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TSA News October 2018 Volume 36 Issue 10
Tri-State Alliance Partners with Zion UCC Owensboro The Tri-State Alliance has partnered with the Zion United Church of Christ in Owensboro for the purpose of writing tax-exempt donation letters for the Tri-State Alliance while we correct one of our filings with the Internal Revenue Service. For a tax-deductible donation, please write your check payable to Zion UCC and mail it to the Tri-State Alliance, PO Box 2901, Evans-ville, IN 47728. We will use the funds for charitable activities including the TSA Youth Group, HIV Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention, Education and Outreach, and our AIDS Holiday Project. With their as-sistance your donation will be tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Note that Zion United Church of Christ in Owensboro is in the process of changing their name to Unity Fellowship. Checks should be written to their current name, Zion UCC Owensboro and mailed to us. The Tri-State Alliance thanks this church for their commitment in helping LGBTQ youth, LGBTQ adults, and low-income households im-pacted by HIV / AIDS in Owensboro, Evansville and throughout the Tri-State region.
This month’s TSA newsletter printing and postage was
paid for by an anonymous donor.
Thursday, Oct. 25
6:30pm Reception, 7pm Candidates Speak
St. Lucas United Church of Christ 33 W. Virginia Street, Evansville
Hear candidates speak about why those interested in diversity issues should vote for them.
TSA Spokesperson Julie Robinson will serve as event moderator.
Protective Order Assistance Office Established in Vanderburgh County
The Protective Order Assistance Office opened its doors on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018, and is located in Room 108 in the County Courts Building of Evansville. The intake officers will provide protective order forms to Petitioners, and will assist pro se victims with completing applications for protective orders where there are allegations of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault or Stalking (by a former intimate partner, current or former dating rela-tionship, or current or former spouse); explain the Court process; pro-vide American Sign Language or Foreign Language interpreters; assist in safety planning; provide referrals to Community Partners (and place calls for victims, if requested); ensuring access to those with disabilities; provide information on prior and current legal actions, such as protection orders, battery charges, DV/SA/Stalking charges to the judicial officer hearing the request for a protection order; and qualifying children of vic-tims for subsidized guardian ad litem services. Office hours are Monday through Fridays (excluding holidays) from 8am to 3:30pm. This project was supported by Award No. 2017-FJ-AX-0015 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, US Depart-ment of Justice, in October 2017.
TSA Support Groups
The TSA Youth Group is for LGBTQ middle and high school
students, and their straight-supportive friends. We meet EVERY Saturday at 7pm at the TSA Offices, 501 John Street Suite 5 in Evansville. You are invited and encouraged to attend. For more information contact [email protected] or 812-480-0204.
The Owensboro TSA Youth Group meets on a monthly
basis. For more information contact Terry Greer at 270-313-8588 or [email protected].
The TSA Transgender Support Group meets every
Sunday at 2pm at the TSA Offices. For more information email [email protected].
For updates about our events and programs, ‘like’ the Tri
-State Alliance on Facebook. We help with local transportation and we can provide a gasoline gift card for those who drive from out-of-county.
TSAGL.org Facebook.com/TriStateAlliance
Above TSA Youth Group Adult Facilitator and UE Pride Office Katie Brown staffs a TSA information table at the USI Student Involvement Fair. Below, TSA Youth Group members Shane Betz and Jermaine Nance staffed an information table at the Ivy Tech LGBTQ Information Fair on Oct. 8.
KWC Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Presents the 10th Annual
Owensboro AIDS Walk
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 at 2pm Registration at 1pm, Walk at 2pm
KWC Rogers Hall, 3000 Frederic a Street, Owensboro
Please make checks payable to Zion UCC and mail to TSA Holiday Project, PO Box 2901, Evansville, IN 47728
OwensboroAIDSWalk.org
For Sale: Split, seasoned
FIREWOOD Free delivery within Evansville. Proceeds donated to
TSA Holiday Project. $110/pick-up load. Contact Bruce Wright
(812) 422-9155 OR [email protected]
[email protected] OR call 812-480-0204
HIV Testing In Your Home Rapid HIV test kits are available at both CVS and
Walgreens Pharmacies. Online as of Oct. 6 a rapid
HIV test from CVS costs $39.99. Online as of Oct. 6
rapid HIV tests from Walgreens cost either $45.99 or
$59.99. You can order these online or go to the store
and get these at-home tests.
