2010

Drug to prevent HIV brings promise and questions: San Francisco Chronicle - December 9, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; AIDS advocacy groups and public health leaders cheered the news from a study last month that an anti-retroviral drug used to treat HIV can also prevent infections - but it s a celebration complicated by questions of ethics and efficacy. Now that there s evidence that the drug Truvada works preven
Randy Allgaier, longtime S.F. AIDS activist, dies: San Francisco Chronicle - December 5, 2010; Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer; For almost a quarter-century, Randy Allgaier battled HIV and AIDS, a fight he waged with ferocity inside his own body and as a community activist whose efforts were recognized by the Obama administration at a July White House reception. Mr. Allgaier, whose efforts increased the care and services needed by those living
World AIDS Day in S.F. - remembering, celebrating: San Francisco Chronicle - December 2, 2010; Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer; Most memorials are raised after a great battle is won or lost. On Wednesday, an estimated 200 people gathered at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco s Golden Gate Park to acknowledge the war is still being fought. In tearful embraces, some observed the World AIDS Day service by remembering loved ones lost
Chronicle Editorial: Battle against AIDS gaining some ground: San Francisco Chronicle - November 28, 2010; The world - and San Francisco especially - has heard the soothing words before. The AIDS threat? It s fading. Breakthrough drugs are knocking down infection rates and keeping millions alive. Prevention tips are getting through, even when it s a taboo topic like sex. Then, according to the familiar pattern, the glad tid
Truvada cuts HIV risk significantly in S.F. study: San Francisco Chronicle - November 23, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; Gay and bisexual men who took a daily anti-retroviral drug significantly reduced their risk of contracting HIV, according to a study from San Francisco s Gladstone Institutes that public health officials are declaring a major breakthrough in the long struggle to slow down the global AIDS epidemic. The study, published
Sunday Insight: The beginning of the end for the War on Drugs?: San Francisco Chronicle - November 21, 2010; Joe Amon*; A report to the U.N. General Assembly at the end of October about the need for better sex education was met with a flurry of angry voices. African nations rejected the report. Caribbean countries said they took umbrage and wanted to put on record their strong disapproval. The report dared to say that comprehensive sex
AmfAR gala toasts Goldmans, Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Chronicle - November 17, 2010; Catherine Bigelow; Kicking off the festivities Friday at the Four Seasons Hotel for the AmfAR San Francisco Gala, actor and celebrated stylist Carson Kressley admitted that parts of his speech were written by someone else. So he wasn t sure how this particular crowd would respond to his opening line, which he launched somewhat tentativel
Macy's Glamorama at the Orpheum Theatre, S.F.: San Francisco Chronicle - October 27, 2010; Sylvia Rubin; The new hybrid fashion-variety-benefit show called Glamorama had its San Francisco premiere at the Orpheum Theatre with a high-energy mix of fashion, dance and music. Macy s venerable Passport fundraiser for HIV/AIDS research has morphed into a fast-paced, four-city touring production with guest artists and fantasy dan
Online report card shows S.F. health disparities: San Francisco Chronicle - September 23, 2010; Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer; San Franciscans who live in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood can expect to live 14 fewer years on average than people who live on Russian Hill. Suicide is the fourth-leading cause of early death among whites in San Francisco, but the eighth-leading cause among Latinos. About 800 people are injured or killed by ca
Macy Gray headlines Macy's AIDS benefit Glamorama: San Francisco Chronicle - September 19, 2010; Carolyne Zinko; Grammy winner Macy Gray is no Lady Gaga when it comes to fashion, but the headliner of Glamorama, the show replacing Macy s Passport as a local AIDS/HIV fundraiser, is forward-thinking about her love life. In Minneapolis last month, Gray - a single mother - told the St. Paul Pioneer Press she d like to date Apple CEO S
Zimbabwe frees Oakland church members on bail: San Francisco Chronicle - September 14, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; Four members of an Oakland-based ministry that works with orphans and AIDS patients in Zimbabwe were released from a Zimbabwe jail Monday, three days after they were arrested on suspicion of distributing drugs without a proper license, ministry officials said. The four East Bay residents - two nurses, a doctor and a co
Editorial: Zimbabwe must let AIDS caregivers go: San Francisco Chronicle - September 14, 2010; It s difficult to even look at the country of Zimbabwe without wanting to turn your eyes away. Dictator Robert Mugabe has ruined his country, which was once the breadbasket of sub-Saharan Africa. After a decade of Mugabe s violent, erratic behavior, many Zimbabweans live on grain handouts. That s the ones who remain: h
San Francisco jail installs condom dispensers: San Francisco Chronicle - September 8, 2010; Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross; Looking for a little action? You might want to try the San Francisco County Jail s San Bruno lockup, where authorities have installed 16 condom machines for the jail s 750 prisoners. The condom dispensers are the latest evolution in a safe-sex program that began in 1989, when health workers began distributing condoms t
