Good Samaritan Project

2013
IN THIS ISSUE
19th International AIDS
Conference..............................2
HIV and Aging: A Personal
Story..........................................3
Dining Out For Life®.............4
The Future of HIV/AIDS
Care..........................................6
AIDS Walk...............................5
Families Are Affected By
HIV/AIDS Too......................6
Corks & Canvas.......................6
Programs and Services.........7
Board of Directors and
Staff.........................................7
Calendar of Events...............8
The Mission of Good
Samaritan Project is to
provide advocacy, care,
and education to those
affected by HIV/AIDS
and STDs.
Until there’s an answer
... there’s GSP.
project
NOTES
What’s New at GSP
S
pring is here - trees are budding, flowers
are blooming, and the grass is green and
growing. And there’s so much going on at
GSP!
1) As previously announced, we are moving
ahead with the installation of a primary
care clinic in our Missouri office - its
installation will make it the only HIV/AIDS
specialty clinic in the 11 county, Kansas City
Transitional Grant Area and one of the few
HIV/AIDS specialty clinics in the country;
it strengthens our services to those living
with HIV/AIDS, increases our outreach to
those most at-risk for HIV/STD infections,
and removes barriers to linkage to care and
treatment for our clients.
2) As you can tell by reading the medium
used to send this newsletter, GSP has
changed the way we interact with you, our
supporters, and the community - to provide
quicker and better news and information,
our annual newsletter will now be released
electronically (but if you would like a hardcopy,
please call 816-561-8784 or email info@gsp-kc.
org.
3) We at GSP strive to provide the best news
and information as quickly as possible, so
we have expanded our social media footprint
- you may interact with us online at our
retooled website at www.gsp-kc.org, say
hello on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
GoodSamaritanProject, follow us on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/gsp_kc, and peruse fun and
educational ideas on Pinterest at www.pinterest.
com/gspkc.
Thank you for your continuing support!
project NOTES
19th International AIDS
Conference
David Schlomer
Among the 25,000 worldwide
delegates to last summer’s 19th
International Conference on AIDS were
GSP’s Jessica Cox (Board Member), David
Schlomer (CEO), and Tarrah Kilgore
(Medical Case Manager). The July meeting
in Washington, D.C., marked the first time
the U.S. had hosted the conference in more
than 20 years.
Because of generous support from
Kansas City’s AIDS Service Foundation
(ASF), Jessica and David were awarded
scholarships to cover registration and travel
expenses, and Tarrah received a volunteer
scholarship. The ASF also provided
two scholarships to three other member
agencies: SAVE, Inc., Kansas City CARE
Clinic, and Hope Care Center. In addition,
two representatives from the ASF also
attended.
The theme for the week, “Turning
the Tide Together,” focused on the progress
made in the global fight against HIV/AIDS,
and was filled with daily plenary sessions
and a wide variety of breakout sessions on
just about any HIV/AIDS-related topic one
can imagine. Keynote speakers included
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Kathleen Sibelius, then-Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sir Elton John, Bill
Gates, and President Bill Clinton, among
others.
Also, French President Francois
Hollande addressed one plenary session by
video presentation, and Jim Yong Kim of
the World Bank spoke at another.
“I was on ‘Celebrity Duty,’” Jessica
joked. “Although we got a good laugh
out of tracking them, it was extremely
rewarding to see people who are in the
public eye, like Whoopi Goldberg, Elton
John, and Sharon Stone, and those who
have positions of power in the U.S.
government, such as Hillary Clinton, Bill
Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Kathleen Sibelius,
being so involved in a cause that is near and
2
dear to our hearts.”
“It showed me that this battle is
not being overlooked and that focus will be
put on helping to raise awareness and find a
cure.”
Jessica reported that, among other
sessions, she attended one about HIV/
AIDS awareness, prevention, and testing
programs in the workplace which are easily
incorporated into a work environment. She
indicated that these kinds of programs are
not often seen in corporate America.
“I was also enthused to see the
number of young people at the conference,”
Jessica continued. “There was a focus on
the young as leaders, and the Global Village
was an arena for them to show their passion
for this cause. It was inspiring to see that
focus on an international level, knowing
our own young leaders in Kansas City are
becoming more involved as well.”
