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Aging & HIV: Gilead Funds 30 Organizations with $17 Million; ViiV Project - "Aging/HIV has become the #1 issue from at least a clinical perspective"
 
 
  "By 2030, more than 80 percent of people living with HIV will have at least one age-related medical condition, such as cancer or heart diseaseā€¦..by 2030, 70% of people living with HIV will be over the age of 50" we must step up to the plate on this problem
 
from Jules: as many of you know I recognized this coming Aging & HIV problem about 13 years ago, went to the OAR and Jack Whitescarver & Bob Eisinger agree to taking this on: held a 1-year researcher panel which I sat on making research recommendations which were published and funding RFPs for aging & HIV. But this problem has become such worse & was not getting its deserved & needed attention. Now years later we are much older and PLWH are aging quickly so I reinvigorated my policy & advocacy efforts. In Jan this year the Georgetown O'Neil Institute led by Jeff Crowley and Sean Bland held the very first Aging & HV community policy meeting, a day long with a series of panel discussions, attended by many HIV policy advocates. In April FAPP, an HIV policy coalition based in DC held the 2nd panel meeting on Aging & HIV. This past year Gilead launched this $17 million Aging & HIV RFP initiative. Several years ago ViiV launched their project, information/link below, a community-based research initiative hoping to improve care for older aging HIV+. I can tell you we are facing a host of very serious problems: 1 - our population is aging very quickly: 75% are over 45 years old in key major cities, as reported by their DOHs; 2 - mortality is destined to get worse, to decrease due to PLWH having increased numbers of commodities and premature aging/immunosenescence: premature decline in immune system & aging; 3- more people are increasingly prematurely becoming frail, impaired & physically disabled, as well as worsening mental decline with aging & being over 65, they are increasingly unable to function normally & care for themselves; 3 - and to keep this brief, increasingly institutionalized housing & care, like that for our overall aging in the USA will become in great need for disabled HIV+, where will we house them? Stigma is a big deal; internalized stigma gets much worse for aging PLWH. Policy & improved care models are desperately needed. Geriatric care approach needs to be integrated into HIV clinics' care. Improved care for this very. The economics of this problem is also overlooked, healthcare costs are double for PLWH over 60, see Glasgow study below, this will burden the HIV care system & must be considered. As it is now HIV care is like over all healthcare in the USA, 15 minutes in and out of doctor's office - this does NOT work for our older PLWH who many many needs including more attention, this must be changed. Finally, older PLWH need services in the community & clinic & their clinics need to implement this & HRSA, the RWCA, HHS needs to pay attention & fund all this, right nw they too are ignoring this problem !
 
Gilead HIV Age Positively, Grantees listed below, Gilead will award more than $17.6 million in grants to support 30 organizations: "1- Improve Care Coordination, 2- Increase Resources for Better Well-being, 3- Educate and Inform Policy"
 
For more information visit:
https://www.gilead.com/purpose/partnerships-and-community/hiv-age-positively
 
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Steve Deeks says in Aging Video: "This has become the #1 issue from at least a clinical perspective"
New VIDEO - Staying Golden: Aging With HIV - (04/05/19)
 
NATAP Aging & HIV Dedicated website
 
CROI: Aging At CROI 2019 - (04/02/19)
 
the study found that HIV-infected individuals had an age advancement of 13 years - Do people living with HIV experience greater age advancement than their HIV-negative counterparts?
 
ART Promise is Gone For Older Aging HIV+ - (12/19/18)
 
Mortality in HIV aging - reduced by comorbidities, and immunosenesce: premature aging
 
GLASGOW:
The economic burden of comorbidities among people living with HIV in Germany; A cohort analysis using health insurance claims data - (10/29/18)
 
GLASGOW: Prevalence of mental health problems among people living with HIV: - (11/05/18)
 
Gilead Sciences Launches Age Positively Initiative to Address Unique Challenges of Aging Population Living with HIV - (03/01/19)
 
ViiV ADHOC Aging/HIV Study Registry / Database - "Loneliness Among Older Adults HIV+" - (03/01/19)
 
ViiV ADHOC - Aging with Dignity, Health, Optimism, & Community Study /Registry - (03/01/19)
 
OAR Advisory Council Meeting - Aging/HIV Discussion Slide Presentation by NIA HIV-Brain Researcher - Nov 15 2018 - (02/26/19)
 
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Those who experienced the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic remember the generation we lost, and the enduring impact that has had on our community.
 