LGBTQ Support Hotlines
Crisis Intervention/Suicide Prevention The Trevor Project: (866) 488-7386. The Trevor Project is the leading
national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention ser-vices to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (800) 273-8255 (online chat
available). The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Crisis Text Line: Text START to 741-741. Crisis Text Line is free, 24/7
support for those in crisis. Text from anywhere in the USA to text with a trained Crisis Counselor.
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender National Hotline: (888) 843-4564 The GLBT National Youth Talkline (youth serving youth through age 25): (800) 246-7743 Both provide telephone, online private one-to-one
chat and email peer-support, as well as factual information and local resources for cities and towns across the United States.
Youth Information The National Runaway Safeline: 800-RUNAWAY (800-786-2929) The True Colors Fund: (212) 461-4401 working to end LGBTQ homelessness
HIV/AIDS Information AIDS in Prison Project Hotline: (718) 378-7022 (English and Spanish)
National AIDS Hotline (800) 342-AIDS / (800) 344-7432 (Spanish) / (800) 243-7889 (TDD)
Other Hotlines U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233 (English and Spanish) (800) 787-3224 (TTY)
Pride Institute: (800) 547-7433 24/7 (chemical dependency) Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN): (800) 656-HOPE / (800) 810-7440 (TTY)
Vanderburgh County Residents Asked to Write Letters to EVSC, Speak at
EVSC School Board Meetings
Last year the Evansville-Vanderburgh School Corporation added sexu-al orientation but NOT gender identity to their non-discrimination policy. Please write a letter to the EVSC School Board members, asking them to add gender identity to the school’s non-discrimination policy and to make EVSC safe for ALL students. NOTE: an EVSC employee might call you saying such a policy change is not needed. Please be pre-pared for the phone call and PUSH BACK on the caller. Be sure to in-clude your name and home address on the letter. ALSO: we want one or 2 speakers to address this issue during community comment at the local school board meetings. Community comment is up to 3 minutes per person. If you are available to speak, please contact Wally Paynter at 812-480-0204 or [email protected]. For updates, ‘like’ the Tri-State Alliance on Facebook OR join the Evansville Area Justice Coalition on Facebook.
Michael Duckworth, Sr., 8309 Larch Lane, Evansville, IN 47710 or
email [email protected]
Rev. Terry Gamblin, 2320 Willow Creek Dr., Evansville, IN 47712 or
email [email protected]
Andrew Guarino, 4017 Cobblefield Dr., Evansville, IN 47710 or
email [email protected]
Christopher Kiefer, 428 S. Runnymeade Ave., Evansville, IN 47714
or email [email protected]
Rance Ossenberg, 532 Audubon Dr., Evansville, IN 47715 or email
Karen Ragland, 5600 Washington Ave., Evansville, IN 47715 or
email [email protected]
Jeff Worthington, 125 Woodward Dr., Evansville, IN 47712 or email
Postage Stamps Needed TSA continues our letter writing campaign to the EVSC School Board asking them to add gender identity to the school’s non-discrimination policy. Today we are mailing 15 handwritten letters to each of the 7 board members. That’s 105 letters we are mailing to-day! We need donations of stamps to help with this campaign . You can drop off rolls or sheets of stamps at the TSA offices, 501 John Street Suite 5, Evansville IN 47713; You can order stamps online at https://store.usps.com/ and have them shipped to the Tri-State Alliance, 501 John Street Suite 5, Evansville IN 47713; You can mail a check to TSA, 501 John Street Suite 5, Evansville IN 47713; You can make an online donation at http://tsagl.org/donate.html
Patient Support and Resources
If a healthcare provider has already determined that a Gilead treatment is right for a patient, then the Gilead Advancing Access® program is committed to help-ing them afford their medication every step of the way.
Financial Support For patients who need assistance with their co-pays or paying for medication, Advancing Access is available to help match them to a program that best meets their financial needs based on particular circumstances and insurance situation and the eligibility criteria for the programs.
