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Expanding the Definition of Care for HIV Long-Term Survivors

Honoring Resilience of the Community, Raising Awareness of Challenges Ahead

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Jeff Berry didnā€™t choose a career in HIV advocacy, the career chose him. After being diagnosed with HIV in 1989, Berry stumbled upon Positively Aware, a magazine providing critical information on care and treatment options, during a support group meeting. Leafing through its pages, he realized how important it was to have a place to get information specifically tailored for survivors. Before long, heā€™d launch a career at the magazine for nearly 30 years, a position he held until a few years ago when he left to lead The Reunion Project, a national alliance of HIV long-term survivors that he co-founded in 2015 and is focused on addressing the unique care and treatment needs facing the growing community. 

“We launched The Reunion Project when a lot of people were starting to gather and talk about the distinct challenges long-term survivors face,” Berry explained. “It hadn’t really been discussed previously. Many were still dealing with the trauma and loss of the epidemic, but enough time had passed where we could revisit and focus on the specific needs of those of us aging with HIV.”

As we mark Long Term Survivors Day on June 5, honoring the resilience of this community and raising awareness about the challenges they face becomes even more crucial. More than half of the adults living with HIV in the U.S. are over 50 years old, and by 2030, that number is projected to reach nearly 70% ā€“ a statistic unimaginable 30 years ago. 

Despite this incredible progress, the increase has brought in its own set of challenges when it comes to supporting an aging population with distinct care and treatment needs. A study of individuals with HIV in South Africa showed that individuals living with HIV are more likely to develop age-related conditions like cancer or heart disease. Additionally, they often face social isolation, insufficient support and a service delivery system ill-equipped to meet their needs, making them less likely to access vital social services.

Recognizing these gaps, Gilead Sciences launched HIV Age PositivelyĀ® in 2018, a grant program aimed at supporting community-based organizations focused on improving the quality of life and health for older Americans aging with HIV. Over the past five years, the initiative has awarded more than $35.8 million in grants to support 42 organizations that are working to address stigma, loneliness and better coordination of care for impacted individuals.

One such grantee is The Reunion Project, which organizes nationwide events to help long-term survivors navigate their unique challenges. The Reunion Project’s events often feature a day devoted to managing the unique social issues facing those aging with HIV. The first day of programming focuses on navigating employment opportunities, as many long-term survivors are returning to a workforce theyā€™d never expected to live long enough to enter. The second day becomes more interactive, with community members providing feedback, participating in breakout groups and collaborating on priority-setting for their region.

Most importantly, The Reunion Project partners with local organizations to ensure programming is tailored to each city’s unique needs. “We don’t just want to do an event and then leave,” says Berry. “We make an effort to partner with the city. We really want to spark an ongoing network of long-term survivors beyond just the two days.”

With Gileadā€™s support, The Reunion Project has been able to expand their programming from one or two events per year to three, provide local organizations with funding to create their own long-term survivor events, and expand their services to include language interpretation for those not fluent in English, ensuring no one is left behind.

One particularly poignant moment for Berry occurred at an event last year, where a man who only spoke Spanish was able to share his story through interpreters, detailing his journey overcoming seemingly insurmountable stigma and barriers from care providers and his church.

ā€œThere wasnā€™t a dry eye in the house ā€“ it was an incredibly powerful moment,ā€ said Berry. ā€œNone of that would have been possible if we hadnā€™t had the support of Gilead to provide interpretation services.ā€ 

Despite the challenges facing this population, Berry remains optimistic about the future. “When you’re talking about HIV and aging, it seems like there is a huge laundry list of things that can go wrong,” he admits. ā€œWhat gives me hope is my memory of the era of the epidemic when there was seemingly no hope, and we as a community came together and changed things. We demanded to be heard, and as a result, we revolutionized how drugs were developed and how clinical trials were held. I think we can do the same thing now with our model of aging.”

(HIV AGE POSITIVELY, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Ā© 2024 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. This story is part of a paid collaboration between Gilead Sciences and the Washington Blade and Los Angeles Blade.)

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Celebrate New Yearā€™s Eve with Pride at the Rainbow Masquerade NYE Party 2025

Grab your glitter, don your mask, and get ready to sashay into 2025 at the Rainbow Masquerade NYE Party!

