Date: Fri, 30 Jun 1995 09:58:51 +0500 From: ghfostel{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghfostel}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary June 30, 1995 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Budget Plan Wins Final Hill Approval" "Across the USA: New York" "Germany Passes Pension for Victims of HIV-Blood" "Roberts Meets Star of AIDS Story" "Webber, Howard, Hill Highlight Pro-Am" "Viral Load Reimbursement Information from Chiron Reimbursement Service" "Self-Care Burden in Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus" ************************************************************ "Budget Plan Wins Final Hill Approval" Washington Post (06/30/95) P. A1; Pianin, Eric On Thursday, Congress gave final approval to a historic seven-year budget plan that is expected to significantly downsize the federal government, reduce taxes, and eliminate the deficit. The plan would provide $245 billion in tax cuts by 2002, while cutting $894 billion from Medicare, Medicaid, and almost every other major program except defense. This broad outline of major policy changes is not subject to a presidential veto; the real battle will begin when congressional committees turn the plan into legislation. Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole (R-Kan.) said the plan would put the government on a new path to fiscal solvency without, as some claim, "throwing seniors, children, and the less fortunate out on the streets." Democratic leaders, however, argued that the proposed savings in Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs were "too extreme." More than 60 percent of the overall savings would come from Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance programs for the elderly and the poor, and other social welfare programs. Related Stories: New York Times (06/30) P. A1; Wall Street Journal (06/30) P. A2 "Across the USA: New York" USA Today (06/30/95) P. 9A New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has ended a bill requiring mothers to be informed if their newborns test HIV-positive, citing similar legislation pending in Congress. Currently, infants in the state are tested for the virus that causes AIDS, but the results are not given to their mothers. "Germany Passes Pension for Victims of HIV-Blood" Reuters (06/29/95) Germany's Parliament has approved the creation of a $180 million pension fund for nearly 2,000 people who became infected with HIV from unscreened blood during the early 1980s and their dependents. The action was prompted in 1993 when it was revealed that, in order to save money, firms had failed to screen blood donors properly and check blood supplies for HIV for nearly 10 years. The primary recipients of the fund are hemophiliacs who were dependent on regular doses of blood plasma and were mostly infected before the HIV testing of blood products became requisite in 1985. People who contracted HIV from blood products before 1988 will receive a monthly payment of $1,080, and those who have developed full-blown AIDS will be paid $2,160 each month. The relatives of those people who have already died of AIDS will receive $720 each month until they are 25, or--if they are adults--for five years. "Roberts Meets Star of AIDS Story" USA Today (06/30/95) P. 2D; Williams, Jeannie Actress Julia Roberts met Thursday with 11-year-old Angelie Diya, whose story of dealing with AIDS was told in the CBS movie "Angelie's Secret." Roberts narrated the film. According to the film's producer, Jonathan Klein, the two "talked about makeup and hair tips and what it's like to be in the spotlight." "Webber, Howard, Hill Highlight Pro-Am" Washington Post (06/28/95) P. B5; Wang, Gene This weekend's Say No to Drugs Pro-Am basketball tournament will include such players as Chris Webber and Juwan Howard of the Washington Bullets and NBA co-rookie of the year Grant Hill. In addition to basketball, the event will also focus on AIDS education, drug awareness, and crime prevention through several seminars. "The basketball is to attract the kids," says organizer Butch McDowell. "We want to educate the kids about HIV, drug abuse and other issues that affect our youth." In other sports news, this summer marks the first NBA/NBPA High School Basketball Camp, held at Princeton University. The camp offers basketball instruction, as well as SAT preparation classes and AIDS seminars. "Viral Load Reimbursement Information from Chiron Reimbursement Service" AIDS Treatment News (06/16/95) No. 225, P. 1 Chiron Corp. in Emeryville, Calif.--one of the companies that makes a test for the HIV-1 RNA assay, or the "viral load" test--has recently opened a reimbursement hotline which may help patients and doctors obtain third-party reimbursement for the test. Although the test--which costs about $200--is becoming more common in medical practice, it has not yet been officially approved for use in managing patients. Health insurance and managed-care plans often refuse to cover it. According to the company, "Chiron Reimbursement Service (CRS) offers assistance with benefit verification, appeals of denied or suspended claims, pre-authorizations of coverage, and insurance payment and policy information." CRS's phone number is (800) 775-7533. "Self-Care Burden in Women with Human Immunodeficiency Virus" Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (05/95-06/95) Vol. 6, No. 3, P. 31; Anastasio, Charlotte; McMahan, Therese; Daniels, Anne et al. Anastasio et al. used Orem's Theory of Self-Care to determine the perceived demand for universal and health-deviation self-care activity in HIV-infected women. According to Orem, self-care is the practice of activities that people initiate and perform for themselves to maintain life, health, and well-being. HIV-infected women often must deal with racism, sexism, classism, and lack of empowerment--a combination that can lead to isolation. They do not have the same kind of support network that gay men created in response to the AIDS crisis. For the study, researchers recruited a convenience sample of 10 adult women from the immunodeficiency clinic of a large hospital. The women ranged from asymptomatic seropositivity to HIV to full-blown AIDS as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the health-deviation category, the women rated home medical/nursing treatments, special diets, and obtaining AIDS-related resources as the most burdensome. The universal self-care tasks that ranked the highest burden scores were caring for children, physical activity, and work. Sixty percent described themselves as depressed. Nurses working with women who have HIV or AIDS should address self-care issues through a nurse-client partnership that focuses on a process of assessment, planning, intervention, and case management, the authors conclude.