Editorial: Obama's AIDS showdown: San Francisco Chronicle - September 6, 2010; Since the AIDS virus surfaced in San Francisco nearly 30 years ago, enormous advances have occurred. Governments woke up to the crisis and spent billions on treatment and education, actions that have flattened the once-hopeless upward curve of new infections. There s a new turning point ahead, one that has put the Whit
HIV-positive sculptor makes haunting 'ghosts': San Francisco Chronicle - September 6, 2010; Charlie Wells, Chronicle Staff Writer; He had a fast rise. Fresh out of art school, he had a trendy studio in San Francisco. He had gallery displays on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and curators clamoring over him. He had his own print exhibit at one of the largest museums in the country. Then in a few years, Daniel Goldstein found out he had something else: a
AIDS activists stage mock funeral in front of Pelosi's house (VIDEO): San Francisco Chronicle, Politics Blog - August 4, 2010; A group of about 25 AIDS activists, health care providers and those afflicted by HIV/AIDS performed a mock wake, procession and funeral today in San Francisco, starting at the intersection of Market Street and Castro Street, and heading to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi s San Francisco home for the staged funeral. The even
Editorial: Milestone on AIDS prevention: San Francisco Chronicle - July 22, 2010; The AIDS-causing virus has infected 33 million worldwide, killing at a rate of 2 million per year. Any medical breakthrough, extra money or public program to stem this enormous tide pales against such numbers. The disease continues on despite the tens of billions (much of it American) spent in the fight. But consider a
AIDS walk draws 25,000 participants: San Francisco Chronicle - July 18, 2010; Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer; San Francisco -- A man walking slowly with his partner, arm in arm, in matching black leather jackets down a path at Golden Gate Park had a simple explanation for his presence at Sunday s 24th annual AIDS Walk. It saved my life, Michael Pullis, 45, of San Francisco, said of the fund-raising work of the San Francisco AI
Many gay couples negotiate open relationships: San Francisco Chronicle - July 16, 2010; Meredith May, Chronicle Staff Writer; They call them San Francisco relationships. A term coined by the local gay community, it s defined as two men in a long-term open relationship, with lovers on the side. A new study released this week by the Center for Research on Gender & Sexuality at San Francisco State University put statistics around what gay me
Obama shifts AIDS strategy to high-risk groups: San Francisco Chronicle - July 14, 2010; Andrew Aylward, Chronicle Washington Bureau; Washington - The White House announced the nation s most sweeping national strategy ever for fighting HIV/AIDS on Tuesday, an effort that aims to cut infection rates by 25 percent in five years by shifting money to help gay and African American men who are at highest risk of contracting the disease. The plan marks the
Editorial: Obama's AIDS strategy a test of will: San Francisco Chronicle - July 14, 2010; This country has a better record on fighting AIDS overseas than it does at home. In 2003, Washington launched a $15 billion overseas effort to stem the outbreak in 15 hard-hit countries, but it neglected to focus on the plague here. President Obama wants to change this disparity with his own domestic AIDS plan. It keys
BORKERT, Claire: San Francisco Chronicle - June 28, 2010; Claire Diane Borkert, M.D. A prominent Bay Area AIDS physician, died peacefully at age 59 in her home in El Granada, California, on June 24, from cancer. A gifted doctor and natural conciliator, she devoted her professional life to the service of others, first as a social worker and then as an Internal Medicine physici
Costs prompt AIDS expert to close S.F. practice: San Francisco Chronicle - June 22, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; Dr. Marcus Conant, among the first AIDS specialists in San Francisco, who for decades had one of the world s largest private practices for patients with AIDS and HIV, has left town and moved to Manhattan. It s not a retirement, said Conant, 73 - he finally got fed up with the insurance industry and spiraling costs. He
Tiffany Woods helps transgender women: San Francisco Chronicle - June 20, 2010; Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer; Tiffany Woods left her office in Fremont one day last week to meet with a 17-year-old boy who identifies as a girl and has been rejected by her family. Woods is working with the youth to help her finish high school, set goals, think about a job and understand that she is not alone. This girl s family is traditional Cat
Feds take new look at gay blood-donor ban: San Francisco Chronicle - June 10, 2010; Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer; A federal advisory committee is set to begin hearings today to consider lifting its long-standing policy banning men who have had sex with men from giving blood. The prohibition, which has been in place since the mid- 80s, was intended to protect the blood supply from being tainted with the virus that causes AIDS. But
Christians blamed for anti-gay hatred in Uganda: San Francisco Chronicle - June 9, 2010; Andrew Aylward, Chronicle Washington Bureau; Washington - A leading Anglican bishop who fled Uganda after receiving death threats blamed U.S. Christian evangelical groups Tuesday for fomenting anti-gay hatred in his native country. Often these visitors do more harm than good, Christopher Senyonjo told a conference on gay rights in Uganda sponsored by the liberal