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Grab your glitter, don your mask, and get ready to sashay into 2025 at the Rainbow Masquerade NYE Party! This isnā€™t your average New Yearā€™s Eve celebrationā€”itā€™s the ultimate queer bash brought to you by Capital Pride, serving glamour, inclusivity, and fierce vibes as DC counts down to World Pride 2025.

Party with Purpose
This isnā€™t just a partyā€”itā€™s a movement. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Capital Pride, ensuring that every drink you sip and every move you make on the dance floor supports advocacy, education, and programs for the LGBTQ+ community. As the world prepares to turn its eyes to DC for World Pride 2025, this event is your chance to show your pride and kick off the new year with purpose and panache.

Pick Your Experience
Whether youā€™re strutting solo, vibing with your chosen family, or ready to splurge on an epic NYE, weā€™ve got the perfect ticket for you:

    • General Admission: Your ticket to the most fabulous party in town includes a standard open bar, live entertainment, and access to a night filled with laughter, love, and legendary vibes.
    • Pride Privilege Pass: Go big or go home with premium open bar access, exclusive lounge area, and elevated spaces perfect for taking a breather (or snapping the perfect selfie).
    • Queer Royale: For groups ready to slay together, reserve a private table and enjoy VIP seating, dedicated service, and all the perks that make you and your crew the stars of the night.
    • Bubble Hideaway: Ready to turn up the heat? This exclusive hot tub cabana includes private seating, premium service, and a whole lot of bubblesā€”perfect for ringing in 2025 in true queer luxury. Only 1 available!

The Nightā€™s Highlights
From jaw-dropping performances to a midnight champagne toast, the Rainbow Masquerade has it all:

    • Electrifying Entertainment: Live drag acts and aerial performers will keep you gagged and gooped all night long.
    • Immersive Decor: A photo-ready wonderland thatā€™s as bold, beautiful, and diverse as our community.
    • Endless Cocktails: Enjoy unlimited drinks tailored to your ticket tierā€”itā€™s time to toast, darling!
    • Midnight Moment: Raise your glass as we countdown to midnight and step into a fabulous new year.

Why You Canā€™t Miss This
The Rainbow Masquerade isnā€™t just a party; itā€™s a celebration of everything that makes our community shine. As we look ahead to World Pride 2025, this event is your chance to start the year surrounded by love, pride, and unapologetic joy.

Whether youā€™re here for the performances, the community, or just a reason to celebrate, the Rainbow Masquerade NYE Party is the place to be.

Plan Your Night

  • Date and Time: Tuesday, December 31, 2024 | 10 PM ā€“ 2 AM
  • Location: 3400 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC
  • Tickets: Snag yours now HERE

Cheers to a Fabulous Future
Ready to strut into 2025? Letā€™s make it one for the history booksā€”full of pride, purpose, and a whole lot of glitter. Grab your ticket, bring your crew, and letā€™s start the countdown.

See you under the disco ball!

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Louisianaā€™s largest cancer center is bringing care to you

Louisianaā€™s largest cancer center is bringing care to you

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(Screen capture via Mary Bird Perkins YouTube)

According to Dr. Constance Cole Blunt, medical oncologist and medical director of cancer prevention and outreach atĀ Ā Mary Bird Perkins Cancer CenterĀ in Baton Rouge, the best way to get people to screen for cancer is by participating in itsĀ Prevention on the GoĀ program.Ā 

In Louisiana, where cancer rates clock in at overĀ 40% higherĀ than the national average, this approach isnā€™t just innovative ā€“ itā€™s necessary. Too often in Louisiana, cancer is caught at anĀ advanced stage, drastically limiting options for care and treatment. Breast cancer is theĀ second most diagnosed cancerĀ in the state and has a particularly devastating impact ā€“ although Louisiana is ranked 28th in the nation for breast cancer incidence, the breast cancer mortality rate in the state is theĀ second greatestĀ in the country.