Tarrah, who had volunteered to
help out at the conference, chose to be part
of that Global Village, an area in which
both delegates and the general public can
participate – an area she described as “a
diverse and vibrant space where community
gathers from all over the world to meet,
share, and learn from each other.”
She pointed out that although her
days were long, sometimes more than 10
hours, she had no complaints as she met
new people and often learned something
from each one. And, she said, “I had an
opportunity to attend conference sessions
and to participate in the ‘Keep the Promise
on HIV/AIDS’ march in Washington.”
Tarrah also assisted with
conference set-up, coordinated program
activities, greeted visitors to the Global
Village, and helped attendees find their way
around the venues.
The three big take-away issues
emphasized throughout the week, David
noted, were: (1) treatment as prevention, (2)
reduction of mother-to-child transmission,
and (3) voluntary male medical
circumcision.
“Of these,” David said, “treatment
as prevention is most applicable to this
country. Mother-to-child transmission is
exceedingly rare here, and male medical
circumcision is somewhat the norm.”
So just what does treatment as
prevention mean? “Simply put,” David said,
“if HIV-positive persons receive aggressive
treatment with meds, their viral loads will be
kept lower and their T-cells will be higher
– and they will be more unlikely to infect
sexual partners.”
To those who might ask “if
both partners are already infected, what
difference does it make?” David answered
that studies show secondary infections
among HIV-positives occur quite frequently
because a different strain of virus can
attack the already-infected person’s immune
system.
Concluding thoughts about the conference
experience:
From Jessica – “I was impressed
by the conference’s progressive theme,
focusing on ending the epidemic. Though in
the distance, an end is in sight, and we left
Washington with hope and determination.”
From David – “It was good to
hear from world leaders that we can look
forward to an AIDS-free generation and to
get a world-wide HIV/AIDS perspective
about what is going on in other countries.”
From Tarrah – “I was blessed to
have had the opportunity to take part in
these remarkable events, and I will continue
to take from my time in Washington,
experiences that can be applied to my work
in Kansas City.”
project NOTES
HIV and Aging: A Personal Story
Jane Fowler
An introduction is in order: I am
Jane P. Fowler, onetime coordinator of
the GSP Speakers Bureau (1995 to 2000),
and I had the good fortune in January,
2012, to accept an invitation to return to
GSP as a 10-hour-a-week staffer.
And now, in that role, I want
to share a story. It’s a story of fact, not
fiction, a story with a beginning of course,
but as it’s a work in progress, the final
chapter has yet to be written.
My story begins on the first
Sunday in 1991, when I arrived home
from a cheery fortnight spent with family
and friends in San Francisco, and found
in the stack of mail that had accumulated
in my absence, a letter that would
profoundly change my course in life. It
would eventually result in a role reversal,
one that transformed me from writer to
speaker, from press interviewer to media
interviewee. I went from asking questions
to answering them, from private person to
public activist.
The letter I first read 22 years
ago, in the privacy of my Crown Center
apartment, was from a health insurer
to which I had applied for new medical
coverage. And it delivered a grim
message: I had been rejected because of a
“significant blood abnormality” revealed
in a routine test.
When I learned the shocking,
stunning news that the “abnormality”
was HIV, I told only my family and a
small circle of close friends. Humiliated
and fearful, I retreated from my 30-year
career as a journalist and lived as a kind of
recluse, wondering what would become of
me, how soon I would die.
Four years passed, and I took
what antiretroviral drugs were available at
the time; took them as prescribed, without
fail, and I was blessed. I remained healthy
and free of opportunistic infections
that could indicate a progression to
AIDS.
However, I remained shamed,
still living in semi-isolation in my
apartment, hiding the fact of my
HIV from all but my parents, my only
child, son Stephen (age 30), and a few
confidants. Then, in early 1995, it was
Stephen who contributed to my change of
mind. “You’re positive,” he said. “Then,
do something positive.”
So, realizing I was not helping
myself, or anyone else, by remaining silent,
I decided to publicly acknowledge my
situation. Perhaps, I could help others at
the same time.
By sharing my story, I could
preach prevention – talk about “safe sex,”
particularly to my own age group.
Encouraged also by friends,
I took a Red Cross speakers’ training
course offered at GSP, where I was case
managed. I was empowered to stand
up and say: “Look at this old, white,
wrinkled, jowly heterosexual face.