1,900 cyclists embark on AIDS ride: San Francisco Chronicle - June 7, 2010; Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer; SANTA CRUZ - More than 1,900 bicyclists began the 545-mile, seven-day trek from San Francisco to Los Angeles as part of the ninth annual AIDS/Lifecycle ride to raise money and awareness to treat and prevent the disease. This year s event, which supports HIV/AIDS services provided by the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center an
White House summit on AIDS' impact on black men: San Francisco Chronicle - June 3, 2010; Andrew Aylward, Chronicle Washington Bureau; Washington - The White House held its first summit on the impact of the AIDS virus on African American men Wednesday, pointing to evidence that the epidemic may be on the rise among black men. The summit convened policymakers and community and religious leaders in anticipation of the White House s National HIV/AIDS Str
Project Inform director traded in corporate gig: San Francisco Chronicle - May 6, 2010; Sam Whiting, Chronicle Staff Writer; Anne Donnelly is the director of health care policy at Project Inform Twenty-five years ago, Project Inform was launched in a garage on Dolores Street. In 1988, Anne Donnelly chucked a career at AT&T to work there. Now Project Inform has two floors of an office building on Mission Street, and Donnelly, 54, is the d
OPEN FORUM: Get tested, stay protected: San Francisco Chronicle - March 12, 2010; Cristina Pena; In 1986, my family discovered that I was HIV positive. I was one of only 20 infants in the greater Los Angeles area who had been born with HIV, before we really understood the virus and how to prevent its transmission from mother to baby. As a woman who has lived my entire life HIV positive, National Women and Girls HI
Ben Gardiner dies: gay rights activist, actor: San Francisco Chronicle - February 27, 2010; Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer; A memorial service will be held today for Ben Gardiner, a gay rights activist, actor, computer enthusiast and longtime fixture in San Francisco s Castro district. Mr. Gardiner, who died last month of heart failure at the age of 88, was a key player in gay rights and HIV/AIDS issues, friends and family members said. He
HIV count in state misses thousands: San Francisco Chronicle - February 23, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; California has missed tens of thousands of HIV-positive cases - at a cost of possibly tens of millions of dollars in federal funding - due to an outdated public health surveillance system for tracking patients, according to a report released Monday by the Legislative Analyst s Office. State epidemiologists estimate tha
S.F. man can sue feds for revealing HIV status: San Francisco Chronicle - February 23, 2010; Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer; A small-plane pilot from San Francisco, who hid his HIV-positive status for years out of fear of losing his license, can sue the government for disclosing his condition during a fraud investigation, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed Stan Cooper s damage suit in 2008, despi
Meals of Marin struggling to keep afloat: San Francisco Chronicle - February 19, 2010; Meals of Marin (MOM), the only organization in the County to provide healthy, nutritious hot and cold delivered meals to severely ill clients in Marin, is in serious financial trouble. The non-profit, which relies heavily on volunteers, grants and donations, was created 17 years ago by Executive Director Carola Detrick
Bill would ease ban on selling syringes: San Francisco Chronicle - February 17, 2010; Victoria Colliver, Chronicle Staff Writer; California is one of just three states that prohibits pharmacists from selling syringes without a prescription, but a bill introduced Tuesday could change that. The bill, by Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, builds on a similar law, a pilot program approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004 that is set to expire at
MIRANDA, Marcel: San Francisco Chronicle - January 20, 2010; Marcel Miranda III Passed away on December 6th, 2009. He was 53. Marcel was a social justice activist focusing on HIV and AIDS for over 20 years. For the past 5 years Marcel worked for Glide Health Services. He also worked for the NAMES Project Foundation, The STOP AIDS Project, and the SFDPH. Marcel had a passion for
Study warns of drug-resistant HIV strains: San Francisco Chronicle - January 15, 2010; Erin Allday, Chronicle Staff Writer; SAN FRANCISCO -- Drug-resistant strains of HIV could become more prevalent - even developing into mini-epidemics - in San Francisco over the next five years as patients live longer, healthier lives, according to a study by researchers at UCSF and UCLA. San Francisco public health officials emphasized that drug-resistan
'Big Pharma' feed biotech startups record funds: San Francisco Chronicle - January 10, 2010; Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer; The biotech industry raised a record $55.8 billion in 2009 despite hesitant stock and venture capital markets, as drug-company partnerships fed the cash-burning startups that develop new therapies. That represents a jump of 85 percent over the $30.1 billion recorded in 2008, according to Steve Burrill, whose San Franci
Millions lose health care, access, group says: San Francisco Chronicle - January 8, 2010; Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer; About 3 million poor Californians lost health benefits or access to health care, and thousands more lost their jobs due to state budget cuts imposed six months ago, according to a report released Thursday. The report, issued by Health Access California - a health care advocacy group - analyzed the effects of nearly $2

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