The factors driving these statistics are complex and interwoven with the daily struggles many Louisiana residents face in accessing medical care. Many donā€™t have adequate insurance and are unable to stay up-to-date on regular physicals and medical check-ups, let alone receive comprehensive cancer screenings. Rural communities struggle with transportation to far-away medical centers and a lack of access is compounded by a lack of awareness about prevalent cancers, symptoms and risk factors. These challenges are even more pronounced for communities of color in the state, who faceĀ higher rates of poverty and lower rates of health insurance coverageĀ compared with their white counterparts. Alarmingly, Black women in Louisiana are diagnosed more frequently and areĀ more likely to dieĀ from breast cancer than the national average.

As the largest cancer care organization in Louisiana, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center builds its approach around addressing the unique barriers faced by communities across the state. The center brings together medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and strong partnerships with clinics and hospitals to deliver comprehensive cancer care and treatment to patients ā€“ all under one roof. Patients are supported by navigators who ensure they are referred to the appropriate mobile clinics and screening services in their own communities, and that high-risk patients are prioritized for doctor visits and have a plan for accessing them. Beyond medical treatment, patients grappling with a cancer diagnosis also have access to a full support system within the center, including a palliative care specialist to help manage pain, a therapist to support mental health during treatment and even a dietitian to ensure that theyā€™re able to maintain a healthy diet outside of their treatment program. 

ā€œWe want patients to be able to walk through the door ā€“ whether it be to manage a breast cancer diagnosis or to get a screening ā€“ and get the entirety of their care taken care of in this one location,ā€ says Dr. Blunt. ā€œFor a state where we know funding, resources and access are limited, having a patient be able to access a one-stop-shop to manage their treatment definitely makes the burden of cancer care easier for them.ā€

However, when breast cancer is diagnosed at a later stage, even the most comprehensive treatment plan offers limited hope for a cure. Thatā€™s why Mary Bird Perkins is focused on going beyond treatment to address the problem at its root by expanding early detection and prevention efforts across the state. 

In 2002, Mary Bird launchedĀ Prevention on the Go, a program designed to bring education and early detection services to locations where people live, work, worship, shop and play. As part of the program, Mary Bird drives their mobile clinic across the state, parking everywhere from church parking lots to workplaces and creating what Dr. Blunt calls a ā€œlow intimidation environmentā€ where people can connect with healthcare providers in a familiar setting. The events offer cancer screenings, but also health history reviews and education about preventive care. They also often provide activities, food and cooking demonstrations for community members.Ā 

ā€œOur mobile clinics give information about detection and prevention to people in a way thatā€™s easy to digest and fun,ā€ explains Dr. Blunt. ā€œSome patients come back and get their screenings with us, but sometimes these events just jumpstart somebodyā€™s health journey. Both are important.ā€

Constance Blunt, M.D.
Hematology,Ā Medical Oncology
(Photo: Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center)

For Dr. Blunt, Mary Bird Perkinsā€™ mission is personal. When she was in undergrad, her motherā€™s best friend passed away from advanced ovarian cancer ā€” her first exposure to both cancer and hospice care. 

ā€œYou donā€™t forget experiences like that,ā€ says Dr. Blunt. ā€œShe was a working mom who gave everything to her children but had gone years without getting any cancer screenings. By the time her cancer was caught, it was very advanced.ā€

Mary Bird Perkinsā€™ programming has made huge progress toward ensuring that these types of stories are less common. Since 2002, Prevention on the Go has provided more than 118,000 screenings in local communities and detected nearly 900 cancers. As a testament to their important work, Mary Bird Perkins is a recipient of Gilead Sciencesā€™Ā Oncology Grant Program, an initiative aimed at advancing health equity for people impacted by cancer. In 2024, Gilead announced an overall commitment of $5 million in grant funding, spread across a number of different organizations, to support additional health equity programs globally. To date, it has awarded more than $18 million in health equity-related oncology grants for programs that advance health equity for disinvested communities.

This support has been integral in helping Mary Bird Perkins expand their Prevention on the Go efforts and expand their overall programming. ā€œIn cancer care, collaboration is really important,ā€ Dr. Blunt emphasizes. ā€œThe more stakeholders we have at the table, the more resources we have. Partnerships help us improve access, make sure our technologies are up to date and continue to provide great care to the communities that need it. Support from organizations like Gilead allows us to put patient care first.ā€

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Why converting USD to ETH could be a smart move ahead of the Metaverse Boom

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The metaverse is now one of the hottest topics in the world of technological innovation and the future that is being painted is one where people can live, work, play, and even do business in fully realized virtual realities. With the metaverse still in the process of development, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies are expected to become the main drivers of these virtual worlds.

