The PASWHA Press

THE Newsletter for Members of the Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV & AIDS {PASWHA}

Fourth Quarter 2013 Edition

The 2013 theme for World AIDS Day is "Shared Responsibility: Strengthening Results for an AIDS-Free Generation."

President's Message
As we approach Thanksgiving and Chanukah together for the first time in 125 years and will not be again in my lifetime and many of you as well I thought it was appropriate to address both in relationship to PASWHA. We should all be very thankful that WE A lan R ice, LCSW have kept PASWHA a float for another Board president year in what is continuing to be very difficult economic times. So a big thanks to ALL of the members that have rejoined and to the BOARD for all of their hard work as WE all work very hard at our full time jobs as well. If you don't know the story of Chanukah,
in 168 B.C .E. the Jewish Temple was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. This upset the Jewish people, but many were afraid to fight back for fear of reprisals. Then in 167 B.C .E. the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death. He also ordered all Jews

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to worship Greek gods. Jewish resistance began in the village of Modiin, near Jerusalem. Greek soldiers forcibly gathered the Jewish villages and told them to bow down to an idol, then eat the flesh of a pig - both practices that are forbidden to Jews. A Greek officer ordered Mattathias, a High Priest, to acquiesce to their demands, but Mattathias refused. When another villager stepped forward and offered to cooperate on Mattathias' behalf, the High Priest became outraged. He drew his sword and killed the villager, then turned on the Greek officer and killed him too. His five sons and the other villagers then attacked the remaining soldiers, killing all of them. Mattathias and his family went into hiding in the mountains, where other Jews wishing to fight against the Greeks joined them. Eventually they succeeded in retaking their land from the Greeks. These rebels became known as the Maccabees, or Hasmoneans. Once the Maccabees had regained control they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. By this time it had been spiritually defiled by being used for the worship of foreign gods and also by practices such as sacrificing swine. Jewish troops were determined to purify the Temple by burning ritual oil in the Temple's menorah for eight days. But to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left in the Temple. They lit the menorah anyway and to their surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days. This is the miracle of the Hanukkah oil that is celebrated every year when Jews light a special menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit

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PASWHA is down to enough oil for one day and we are hoping that it will continue to light for many days after. If you are reading this and your membership is up for renewal please renew as soon as you can and think about a sustaining membership of $100.00. Please reach out to your colleagues who are not members or to those that have not renewed and make a pitch for them to join or renew. We need all of us to be active participants in making sure that PASWHA remains and the only way we can do this is through increased membership. Or when the webinars are being offered let all of your colleagues know they can register at a very nominal cost if they are not members. As another World AIDS Day approaches, it remains clearer than ever that there is still so much work to be done regarding HIV and AIDS from the prevention side as well as the intervention and research sides. The 1200 social workers that were surveyed told us PASWHA is a needed organization. They could not have been wrong and I would imagine more now than ever with all of the health care changes happening. Who better to lead the way than us? Please help YOUR organization. The oil is slowly disappearing. Happy Holidays to all,

PASWHA Webinar Series

Stay tuned! the next Webinar is scheduled for January 2014
The Nov.6, 2013 Webinar is now archived on Your Website:
The topic: Giving HIV Test Results
The current global emphasis on "test and treat" and "treatment as prevention" has made HIV testing a more critical component in the spectrum of HIV care than ever. The ability to give HIV test results in a calm, non-

Alan Rice, LCSW President, PASWHA Board

An interview with Michael Lohri, LICSW ,

judgmental, and appropriate manner can make a significant difference in client reaction and have an impact on future risk behaviors. This webinar addressed messaging for both positive and negative test results including handling shock and distress, providing comprehensive behavioral risk reduction counseling, emphasizing the importance of immediate HIV care to ensure optimal health outcomes, as well as disclosure considerations. Presented by:

