they'd never had," said Wright.

At the celebration, speakers included fellow pediatricians and co-workers, and Horizon's Project staffers who created a video of some patients and staff. Each speaker, whether live or on video, had their unique story to tell about Dr. Wright, but a universal theme throughout each was a message of gratitude, respect and love for her and for what she had given them. For some it was hope, others support, still others said they gained physical health, and one young woman thanked Dr. Wright for saving her life. In all, it was an extraordinary testament to an extraordinary healer.

The Horizons Project will continue at Children's Hospital providing psycho-social and medical care to young people with HIV/AIDS, even though Dr. Wright will not be there. But she will be fondly remembered for her kindness and strength in reaching out to the most fragile of young people and giving them love, hope, care and a family that fully embraced them. When asked what she misses most, she said, "My patients. I really miss seeing them every day. I miss the staff too, but my patients have that special place in my heart." And she in theirs.

Ferndale elects first gay mayor
Catherine Jun / The Detroit News Nov 7
FERNDALE -- City residents Tuesday seated the first openly gay mayor in the city and the first elected in the state of Michigan. With all precincts tallied, Craig Covey, an openly gay city council member for eight years, garnered 1,918 votes; his challenger, Thomas Gagne, had 1,602. "We are showing the region a new way," said Covey, 50, in an e-mailed statement claiming victory. "This city embraces diversity, smart growth, efficiency, bi-partisan compromise, and eco-friendly policies." Leaders in the gay and lesbian community viewed the win as a resounding message of acceptance. "Wow, we've come a long way, baby," said Susan Horowitz, founder of Pride Source and co-publisher of Between the Lines, a weekly statewide gay and lesbian newspaper. With the legal battle over whether Proposal Two requires the granting benefits to same sex couples being waged now in the Michigan Supreme Court, Horowitz said the Ferndale vote was especially encouraging. "You just look at Ferndale as a really shining light in a state that's had some setbacks," she said. "I'm just ecstatic." Covey, a Ferndale resident for 18 years, founded the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project. As a city councilman, he has championed the city's Human Rights ordinance, mass transit and green-friendly policies. "We reject urban sprawl, partisanship, waste, and the old ways of division and fear among communities," Covey's statement said. His challenger, Gagne, ran on a platform that countered many of Covey's policies, and chided what he called "activism" on the City Council. He also has trumpeted the need to broaden the city's tax by attracting different types of businesses other than adult book stores. Last year, he helped defeat the civil rights ordinance that he says would have given gays special treatment in Ferndale. Many voters leaving the polls Tuesday said that Covey's sexual orientation had nothing to do with their support for him. "He represents the overall interests of everyone in the city," said Leah Closson, a resident of Ferndale for 16 years. "We're a heterosexual family with two kids and we own our own home. I feel he represents us."

Gay Middle Eastern group launches Arabic language helpline

Ferndale, MI – Ferndale is putting itself on the map again with
another first in the nation. AL GAMEA the GLBT Association of Middle
Eastern Americans launched an Arabic language helpline in partnership
with Affirmations earlier this fall. The helpline, which is the first
of its kind in the country, offers support from peers who understand
Middle Eastern culture as well as an ability to speak the language.

"We are thrilled to be able to break new ground" said David Ponsart,
co-founder and board member of Al GAMEA, "The gay and lesbian Arab
community in Michigan is beginning to find their voice, and it only
makes sense that we are there to listen."

Al GAMEA was founded by a group of friends who felt that GLBT Arabs
were overlooked and under represented. They wanted to create an
organization which would foster self esteem and provide support for
GLBT Arabs at all stages of coming out. They also wanted to create
opportunities for GLBT Arabs to network in safe social settings.

The helpline is part of a series of initiatives started by the group,
beginning with an event called Arabian Nights. "We talked to people
at Arabian Nights and asked what would you like most for the GLBT
Middle Eastern Community" said Chris Ramazzotti; co-chair "They told
me they wish they had someone to talk to, about the difficulty of
keeping their lives secret from their families, about dealing with
their religion and culture."

Affirmations, the community center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender people and their allies, was able to give AL GAMEA the
tools that they needed to make that happen. "I am so proud to have AL
GAMEA as a partner for the Arabic language helpline. This
demonstrates our commitment to diversity and service to all members
of the GLBT community" said Affirmations' CEO Leslie Thompson.

The Arabic language helpline is available the first and third
Saturday of every month from 4pm to 8pm. To reach them call 1-800-398-
GAYS (4297).

Al GAMEA is a human services organization established for support,
socialization, education and awareness in the GLBT Middle Eastern
Community Their Vision: A time when GLBT Arabs are no longer afraid
to celebrate their identity.

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