For investors who want to capitalize on this imminent shift, USD to ETH would be a great place to start. Given the fact that Ethereum is the second largest cryptocurrency in the market, used in Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) and Virtual Economies, it is well suited to act as the foundation for the metaverse.

What Is the Metaverse?

The metaverse is a virtual environment that is composed of multiple simulated worlds through which people can communicate in real time with the help of their avatars. Consider it as the virtual community that combines elements of social networking, gaming, AR/VR. Here, users can design and exchange virtual commodities, acquire and possess digital property and even earn their livelihood from virtual businesses.

Big tech companies likeĀ Facebook (Meta), Microsoft, and Google have also recently, announced their plans to pour billions of dollars into building the metaverse. As more companies develop infrastructure for this developing space, Ethereum is likely to be a major participant in the decentralized side of the metaverse economy.

Ethereumā€™s Function in Metaverse Environment

Ethereum isnā€™t only a cryptocurrency, but a blockchain that supports smart contracts, dApps, NFTs, and many other solutions. Its blockchain is the backbone of many of todayā€™s most famous metaverse projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox. These platforms enable users to purchase virtual land, create digital artworks, and engage in virtual experiences all of which are executed on Ethereumā€™s blockchain technology.

This is so because Ethereum offers the capability for decentralized and programmable transactions that are crucial in the metaverse. For instance, NFTs which are digital assets that are one of a kind are mainly developed on Ethereum. It is not just the art that is being tokenized but also in-game items, virtual real estate, and even oneā€™s virtual persona, thanks to the use of these NFTs. Thus, as the metaverse grows in size, Ethereumā€™s blockchain will most probably remain the primary platform for such operations.

Why is it important to Convert USD to ETH Now?

1. Venture Capital and the Ecosystemā€™s Growth: An Early Investment Opportunity

With the expansion of the metaverse, Ethereumā€™s use is also expected to rise in the future. Most metaverse platforms are built on Ethereum and make use of Ethereum as a means of engaging their virtual economies to buy and sell virtual properties or other digital assets. Now that one can invest in USD and convert it to ETH, investors can invest in Ethereumā€™s growing usefulness in this new realm before it becomes widely adopted.

Although the metaverse is still relatively nascent, it is estimated that the industry will be a multi-billion dollar market in the next few years. It will allow investors to invest now in Ethereum and be prepared for the future when the number of users in the metaverse will only grow and, as a result, the demand for ETH will also grow.

2. Ethereumā€™s Leadership in NFTs

NFTs are essentially an intrinsic part of the metaverse and Ethereum is the go-to platform for creating and trading NFTs. From artists and game developers to big brands, people are using Ethereumā€™s blockchain to create and sell NFTs of digital assets. Virtual clothes and accessories, in-game items, virtual lands, etc., will all form the base of the metaverse economy.

It is now possible to convert USD to ETH and use these funds to invest in this increasingly popular market, which is only likely to grow as the metaverse develops. Simply put, if you are planning on participating in the NFT market in any way ā€“ then owning ETH is mandatory.

3. Enhancements in the Scalability with Ethereum 2.0

The second one is Ethereum which is in the process of shifting to Ethereum 2.0, an enhancement plan to enhance the networkā€™s capability, security, and power usage effectiveness. One of the major changes is the transition from the Proof of Work (PoW) to the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus algorithms that will enable Ethereum to clear more transactions at a lower fee.

This is important for the future development of Ethereum in the metaverse as this upgrade will be necessary. More and more users and applications are connected to Ethereumā€™s network, and thus scalability becomes a crucial factor.

4. Hedge Against Inflation and Fiat Devaluation

The increasing rate of inflation and devaluation of fiat currencies has raised the importance of investing in other assets such as USD to ETH. Ethereum is a cryptocurrency like any other and as such works beyond the conventional financial systems, offering a decentralized and deflationary model to conventional fiat money. As the value of the US dollar changes, it is for this reason that Ethereum has the potential of rising in the digital economy making it a good store of value for the future.

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