“This is another face of HIV.
It’s not who you are or how old you are,
it’s what you do or don’t do in regard to
transmission of this virus.”
I discovered, in a way, that I
had been liberated. I was no longer alone
at home, enmeshed entirely in books,
television, films. There was purpose in my
life.
Now, in the beginning speaking
didn’t come easily. I had to overcome
severe stage fright and become semicomfortable with looking out into an
audience, talking about the intimacies
of my life and confessing, “I live with a
stigmatizing, sexually transmitted disease.”
Eighteen years later, I have given
hundreds and hundreds of presentations
to audiences of all ages in a variety of
settings: schools, churches, health care
agencies, clubs, community centers,
meetings, and conferences – here in
Kansas City, as well as nationally, even
internationally.
In 1995, shortly after joining
the GSP staff as coordinator of our
Speakers’ Bureau, I also assumed
volunteer duties as co-chairperson of
the National Association on HIV Over
Fifty (NAHOF). And, I am proud to have
served five years in that capacity, then two
as NAHOF’S paid national coordinator.
Now, in my current work as
director of HIV Wisdom for Older
Woman (and men), a national program I
founded in 2002, I remain committed to
getting the word out, to calling attention
to how HIV/AIDS can and does affect
the lives of senior citizens of all races and
socioeconomic groups.
I continue to focus on dispelling
the myth that older persons are nonsexual beings and, therefore, are not at
risk for sexually transmitted infections. I
am intent especially on reaching medical
and social service providers to all aging
individuals. I regularly remind providers
to talk about sex with their older patients/
clients.
Not only do I reach
professionals and lay audiences with my
speeches, but also – thanks to extensive
media coverage – my words have been
read or heard by thousands of Americans.
Through interviews that began in 1997,
I have been introduced to the public in
countless stories in major metropolitan
newspapers and magazines and on radio
and television programs.
My work as an educator and
activist brings me fulfillment as none has
before. My years as a journalist, meeting
people, seeing my byline weekly in The
Kansas City Star, then monthly in Bon
Appetit magazine, were heady ones for
me. Yet, since my HIV diagnosis, my goal
in life has changed. I am committed to
helping others understand HIV/AIDS,
and this is a task that invigorates me.
I use myself as an example:
two years after my 24-year-marriage
ended in 1983 (and left me devastated),
I unknowingly became infected through
unprotected sex with a man who had been
Continued on page 4
3
project NOTES
Continued from page 3
HIV and Aging: A Personal Story
a good friend my entire adult life. My mistake was in not knowing
that he was bisexual.
So, I remind everyone, “You never know the sexual, or
drug, history of anybody but yourself. Remember to be responsible,
take precautions.” And to older men who may be benefitting from
medications for erectile dysfunction, I urge, “Now if you can get it
up, cover it up.”
In my presentations, I never ask for sympathy or pity
because I have HIV. Of course I regret that two decades ago I was
not knowledgeable about this disease and, thus, became infected.
But, I live with this virus as others live with cancer, ALS,
Parkinson’s, MS, congestive heart failure, or any potentially terminal
disease.
Yes, I have HIV, but I do not allow it to control my life. I believe
that because I have direction, my work, I am able to maintain my
level of good health. I hope it continues because I intend to remain
a public presence in prevention – a face and a voice – for as long as
possible.
Dining Out For Life® Kansas City 2013
Dining Out For Life® returns
Thursday, April 25, 2013 to Kansas City.
Dining Out For Life® takes place in over 60
cities across the United States and Canada.
Twenty eight restaurants are participating
in Kansas City this year. Each is donating a
percentage of their sales to GSP.
Dining Out For Life® was
created by an ActionAIDS volunteer
in Philadelphia in 1991 to raise money
to support the missions of agencies
throughout North America. More than
3,500 restaurants donate a portion of their
proceeds to raise nearly $4 million. Dining
Out For Life® Kansas City is made possible
with the support of Subaru, OpenTable.
L to R: Tai Ngyuen; David Schlomer; Gary Lezak; Mike Sugnet; Michael Mackie at Cafe Trio
4
com, and Camp KC.