in Huntington, WV. New Board member & Chair of the Membership Recruitment & Relations Committee
PASWHA Press reporter{PPr} "Would you please give our readers some background on you?" I'm originally from West Virginia and have spent most of my almost 23 years of professional life in Washington, DC as a psychiatric social worker for the DC Government. Ironically, I secured a federal position, not in DC, but back in West Virginia. PPr " In what work are you currently engaged? I am currently a substance abuse therapist at the VA Medical Center in Huntington, WV. Since coming here, I have become a volunteer at the local AIDS Task Force and began a social support group for HIV'ers. PPr "In your Social Work and volunteer work, why are you interested in HIV/AIDS?" My HIV work began in 1984 when I was a hospital volunteer and visited a man dying from AIDS. It was then being with Jeff as he transitioned to death that I knew that I would be involved with this crisis until there is a cure. A year later I joined the Peace Corps and upon my return in 1987 I came home to my small town of 2,000 in West Virginia only to find out that 2 people (one a very good friend) were infected. I volunteered with the AIDS Task Force in Wheeling as a buddy and as a community educator. During graduate school at West Virginia University in Morgantown, I became a volunteer at the Mountain State AIDS Network and joined the board, eventually becoming its president. I moved to Washington, DC and began my one and only full-time HIV position in an outpatient HIV Clinic at DC General Hospital. I also volunteered at the NAMES Project and co-facilitated a

Marla A. Corwin, LCSW, CAC III

PASWHA Board Member Clinical Education Coordinator Mountain Plains AIDS Education & Training Center Instructor University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus Aurora, CO

Sept. 17, 2013 Webinar now archived on Website:

The topic:
Examining Minority Stress Theory & Implications for Sexual Risk Behavior among Gay & Bisexual Men An examination of minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003) adds significant insight into the critical application of theory with relation to a broader understanding of sexual risk behavior, including sexual transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV transmission, while clarifying and underscoring the role that stigma, prejudice, rejection and internalized homophobia might cause in fueling HIV and substance use among gay and bisexual men. Presented by:

Michael P. Dentato, PhD

Assistant Professor Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work Chicago, IL

project to bring part of the AIDS Quilt to local places of worship in a display called "Their Spirit Lives On". Also, while in DC, I worked as Clinical Director for an ASO serving primarily transgender sex workers. PPr "Wow, that is very impressive. It sounds as if you're really committed." For the past 29 years HIV has been my passion. Although a small part of my professional life as a full-time social worker has been in HIV, I have volunteered most of the time. I became infected and for the past 15 years I am a person living with HIV who is a professional social worker. Strange how life works. PPr "How did you become interested or a member of PASWHA?" I went to my first conference, where PASWHA was represented and members presented, two years ago and met Joe Wigon, board vice president, who asked that I join and I felt very energized. I was unable to attend last year, as I attended the International AIDS Conference in Washington but went this year and joined the board! Since then I volunteered to chair the Membership Committee. My focus is to partner with ASO's and other organizations in an effort to increase corporate membership with employees who are social workers and non-BSW/MSW case managers. PPR "Have you realized any benefits from being a member of PASWHA?" Being a member of PASWHA has definitely benefited me as it has given me credibility as a professional social worker, who has worked in psychiatric and substance abuse setting. When clients with HIV have come to me as a mental health or substance abuse counselor, I feel that I have learned from the two conferences and online Webinar/CEU courses that PASWHA has offered. Most important has been the opportunity to network with other AIDS warriors, who are members of PASWHA, on the front lines, when we meet nationally. PPr "As a new board member and chair of the Membership Recruitment committee, what do you say to members, who may be on the fence about renewing their membership or encouraging colleagues to check PASWHA out?" Now more than ever is an organization like PASWHA needed; Social Workers employed in and volunteering in ASO's possess needed expertise to confront complex problems in medical and social service delivery. Being a member of PASWHA lends to the importance of bringing HIV to the forefront again. In spite of advanced biomedical progress people are still becoming infected. Even though there have been education and prevention efforts for over 30 years people have become complacent. There is still much stigma against mental illness, drug use, sex work and HIV. There is still discrimination

PASWHA is excited to announce the launch of the PASWHA Facebook page!