Since then, we've made tremendous progress. This is the first time in American history when nearly 50% of people living with HIV are over the age of 50. Their stories are an inspiring and powerful reminder of the heroic efforts of all that have made these advancements possible.
 
It's now expected that by 2030, 70% of people living with HIV will be over the age of 50.
 

More critical work remains to be done. Aging with HIV presents new, different challenges for people affected by the epidemic and for the healthcare system as a whole. By 2030, more than 80 percent of people living with HIV will have at least one age-related medical condition, such as cancer or heart disease - an underexamined, underappreciated and underfunded public health issue demanding urgent attention.
 
Read more about what we learned here
 
This led us to invest in action. Gilead's Age Positively initiative aims to support programs focused on improving the quality of life and health for those aging. Gilead will award more than $17.6 million in grants to support 30 organizations - from healthcare organizations to advocacy groups working to address the interrelated challenges within the healthcare system and the general HIV community - addressing stigma, loneliness and better coordination of care.
 
Learn more about the work of our 30 grantee organizations here
 
Grantee organizations are working to improve care coordination, increase resources for a better well-being, expand education and inform policy.
 
Improve Care Coordination
People aging with HIV have unique needs that not all providers are equipped to meet. Our grantees work to make sure people aging with HIV receive care tailored to their needs through continuing education and training programs for doctors and nurses, co-location of medical services innovative models of care, and other strategies.
 
Increase Resources for Better Well-being
Aging with HIV affects a person's whole life, not just their health. Our grantees work to connect people aging with HIV to the additional resources they may need from mental health hotlines to meal delivery services.
 
Educate and Inform Policy
To deliver sustainable solutions, it's not enough to simply provide better care and services at the individualized level; we also need to fight for systemic change. Our grantees work to secure public funding for research, and advocate for laws that increase care for people aging with HIV.
 
HIV Age Positively Grantees
Through the Age Positively initiative, Gilead will award more than $17.5 million in grants to 30 organizations to support programs focused on improving the quality of life and health of those aging with HIV. Grantee organizations are working to improve care coordination, increase resources for well-being and educate and inform policy.
 
Improve Care Coordination
 
Borrego Community Health Foundation

Borrego Health, a 24-hour clinic FQHC in Southern California serving more than 1000 HIV+ persons, will implement an integrated, collaborative care program for older PLWHA with co-occurring methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Through collaboration with experts at UCLA and UCSD, Borrego and other providers in the Palm Springs area will receive training in geriatric medicine and Getting Off, an evidence-based MUD treatment developed for gay/bi men.
 
Family Health Centers of San Diego, Inc.
FHCSD aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary team-based intervention among people living with HIV ages 50 and older, including whole-patient care management, self-management group visits and in-home visits (as determined by patient acuity). FHCSD will evaluate changes in engagement in care and chronic disease clinical indicators, and we aim to replicate and disseminate best practices across our other clinic sites and among other Ryan White HIV medical providers.
 
HealthHIV
HealthHIV proposes an innovative, comprehensive, scalable program titled "Pozitively Aging" to ultimately improve health outcomes and overall well-being among aging people living with HIV (PLWH). The program focuses on care coordination enhancement and health system policy improvements through strategic data collection, synergistic medical and consumer education, innovative patient empowerment training, creative awareness building, inventive capacity sustainability and meaningful evaluation.
 
Hektoen Institute on behalf of Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center
CHAI 2.0 (CORE Healthy Aging Initiative) expansion project will focus on the HIV-positive population of the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center over the age of 60, whom have higher rates of comorbidities, greater risk of frailty and falls, and have higher rates of social isolation. CHAI will provide an intensified layer of support, with targeted activities co-developed/endorsed by the clients and supported by an integrated care model to holistically embrace, empower, and raise up "Aging Ambassadors."
 
Montefiore Medical Center
Montefiore proposes to create an evidence-based, HIV-specific Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment adapted to the needs older persons living with HIV (OPLWH), and implemented by providers from nursing, social work, nutrition, mental health and HIV-primary care within a multidisciplinary HIV clinic that cares for over 1500 OPLWH. This program is designed to be sustainable and scalable, serving as a basis for future efforts to "geriatricize" ambulatory HIV care sites nationally.
 