For more information about Dining Out
For Life® Kansas City 2013, participating
restaurants, and their participating times,
please visit
www.diningoutforlife.com/kansascity
project NOTES
Thursday
April 25, 2013
Dine Out, Fight AIDS on Thursday, April 25
A portion of proceeds from each participating restaurant will be
donated to fight HIV/AIDS in Kansas City.
For more information about Dining Out For Life®, Good Samaritan Project,
and restaurant locations and dining times, please visit
www.gsp-kc.org
www.diningoutforlife.com/kansascity
Dining Out For Life® 2013 Participating Restaurants and Participating Meals
12 Baltimore - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner • Los Alamos Market y Cocina - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner • Beer Kitchen - Dinner • Bistro 303 - Dinner • blue bird
bistro - Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner • The Blue Line - Lunch/Dinner • Cafe Al Dente - Lunch/Dinner • Cafe Des Amis - Dinner • Cafe Trio - Lunch/Dinner •
California Pizza Kitchen (The Plaza only) - Lunch/Dinner • Chez Elle Creperie & Coffeehouse - Breakfast/Lunch • Eden Alley Cafe - Lunch/Dinner • FÜD
- Lunch/Dinner • Hamburger Mary’s - Dinner • Hickok’s Bar & Grill - Lunch/Dinner • Le Fou Frog - Dinner • Magnolia’s Contemporary Southern Bistro
- Lunch/Dinner • McCoy’s Public House - Dinner • Nica’s 320 - Lunch/Dinner • Old Shawnee Pizza & Italian Kitchen (Shawnee only) - Lunch/Dinner •
Pine & Bamboo Garden - Lunch/Dinner • PotPie - Lunch/Dinner • Sosa’s 39th St. Diner - Dinner • The Stable’s Bar & Grill - Lunch/Dinner • Starker’s
Restaurant - Lunch/Dinner • Vivilore - Lunch/Dinner • The Westside Local - Dinner • Winslow’s BBQ - Lunch/Dinner
5
project NOTES
The Future of HIV/AIDS Care
T
he recent theme of World AIDS Day,
AIDS conferences, and governments
and NGOs (non-governmental
organization) has been an AIDS free
generation. But how does this happen? How
do we get there?
GSP is already taking necessary
steps to ensure we, us, our community, is on
the path towards an AIDS free generation.
These steps include
1) Providing services to those living with
HIV/AIDS in the Kansas City Transitional
Grant Area
2) Strengthening linkage to care by ensuring
those that are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS
are connected to the care they need to
improve their welfare
3) Increasing treatment as prevention to
reduce the risks of HIV/STD and ID
transmission
4) Reaching out to those most at-risk
of being infected with HIV/STDs and
providing them with the prevention tools
and knowledge necessary to reduce their
risks
5) Installing a primary care clinic at GSP’s
Missouri office to expedite medical services
for those living with HIV/AIDS, especially
providing quicker linkage to care access and
providing the only HIV/AIDS specialty
clinic in the Kansas City Transitional Grant
Area.
linkage to care and treatment for our clients.
The primary care clinic is a vital component
for our clients and for getting closer to an
AIDS free generation.
To make a donation towards GSP’s
primary care clinic please
The primary care clinic is the
most important development that GSP has
undertaken in decades. Its installation will
make it the only HIV/AIDS specialty clinic
in the 11 county, Kansas City Transitional
Grant Area and one of the few HIV/
AIDS specialty clinics in the country. It
strengthens our services to those living
with HIV/AIDS and our outreach to those
most at-risk, while removing the barriers to
or mail us at
Good Samaritan Project
3030 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64108
Corks & Canvas 2013
C
orks & Canvas has moved dates!
As GSP grows our involvement
in the international HIV/AIDS
fundraising event, Dining Out For
Life®, we have looked to our calendar
and the calendars of our friends and
families, and seen that there is just so
much going on in our great community.
So much, that we felt it better to have
AIDS Walk
Kansas City
April 27, 2013
Join Team GSP
To join Team GSP, stop by our office to
sign up, or call Brian at 816-561-8784
to register by phone. We hope to see you
April 27th in support of the Kansas City
25th Annual AIDS Walk.
6
Corks & Canvas, Kansas City’s
premier art, food, and wine auction,
in the autumn.