Advancing Access is available to help patients: • Lower their co-pay* and find other co-pay support, if eligible
• Identify potential sources of financial support if they have government insur-ance
• Identify potential sources of financial support if they are uninsured
*See specific terms and conditions at
www.GileadAdvancingAccess.com
Insurance Support Advancing Access is available to help guide patients through the process of understanding the type of insurance they have and alter-native coverage if needed. Advancing Access is available to help patients: • Identify and confirm coverage and benefits • When their insurance or coverage changes • When they need assistance understanding insurance
PrEP Is Available in Evansville by Dennis Myers, MSN FNP AAHIVS
Are you and your partners prepped for HIV prevention? Simply put PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis) is a medical means of preventing HIV acquisition/sero-conversion to HIV once exposed. Just as a reminder, if you are into sex, drugs, "rock and roll" you are at risk for acquiring HIV or sero-converting to HIV post coming into contact with a positive HIV person. MSM (men having unprotected anal intercourse with men) remain at greatest risk for acquiring HIV. Sero discordant cou-ples (one is HIV positive, the other is not); male to female, female to male transgender persons engaging in high risk sex behaviors; persons engaging in sex for hire, drugs, etc.; persons injecting drugs; person using stimulants; persons with a history of anal/genital infections; persons who continue at risk behaviors as above and who have been on PrEP inconsist-ently are the very persons who should be on PrEP and take it very seriously. Truvada is the drug of choice. When taken daily at the same time every day, along with barrier protections, the chances of NOT acquiring the HIV virus with any exposure rises to 44-75%. It rises to almost 100% if you are negative and are hav-ing relations with an positive HIV partner who is on his/her medications, is !00% adherent to those medications and has an UNDETECTABLE viral load and REMAINS undetectable. The MOST important rule to follow when taking PrEP is to take it 100% of the time, every day, at the same time if you wat to remain protected. You can stop it any time without medical side effects. Remember, you stop the drug, take it inconsistently your protection drops and if your risk factors remain high you acquire HIV when exposed. You have to have good kidneys to take this drug. Side effects include fatigue and nausea. These slow down and stop the longer you remain on the drug. Truvada is expensive and you need some form of insurance or a source for the drug. In Evansville AIDS resource group is recommended. The first step in getting on Truvada is finding an empathetic provider, who is knowledgeable about the drug and is willing to maintain you on this drug AND is willing to see you every 3 months for follow up and to check to see if you are still HIV negative. The provider should and will perform a complete sexual and medical history on the first visit. Lab tests will include a 4th generation HIV 1 - HIV 2 screening test to make sure you are not currently HIV positive. Never use any rapid screening tests. A hepatitis A, B, and C screens will be drawn as well as screening for all STDs, a blood count for any anemia or cur-rent infections; and most important of all KIDNEY functions tests. Then and only then will you be prescribed Truvada. You will be given a 3 month supply with the above instructions. Rechecking these labs is MANDATORY in 3months if you are staying on the drug. If you turn up HIV or Hepatitis B positive during those three months, PreP stops and Hepatitis B and HIV treatment begins for LIFE!!! What PrEP is NOT is a "club drug". It is not a "morning after pill". You must be on this med for at least 1 full week before protection kicks in. Taking PrEP intermittently is NOT recommended nor advised. You can stop PrEP any time without medical side effects. If you choose to stop PrEP, re think your high risk behaviors. Should you choose to start PrEP the afore mentioned "rules of the road" are mandatory and not negotiable. Find a pro-vider who will back you up 100% Anything less you risk acquiring HIV. Keep it wrapped and lubed! Choose your partners wisely! PrEP does not protect against STDs - syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, anal warts, herpes etc.
Dennis Myers, MSN, FNP, AAHIVS, is a Board Certi-fied Family Nurse Practition-er with over 20 years of ex-perience in the treatment of HIV, HEP- C, and family practice. A graduate of Indi-ana State University and University of Southern Indi-ana, Mr. Myers is one of the only American Academy of HIV Medicine certified prac-titioners in the tristate area. He works for the Evansville Multi-Specialty Clinic located at 6140 E. Columbia Street on Evansville’s East Side. For an appointment call 812-475-1948 or visit EVVClinic.com.