The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
ANAC proposes a multi-dimensional educational program with the goal of ensuring that aging people living with HIV are provided the best possible quality of life through optimal care and care coordination by nurses/nurse practitioners in settings where older patients are served. We partner with the major Gerontology Nursing Organizations and nationally recognized Schools of Nursing with Gerontology programs to deliver this education and training to nurses across the US. It includes solid and sustainable outcomes.
 
Us Helping Us-People into Living Inc.
The Silver Angel Unity Health Project is an innovative social change co-location model designed to address the growing complex needs and result in positive health outcomes for this growing vulnerable population through the integration of multiple clinical, behavioral and social services in the same physical space as well as coordination of services off-site to shift the paradigm for aging Black people living with HIV from a standard care to care that incorporates key geriatric principles.
 
Washington Hospital Center Corporation
MedStar Washington Hospital Center's outpatient HIV/AIDS program seeks to implement the STAR-50 model of care: STAR-50 is a patient-centered, socio-ecological model that incorporates care coordination, navigation services, peer support, clinician and community education, and a modified electronic health record to help patients improve their treatment outcomes, and overall quality of life as they age with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
 
Increase Resources for Well-Being
 
Abounding Prosperity, Inc.

Abounding Prosperity, Inc. (AP, Inc.) is proposing an expansion of its SAGE program, previously funded by Gilead. The proposed program will include an expansion of the program to serve vulnerable PLWH age 50 and over, including men who have sex with men, transgender men and women, and cis-gender men and women. Building on successes of SAGE, the proposed program will offer ongoing structured support to PLWH age 50 and over, utilizing a client-centered, holistic approach.
 
AIDS Project New Haven Inc.
APNH proposes to mirror the MPowerment model to build a program for HIV positive individuals over 50. MPowerment is an evidence based intervention, that builds positive social connection and healthy behaviors, for young gay and bisexual men of diverse backgrounds ages 17 - 29.
 
Community Healthcare Network Inc. (CHN)
Community Healthcare Network (CHN) proposes an evidence-based replication of the Transgender Women Engagement and Entry to Care Project (TWEET). The project's goal will be to improve the quality of life of HIV positive, transgender women ages 50 and above and their partners.
 
Legal Aid Service of Broward County Inc.
The HIV Age Positively Legal Advocacy Program will support safe and inclusive environments for Seniors aged 50+ living with HIV to promote their dignity, security and better health. The Program will use these funds to: (1) provide direct legal services to HIV+ Seniors; (2) develop training materials; provide training on HIV Seniors' needs and rights to staff at Assisted Living Facilities, Nursing Homes & Shelters; and (3) develop an HIV+ Seniors Bill of Rights and lobby for its adoption in FL.
 
Project Open Hand The California Food is Medicine Coalition ("CalFIMC"), a coalition of Medical Nutrition HIV Nonprofits covering 70% of California's population & more than 90% of California's HIV+ 50+ population. Through this project, we will solve two primary challenges: vast gaps in local and state policy and funding to support a sustained intervention for this population; and, an historically unsustainable model of care that creates reliance and through that reliance, overburdens our program capacity.
 
Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV & AIDS
The Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV/AIDS (PASWHA) will implement the HIV Age Positively: A Social Work Response Initiative to address the unique challenges that aging people face.
 
Regents of the University of California at San Diego 2nd AC+ (second ACT) is a new collaboration between the San Diego LGBT Center and the University of California San Diego with the goal to developing a "village" around OALWH to provide social interactions and comprehensive services to ultimately allow OALWH to age well.
 
Shanti Project Inc.
The Finely Aged Project expands Shanti's HIV Services for people living with HIV (PLWH) 50+ with: 1) A new Care Navigator focused on this population; 2) Medical case management (no recommendations of HIV meds); 3) Increased support for volunteer matches; and 4) Group activities with new Buddies Activities. We provide aging PLWH critically needed help on individual, peer-group and community levels so that our clients are better able to live healthy lives as they age with HIV.
 
Thrive SS Inc. The Silver Lining Project (SLP) is a continuation of THRIVE's HIV aging work that began in 2016 with the Silver Lining support group for BGMLH over 50. SLP is using the leadership of the network to create an intervention by and for BGMLH 50+.
 
