ALBANY, N.Y. (March 25, 2013) – The New York State Department of Health (DOH) is expanding a recommendation issued earlier this month by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) regarding meningococcal vaccinations for men who have sex with men (MSM). These meningococcal vaccine recommendations have been issued in response to an outbreak of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in New York City.

Meningococcal disease is a severe bacterial infection of the bloodstream. Common symptoms include high fever, headache, vomiting, stiff neck, and a rash. Symptoms may occur two to 10 days after exposure, but usually within five days. Since 2010, 22 men residing in NYC and one man who resides outside the City, but spent significant time there, have become ill in this outbreak, seven have died.

The recommendation by DOH has been expanded to include MSM residing outside NYC who have traveled to the City and engaged in the risk behaviors described below since September 1, 2012.

The following groups were identified by NYCDOHMH as being at highest risk of IMD and are being advised to obtain a quadravalent meningococcal vaccination:

• All HIV-infected MSM
• MSM, regardless of HIV status, who regularly have close or intimate sexual contact with men met through an online website, digital application (“app”), or at a bar or party. (Previously, meningococcal vaccination was recommended only for those with contact in certain high risk areas in New York City)

HIV positive individuals who do not have a health care provider or whose provider does not currently have the meningococcal vaccine can use the following link to find locations that offer vaccinations and/or health care services: www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/resources/resource_directory/. Other individuals can visit www.nysacho.organd use the directory to find contact information for their local health department, which also may have the vaccine.

Additional provider information can be found on the statewide HIV provider directory at: http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/resources/resource_directory/.

More information about the meningococcal disease outbreak among at-risk men is available at:http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/aids/campaign/meningococcal_vaccination/

Click here to donate to AIDS Walk

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How did that happen you ask?

I don’t know, and for some reason, I don’t really mind. 

Of course, I want to see how Seth MacFarlane does. I’m sure he’ll be hilarious. It’s just that over the years, I feel like the Oscars are fixed somehow. Movies I thought were amazing seem to have been neglected all together, like Perks of Being a Wallflower. I understand it’s hard for small movies to compete with big blockbusters with producers who campaign heavily, but after reading some of the nominees, I sat there scratching my head in confusion.

To keep up the tradition, I will list my Oscar picks including who will win and who I feel should win. As an extra bonus, I’ve included those who should have been nominated.

Best Picture

Winner will be Argo. Should win, Life of Pi. 

Best Actor

Winner will be Daniel Day-Lewis. Joaquin Phoenix should win.

Best Actress

Winner will be Jennifer Lawrence. In my opinion she was really a supporting character. Should win, Naomi Watts. What went wrong with the promotion of The Impossible? It seems like no one is talking about it. And don’t even get me started on that little girl from Beasts of the Southern Wild. As a rule, children should not be nominated. The Oscars should bring back the young adult or rising star Oscar. Quvenzhané Wallis was good but it was all reactions shots. Was she better than Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy or better than Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone? I think not. If I were them, I’d be pissed. 

Best Director

Winner will be Steven Spielberg. If he gets it he should give it to Ben Affleck even though I don’t agree with all the bru ha ha about Argo. If anyone made a movie that was pure cinema – a film that had great characters, had visually stunning effects and showed you something you’ve never seen before – it was Ang Lee. 

Best Supportive Actress

Winner will be Anne Hathaway. Should win Anne Hathaway. What will be exciting is to watch Anne Hathaway carry on as though she’s surprised and then act as if she’s won Best Actress. I would kill for an upset in this category. Give it to Amy Adams or even Sally Field.

Best Supporting Actor

Winner will be Robert Deniro. I’m going out on a limb because out of everyone in Silver Linings Playbook, I though Deniro was the most touching of all. 

So there you have it. 

I wish I could say that I’m getting more excited as the Oscars approach but I’m not. Good luck to all, and I’m sorry Frankenweenie. You’re going to lose to Brave. 

Thinking back, I remembered when we first started dating. We seemed more spontaneous then. Going to the movies meant holding hands in the dark, dinner was a chance to flirt at the table of some trendy restaurant, and strolling through a gallery was an opportunity to sidle up against each other while staring at a piece of art.

Five years later, now happily married with a four-legged child we call Hoffman, our lives have settled comfortably into a common phase of marriage. We opt to order in rather than trying to score a reservation at the newest restaurant. We get excited by the arrival of new things to watch on Netflix in lieu of fighting crowds at the movie theater, and now we walk past gallery windows on our way to the dog park. I try to make excuses for our behavior: We work hard, we don’t like leaving Hoffman alone, we’re tired, and, admittedly, we’re getting older.

I kept thinking of the quotation by George Bernard Shaw: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

The truth is that Chad and I are suffering from midlife marriage malaise. Apparently it’s quite common. Friends who are in long-term relationships tell me that their priorities changed after being together for years. I’m told that it’s less about going out and being seen than it is about building a life with your partner and savoring the quiet times at home. I suppose there is some truth in that. But what about the adage “the couple that plays together stays together”?

My therapist assured me that many couples experience a loss of playfulness, but not due to complacency as much as fear of rejection. I thought back to that night when Chad snuggled with our dog. I wondered what would have happened if Chad had spontaneously rubbed his nose up against mine and called me “Bubbly-boo.” Depending on my mood (and yes, believe it or not, I’m moody), I probably would have stared back at him with an odd expression on my face and said something like, “Are you having a stroke?”

It occurred to me that if my relationship was lacking playfulness, then it was just as much my fault as it was his. All at once I saw myself in bed playing Words With Friends on my iPhone with people who weren’t really my friends, as Chad read a magazine. Now it made sense that he would choose to play with Hoffman, with his unconditional love and nary a snarky comment to be heard, over me, someone whose personality is as temperamental as that of a 2-year-old.

