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World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit  
 
CMS Office of Minority Health (OMH) recognizes World AIDS Day on December 1.

The theme for this 35th commemoration is World AIDS Day 35: Remember and Commit. This message is fitting as we honor those we have lost and collectively commit to exploring innovative strategies and approaches to meet people with HIV where they are, reduce HIV health disparities, and help people with HIV get the care, treatment, and support services they need to optimize their health.

“The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the final stage of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In 2021, an estimated 1.2 million Americans were living with HIV, and more than 530,000 individuals were living with AIDS. While HIV and AIDS are present across all populations, HIV disproportionally impacts certain populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.”

Please see and utilize the following resources:

  • Visit OMH’s Manage Your Chronic Condition webpage to find resources for patients and providers looking to implement chronic care management for conditions like AIDS.
  • Share Coverage to Care Prevention Resources webpage to learn about preventive services available at no cost under most health coverage. Each resource is available in 8 languages.
  • Review CMS’s HIV and AIDS Resources webpage to find more information about prescription drug coverage through Medicare.
  • Visit HIV.gov to find resources and search your area for testing locations, services, and PrEP treatment.
  • Watch the CDC’s HIV Basics video to learn more about how HIV is transmitted, how to protect yourself from HIV, and how to keep yourself healthy and protect others if you have HIV.
  • Explore the CDC’s HIV Risk Reduction Tool to learn more about HIV and get tailored information about your risk and how to protect yourself.
  • Visit the CDC’s Living with HIV webpage for more information on care and treatment, job resources, mental health treatment, and more.
  • Visit the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Available Care & Services webpage to search for HIV care and support services and find additional information about seeking HIV services and treatment.
 
Black Hills AIDS Walk
 
In partnership with community health center Complete Health and local Ryan White Services crew in Rapid City, SD, Jenn Sobolik, CNP, AACRN, AAHIVS, sexual and reproductive health provider initiated the first annual Black Hills AIDS Walk. “We gathered to walk to show our patients that they are seen, heard, and valued – and so much more than their HIV status. Our hope is to raise awareness and decrease stigma in our community.”

If someone is living with HIV, the sooner we find out their status,
the healthier they will be for the rest of their life.

People tend to think that “not very many people in South Dakota are living with HIV.” More than 725 people are living with HIV in our state. However, only 28% of people in our state have ever been tested. This means that 72% of South Dakotans are unaware of their HIV status. As you know, lack of a test result does not mean lack of an infection. It just means they haven’t been tested. Our patients tend to be much more ill than the national average because they are so sick before we even find out they’re positive. This is where your help comes in.
  • EVERY PATIENT needs to be tested for HIV at least once in their life between the ages of 13-64, regardless of actual or perceived risk.
  • Men who have sex with men (MSM) need to be checked every three months unless in a mutually monogamous relationship.
  • The following people should be checked at least yearly:
    • Anyone who has a new or multiple sexual partners
    • Anyone who comes in for STI testing
    • Anyone with syphilis – also recheck an HIV lab at their 90-day follow-up
    • Anyone who injects drugs
    • Anyone who asks for a test, even if you don’t think they need it

HIV should be considered “opt-out testing.” This means it should not be presented as something separate from their regular care. Getting cholesterol checked and never had an HIV test? Get it at the same time and save them a poke.
Please consider an HIV test for any patient with the following:
  • Flu-like symptoms with negative Flu and Covid testing – HIV often presents like Mono with fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy
  • Unexplained weight loss – it’s not just a thyroid thing
  • Recurrent candida infections or oral thrush
  • Rash
  • Oral sores
  • Unexplained skin lesions
  • Fevers, night sweats, chills
 
Open Enrollment Ends January 15, 2024
 
 
Transgender Health Insurance Guide to the Marketplace
 
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you and your family are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when you’re exploring, applying for, or enrolling in health insurance coverage. That means access to the gender-affirming care you need & the right to be treated with respect.

Find your state’s Trans Health Insurance Guide at out2enroll.org/2024-cocs and #GetCovered today at HealthCare.gov. #KnowYourRights

Introduction to the guides and each state's plan documents are available here.
 
 
 
 
Upcoming Events
 
HIV/STI/TB/Viral Hepatitis Lunch and Learn | January 24, 2024, 12:00 pm CT/11:00 am MT
Register here.

Jenn Sobolik will be presenting on HIV and Aging.

For more information about the Lunch and Learn series or past webinar recordings, visit hhs.nd.gov/HIV/Education.
 
 
 
The Mountain West AIDS Education and Training Center (MWAETC) program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $3,333,289 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The content in this presentation are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government.

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