On Jan. 27, the FDA proposed easing blood donation guidelines for gay and bisexual men. The draft proposal would allow anyone to donate if they haven’t engaged in certain sexual behaviors in the last three months. These new rules assess blood donor eligibility using gender inclusive, individual risk based assessment. View the proposal here.

This proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days, closing on March 31. The FDA will then review and consider comments before finalizing guidance.

This week is the 2023 Sex Ed Week of Action sponsored by SIECUS. We invite you to take part in their action to communicate with your state legislators about the importance of comprehensive age appropriate sex education. Send a tailored message to your legislators to raise awareness about the need for comprehensive sex education in your state.

ANAC is hosting a series of webinars highlighting presentations from ANAC2022 in Tampa. Join us Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. EDT as Steven Shoptaw, PhD, presents Treating Stimulant Use Disorder in HIV Settings. Dr. Shoptaw’s presentation was enthusiastically received by conference attendees and we are pleased to share it with a larger audience. Register now.

Jan. 28 marked the 20th anniversary of the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), launched by President George W. Bush during the 2003 State of the Union Address, bringing together years of HIV/AIDS research, coordinated humanitarian effort, bipartisan support from Congress and engagement from community and faith-based organizations to create an unprecedented response to a global health crisis. In 2017, ANAC awarded the Public Service award to President Bush for his vision and leadership in establishing PEPFAR.

On Feb. 1, African leaders from countries with a high HIV burden met as part of the Global Alliance to End AIDS in Children. The meeting hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania focused on action to ensure that all children with HIV have access to life saving treatment and that mothers living with HIV have babies free from HIV. Ministers and representatives from twelve African countries have committed their plans to end AIDS in children by 2030. Read more here.

ANAC and Sigma Theta Tau annually join to provide a small research grant to an emerging nurse scholar to encourage research career development of nurses through supporting clinically oriented HIV/AIDS research. The deadline for the current application is April 1, 2023.

The Ohio chapter-in-formation has an upcoming hybrid meeting on Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. ET. Dr. Natalie Nielsen, HIV Specialty Pharmacist from The Ohio State University will discuss new long-acting injectable therapeutics for HIV treatment and prevention.

Attend in person at The Ohio State College of Nursing, Newton Hall, Rm 224 or online by registering here.

Each February, we celebrate the achievements of Black Americans during Black History Month. We are proud to honor all of the outstanding Black ANAC members who are working to advance HIV/AIDS care, research, prevention, education and policy. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is celebrated every year on Feb. 7 to acknowledge the progress made in HIV prevention and care among Black Americans while recognizing the work still needed to address the impact of HIV on these communities.

To celebrate, we talked to Martez Smith, a current doctoral candidate about joining ANAC and his work in Black communities.

Vaccine hesitancy for mpox in Mexico and South America is causing a surge in cases globally, with Mexico in the top 10 countries in the world with highest overall number of cases. Read more.

JANAC is preparing two special issues on the topics of cisgender women with domestic and global perspectives and HIV care and treatment in the U.S. south and rural and remote communities globally. Submissions for articles on both topics will be open until Aug. 1, 2023.

The position is for a supervisory nurse practitioner (community and public health) located in rural Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The public health nursing (PHN) program houses all the HIV syndemic related work, including HCV and STIs. Salary range: $112,693 - $146,507 per year. Apply.

The nurse practitioner is responsible for providing primary and preventative medical care to individuals enrolled in Abounding Prosperity’s clinical programs, in accordance with standards set forth by Abounding Prosperity’s policies and procedures, JCAHO Nursing Standards, CRNP Scope of Practice and Standards and the Department of Health and Human Services guidelines for HIV care. Learn more.