GSP is proud to announce
Corks & Canvas at Studio Dan
Meiners on Friday, September 13,
2013. We look forward to seeing
everyone there!
call Brian at 816-561-8784
visit www.gsp-kc.org and click Donate
Now
Please Remember Good
Samaritan Project in your will. For
more information, please contact
Brian Gloe or Gabe Zorogastua at
GSPBoard@gsp-kc.org.
project NOTES
Good Samaritan Project
Programs and Services
GSP offers a broad range of services for men, women, and children affected by HIV/AIDS, and it offers preventive services designed to
raise awareness and change behavior that spreads infection.
To learn more, call 816-561-8784.
Direct Services for those affected by HIV/AIDS
n Medical Case Management assesses n Support groups and
medical/social needs and links clients educational retreats
to care.
n Volunteer Program provides
n Transitional Case Management
opportunities to serve clients and the
assesses medical/social needs for
community through direct service,
transitioning clients and links them to
educational outreach, and special
care.
events.
n Mental Health Counseling by
licensed therapists of your choice.
n Financial Assistance for transportation and other needs on a case by case
basis.
No person(s) eligible for service shall, on the
grounds of race, color, religion, national origin,
gender, physical ability, veteran status, age,
sexual orientation, or HIV status be excluded
from participation in, be denied benefits of, or
be otherwise subject to discrimination for any
services provided by Good Samaritan Project.
Board of Directors
Shirley J. Bolden
PRESIDENT
W. Michael Sugnet
MEMBER-AT-LARGE
Brian O. Gloe, CPA
TREASURER
Melanie A. Bailey
G. Gabriel Zorogastua
SECRETARY
Staff
Rhonda Adams
SENIOR MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Blakely Adams
MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Chrissy Arasmith
MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Mario Canedo
PREVENTION
SPECIALIST
Jason Carrigan
MENTAL HEALTH
COORDINATOR
Jessica Cox
Crystal L. Denson
Joseph Catrett
COMMUNITY
PREVENTION
SPECIALIST/
RECEPTIONIST
Julie Groce
TRANSITIONAL CASE
MANAGER
Lorena Holguin
PREVENTION
SPECIALIST
Tarrah Kilgore
MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Joy Loesch
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS
Preventive Services
n Educational Workshops for youth,
women, mixed groups of adults, men
who have sex with men, parents,
minority populations, social service
professionals, and others.
n STD/HIV Testing offered to
walk-ins and through a network
of community partners, including
schools, churches, community groups,
and health and social service agencies.
STD testing (chlamydia/gonorrhea) is
urine test; HIV testing is oral swab or
finger prick.
William Maher
Andrew Mohn
Carl Markus, Jr.
Paul Osgood
Stephanie Martin
Erik Tyler
Robert McVay
Jeannine Midgett
OPERATIONS
PREVENTION SERVICES
Amy Mauk
MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Sean Ryan
MEDICAL CASE
MANAGER
Briana McClernon
DIRECTOR OF CASE
MANAGEMENT
David Schlomer
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER
Brian Motl
Jacques Simmons
MANAGER OF
COORDINATOR OF
COMMUNITY RELATIONS PREVENTION SERVICES
C. Aaron Nickless
MANAGER OF
DEVELOPMENT AND
MARKETING
Elnora Powell
DIRECTOR OF
Mike Slater
RECEPTIONIST
Lonnie Smith
COMMUNITY
PREVENTION
SPECIALIST
7
3030 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64108
816-561-8784
www.gsp-kc.org
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
April 25, 2013 - Dining Out For Life®
A percentage of proceeds from participating restaurants will be donated to GSP
www.diningoutforlife.com/kansascity
6:00 am - 1:00 am
April 27, 2013 - AIDS Walk Kansas City
25th Anniversary in Theis Park: anyone is welcome to join or donate to Team GSP by
searching for Team GSP on www.firstgiving.com/aidswalkkc
www.aidswalkkansascity.org
8:00 am - 1:00 pm
September 13, 2013 - Corks & Canvas
At Studio Dan Meiners, check back at www.gsp-kc.org for details to come
September 15, 2013 - AIDS Bicycle Cruise
Check back at www.gsp-kc.org for details to come
www.aidswalkkansascity.org
December 1, 2013 - World AIDS Day