In an age of access to and frequent utilization of a wealth of web-based resources, communications, and news, social workers are among those relying on their mobile devices and computers for quick access to current information. PASWHA will be posting relevant news, resources, and opportunities for professional networking and continuing education; "like" us on Facebook to stay connected: https://www.facebook.com/PASWHA

Professional Development & Education Committee Chair

Lucy Cordts featured on National AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC) Website:
http://blog.aidsetc.org/patient-protection-andaffordable-care-act-ppaca-key-considerationssocial-work-practice

against LGBT people. Until there is a cure we will need organizations like PASWHA to journey beside the HIV community in influencing our medical, legislative, religious, social and educational systems. Join PASWHA as an effort to demonstrate putting feet to your thoughts to dispel any doubt that one person can make a difference. Join PASWHA as a political statement to show our profession's clout as a specialty practice. PPr "Michael, thank you for your candor, commitment and best wishes to you and your committee for continued success on behalf of us all!" Thank you. PPr: If you'd like to work with Michael on membership recruitment, have questions, or want more info, you may email him @ Michael.Lohri@va.gov

Check out your PASWHA Website www.paswha.org

Recently added a job opportunity as well as articles of interest, updates on the Affordable Care Act and other information selected of special interest for professional social workers and others with interest in HIV/AIDS.
(For member only pages, your User ID is: Social1 and your password is Work2.)

Resources for Understanding and Implementing the Affordable Care Act Rusty Bennett, Policy & Research Committee, Chair

rticle Title
The implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) certainly has been the topic of the day. ACA implementation and its impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, on our programs, and agencies has been the topic for discussion at this year's U.S. Conference on AIDS (USCA) in New Orleans, the North American HIV/AIDS Housing Research Summit in Montreal, and numerous other conferences I have attended this year. I believe we can all agree that access to and maintenance of healthcare is a critical component of care for all people living with HIV/AIDS. As we work within our agencies and with our clients, it is critical that we understand the health resources that exist with our own communities. Fortunately, there are a plethora of great resources available to us to learn about health reform and its

Please let us know if you or a colleague have changed Email addresses or you wish your PASWHA emails to go to a different email address. Thank you! tony@collaborative-solutions.net

implications for our clients, programs, and agencies. Below, I've pulled together a listing of ACA resources that I have found most helpful. Highlights from the USCA 2013, New Orleans, LA USCA 2013 Recap Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgr1ckCn1cY HIV Health Reform as compiled presentations related to health care reform on their website http://www.hivhealthreform.org/2013/09/08/goingto-usca-get-your-health-reform-town-hall-sessionsinfo-here/ Dr. Grant Colfax, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) participates in the Federal Panel on Health care reform and its connection to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. See more at: http://blog.aids.gov/2013/09/usca-2013-federalplenary-on-the-affordable-careact.html#sthash.5i2xqOSI.dpuf Conversations with AIDS.gov: Dr. Ron Valdiserri and Paul Kawata http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=X3NdrsOr8o Highlights from the North American HIV/AIDS Housing Summit, Montreal, Canada Theme "Closing the Housing Gap in the Treatment Cascade" Many of this year's presentations discussed ACA implementation and the connection of housing to ensuring access to and maintenance of health care. Presentations from this year's conference can be found at http://www.hivhousingsummit.org/2013.html Additional Resources HIV Health Reform http://www.hivhealthreform.org/ - HIV Health Reform is offering a variety of free webinars related to the ACA. Webinars and resources can be accessed via their website free of charge. Market Place Health Plan Assessment Toolkit http://www.hivhealthreform.org/assessment/ The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation,

The Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV and AIDS (PASWHA) energizes and supports social workers and other professionals providing social work services to impact the disease through education, research, policy/advocacy, networking, and professional development.

Harvard Law School, has developed a health plan assessment toolkit. The toolkit provides direction on how to assess individual plans for appropriate coverage especially related to people living with HIV/AIDS. Healthcare.govhttps://www.healthcare.gov/ - The federal government's web portal for all things health care reform related. Kaiser Family Foundation Health Reform Central (http://kff.org/health-reform/) - The website provides national and state-level facts sheets and general health reform information. Do you have internet resources you would like to share? Send them to Rusty Bennett, rusty@collaborative-solutions.net.

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