It was then that I realized that if I wanted more playfulness in my relationship, then I was going to have to do something about it. But how do you initiate fun without coming across as desperate? And what if my lame attempt at playfulness yielded rejection from Chad? With all these questions swirling in my mind, it didn’t take long before I talked myself out of making any playful attempts with my partner.

A week later I was working at my computer one night. Chad was in the bedroom reading a magazine, with Hoffman by his side. Suddenly I was startled by the sound of Hoffman leaping off the bed to retrieve a ball that Chad had thrown. Soon they were in the throes of a game of fetch, but as usual, Hoffman’s interest waned after the sixth throw, and they began wrestling. I listened in envy as my husband began calling my dog those same cute affectations that I longed to hear him say to me. Sitting there, I felt as abandoned as that ball lying on the floor.

Regardless of gender, marriage is about communication and compromise. Of course, priorities change after being together for years. In that regard I agreed with my friends in long-term relationships. And yes, perhaps we do become slightly insecure with our loved ones out of fear of rejection, like my therapist so insightfully pointed out. But these observations shouldn’t prevent us from taking risks.

In that moment I knew I had to show Chad that I was up for fun. I wouldn’t allow myself to be discarded like that ball, because I was better than that, and so was my relationship. So I surprised everyone, including myself, by jumping up on the bed and proclaiming my rightful position next to Chad and Hoffman, smothering them in kisses and calling them every cute name I could think of. I didn’t care if they thought I was crazy, silly or experiencing an attack of apoplexy, because I had been fearless and, more importantly, fun.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Krishna Stone | 212.367.1016

New York, NY—Starting on Tuesday, November 27, Gap will present a special edition t-shirt in honor of World AIDS Day.  For every shirt sold online at gap.com, $12.00 will be donated to GMHC, the oldest AIDS service organization in the country.

“New York City continues to be the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States with more cases than San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Miami combined,” said Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of GMHC.  “With a cure still out of reach, education and support are critical to reducing new HIV infections, and providing care for those living with HIV and AIDS. That is why, in GMHC’s 30th year, we are so grateful for the longstanding generosity and leadership of Gap to help raise much-needed funds.”

For 22 years, Gap has been a sponsor of AIDS Walk New York, benefiting GMHC.  Since 1986, AIDS Walk New York has raised more than $128 million for HIV programs and services in the tri-state area, and has grown into the largest AIDS fundraising event in the world.

Shoppers can purchase the World AIDS Day t-shirt priced at $29.95 at gap.com.

***

About GMHC
GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS.  We provide prevention and care services to men, women and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City.  We advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide. 

Below is a cute video about a serious problem.

Whenever a man comes into my office complaining of erectile dysfunction, the first thing I ask is, “Do you get morning erections?”

That’s because loss of morning erections usually indicates a physiological versus a psychological cause. However, loss of morning erections doesn’t prove you have a physiological problem. You could be still experiencing normal nocturnal tumescence. So how do you know if you are having normal periodic erections while you sleep? Well, there is something called the tape test.

During my urological rotation, I remember one urologist instructing a patient to place tape on the shaft of his penis before going to bed. If the tape was broken when he woke up that would indicate he had normal nocturnal tumescence. The tape test also works by using a stamp.

So you see, “Morning Wood” isn’t just some cosmic punch line. It actually means something.

Austin Head, a Phoenix-based entertainer, activist and star of LogoTV’s Positive Youth documentary, was assaulted early Friday morning by two assailants who targeted him and a friend as they were headed home and walking down Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix.

Following an evening out at the popular LGBT nightspot Charlie’s, Austin and his friend were attacked by two men, ages 24 and 21 respectively. As the men approached Austin and his friend, they yelled homophobic slurs and attacked them physically.

Knocked unconscious, Austin woke up later Friday morning with multiple head injuries, including a Maxillary Sinus Fracture, Lateral Orbit Fracture, eyebrow laceration and severe swelling on the left side of his face.

The two suspects were immediately tracked down by the Phoenix Police Department, identified by a witness, arrested and jailed.   It is not known if the two assailants were still in police custody.

Dr. Stuart Sperry of St. Joseph’s Hospital, who took charge of Head’s recovery, warned that further plastic surgery may be needed to restore the fractures caused by this assault.

I met Austin for the first time several years ago through a mutual friend, Michael Lyon. Austin and I were both featured in the documentary, Positive Youth where he openly discussed his HIV status as well as his struggle to maintain his health due to the high price of healthcare.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

Scott Tully, MD, of Urology Centers of Alabama, describes the surgical process for robotic prostatectomy. He explains the various phases before and after the procedure, and how this new technology is more advantageous than the prior 2-D flat screen approach. This advancement in visualization allows his team to perform more accurate and precise procedures.

Prostate cancer, a malignancy that develops in the prostate gland, is often treated successfully in its early stages with surgery. Surgeons who treat prostate cancer have two goals: eradicating the patient’s cancer while safeguarding the nerves that control urinary and sexual function. Surgeons with the most extensive experience performing robotic prostatectomy are more likely to achieve these goals.

Robotic prostatectomy, also know as robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, is the most advanced treatment option for patients who are candidates for surgery. Operating through five or six tiny holes in the abdomen, surgeons remove the cancerous tissue while preserving the vital nerves and arteries that control bladder and sexual function. This nerve sparing prostatectomy approach helps men retain their urinary control and sexual function.

In the past year I had three patients undergo this procedure with great results.