University of California San Francisco
Ward 86 launched the Golden Compass Program in 2017 and seeks additional funds and a formal collaboration with PRC to provide holistic care for people aging with HIV, seeking to 1) improve care for common cardiopulmonary comorbidities; 2) ensure older adults with falls receive appropriate treatment; 3) integrate mental and behavioral health services with PRC to enhance social support.
 
Educate and Inform Policy
 
American Indian Community House Inc.

The goal of the proposed Healthy Elders Network (HEN) is to identify ways of improving access to care for Native American Elders living with HIV (NAELWH). The HEN will: identify social determinants of health for NAELWH; engage NAE LWH in the development of strategies for increasing awareness of culturally specific HIV care needs; and facilitate surveys and focus groups targeting Native Americans, health care providers that will to be analyzed for use in guiding future policy decisions.
 
APLA Health & Wellness
The goal of the California statewide Institute on HIV & Aging is to make evidence-based, community-informed recommendations that will promote policy and programmatic changes that lead to more appropriate clinical and supportive care for older adults living with HIV, which in turn will improve health outcomes and increase quality of life.
 
Cascade AIDS Project
Cascade AIDS Project's AGING WELL initiative will build on the work done in the first year of the project, by mobilizing HIV/AIDS long-term survivors, creating a coalition of professionals in the field, hosting educational/social events for survivors, improving communication and information sharing, and evaluating our efforts.
 
Gay Men's Health Crisis Inc.
GMHC will launch a National Resource Center on HIV and Aging (NRCHA). NRCHA, the first of its kind in the world, will serve as a leading hub for disseminating research-based information on HIV and Aging in order to improve the health and quality of life of older adults living with or at risk for HIV. The goal is to create opportunities for shared resources and information exchange on HIV and Aging to enable stakeholders to meaningfully participate in changing policy and practice.
 
My Brother's Keeper
MBK's Center for Research, Evaluation, and Environmental Policy Change (CREEP) proposes to partner with Open Arms Healthcare Center (Open Arms) and the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), to develop, implement, and evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of the HIV Age Positively: LifeStyle Demonstration Project (The LifeStyle Project).
 
New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elder (NOAGE)
NOAGE programs supports outreach, social engagement, support services, education, and advocacy on behalf of LGBT adults aged 50 and older who are living with or at risk for HIV.
 
SAGE
SAGE plans to build a dynamic, diverse, and long-term survivor driven HIV/Aging Think & Act Tank, mission-focused on publicly acknowledging, drawing much-needed attention to, and meeting the needs of long-term survivors and LGBT older people.
 
Tpa Network Incorporated (TPAN)
Positively Aging project is a unique collaboration between TPAN and the Reunion Project. The project will enhance the delivery of direct services in Chicago by TPAN to older persons living with HIV (PLWH), engage aging PLWH in expansion of TRP's national peer-driven support network and disseminate information, educational resources to a national audience through TPAN's magazine, Positively Aware.
 
The AIDS Institute Inc.
The AIDS Institute plans to launch the Institute for Policy, Education & Advocacy Resources for Aging Adults (IPEARAA) which will be the premiere resource and clearinghouse for valid information and educational materials, as well as, to facilitate opportunities for policy change, advocacy, capacity building and technical assistance and engage with meaningful involvement of persons living with HIV.
 
University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation Inc.
This project evaluates a pilot program to build capacity and expertise in the provision of comprehensive aging care plans and services within an established urban HIV center. Needs assessment and community listening sessions will inform provider training and structure of the expanded care model. This project will build expertise in geriatrics, a sorely under-resourced clinical specialty. This geriatric care model would serve as a guide to integrate aging services for other HIV centers.
 
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Gilead Sciences Launches Age Positively Initiative to Address Unique Challenges of Aging Population Living with HIV
 
Initiative to Provide $17.6 Million to 30 U.S. Organizations to Elevate the Work of Community Groups and Provide Support Needed to Strengthen Care for People Aging with HIV-
 
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 26, 2019-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) today announced it is providing $17.6 million in grants to 30 organizations in the United States through the Gilead HIV Age Positively initiative. This effort aims to enhance the lives of individuals aging with HIV by focusing in three priority areas: improving care coordination, increasing resources for better well-being, and educating and informing policies that impact people living and aging with HIV. Estimates suggest that by 2030, more than 80 percent of people living with HIV will face at least one age-related medical condition, compared to just 29 percent in 2010.
 
