California: Forum on New HIV Treatment Guidelines

The San Francisco Department of Public Health's new HIV guidelines, which recommend treatment for all persons diagnosed with the virus, regardless of CD4 T-cell count, will be the subject of a community forum next week sponsored by the Stop AIDS Project's Positive Force. "What has been missing in many of the discussions about early treatment is that there is more to treatment than taking pills; the importance of peer support from other people with HIV in making this decision; and how under- or uninsured people will be able to access medication if they choose to start," said Justin Patrick Jones, the Positive Force program manager who is organizing the forum. The panel will include two HIV-positive persons with differing views of the recommendation: One has elected to start taking medications, while the other is choosing to wait. Also speaking will be Matt Sharp of Project Inform, HIV specialist Dr. Rick Loftus, and other patient-advocates. The forum will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, in the Rainbow Room of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market St. For more information, contact Jones at 415-575-0150 ext 250 or jjones@stopaids.org.

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