"Community partners who work tirelessly to improve the lives of people living with HIV inspire us all," said Amy Flood, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Gilead. "Gilead understands science alone is not enough to help people lead longer, healthier lives. That's why we work together with advocates, healthcare providers and community organizations to identify the unique challenges people aging with HIV experience and dedicate resources to maximize impact in communities across the country."
 
The HIV Age Positively grantees include longtime advocacy organizations, who are now better equipped to provide life-saving services to their communities, as well as newer organizations that add to the overall effort to strengthen care and services for this growing population. Each grantee was selected for their unique ability to articulate interventions that have the potential to transform the quality of life for people aging with HIV.
 
"Anyone who lived through the 1980s and '90s remembers the generation of Americans we lost to the HIV epidemic and the heroic work this community has done together to increase the life expectancy of people living with HIV," said Kelsey Louie, Chief Executive Officer, Gay Men's Health Crisis. "As they have in the past, Gilead brought experts together, listened to what our community needed and identified the organizations best equipped to tackle specific problems. Funding from HIV Age Positively is going to help long-term survivors combat loneliness, obtain access to the resources and support they need and create better, more personalized healthcare. Everyone deserves to live a long and healthy life and this program is going to help make that possible for countless people living and aging with HIV."
 
Aging people living with HIV face a unique set of challenges, and healthcare providers and the broader community of allies need additional resources to meet their needs. As part of the HIV Age Positively effort, Gilead convened an advisory board of experts with deep insights into the subject of aging with HIV.
 
"The advisory board created a space for leaders to come together and address these unmet needs of people aging with HIV," said Stephen Karpiak, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research at ACRIA Center on HIV and Aging at GMHC, and a member of the advisory board. "By spotlighting and uplifting potential interventions, we aim to shine a bright new light on the too often forgotten and marginalized community of people aging with HIV: the challenges they face, the resources they need and the support they deserve."
 
The advisory board members included healthcare providers, researchers and community advocates from AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), Test Positive Awareness Network (TPAN), the University of Pittsburgh, Boston University, ACRIA, University of California, San Diego, HTW Campaign, SAGE and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.
 
This group determined that addressing the interrelated challenges within our healthcare system and the general HIV community, like stigma, loneliness and better coordination of care, is essential in reaching a viable solution to these challenges.
 
Recipient grantees include:
 
• Abounding Prosperity - Dallas, TX
• The AIDS Institute, Inc. - Nationwide
• AIDS Project - New Haven, CT
• American Indian Community House, Inc. - Nationwide
• APLA Health & Wellness - California Statewide
• The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care - Nationwide
• Borrego Community Health Foundation - Southern California
• Cascade AIDS Project - Oregon and Southwest Washington
• Center for Health Justice, Inc. - Los Angeles, CA
• Community Healthcare Network, Inc. - New York, NY
• Family Health Centers of San Diego, Inc. - San Diego, CA
• Gay Men's Health Crisis - Nationwide
• HealthHIV - Nationwide
• Hektoen Institute for Medical Research - Chicago, IL
• Legal Aid Service of Broward County, Inc. - Broward County, FL
• Montefiore Medical Center - New York, NY
• My Brother's Keeper - Mississippi (Statewide)
• New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) - New Orleans, LA
• Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV & AIDS - Nationwide
• Project Open Hand - San Francisco, CA
• Regents of the University of California at San Diego - San Diego, CA
• SAGE - Nationwide
• San Francisco AIDS Foundation - San Francisco, CA
• Shanti Project, Inc. - San Francisco, CA
• Thrive SS, Inc. - Nationwide
• Test Positive Awareness Network, Inc.- Chicago, IL
• University of California, San Francisco - San Francisco, CA
• University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation Inc. - Baltimore, MD
• Us Helping Us - People Into Living, Inc. - Washington, DC
• Washington Hospital Center Corporation - Washington, DC
 
For more information visit:
https://www.gilead.com/purpose/partnerships-and-community/hiv-age-positively

 
 
 
 
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