Congress revamps housing program for those with HIV
Having shelter can be an important factor for the successful treatment of a person’s virus
Kaiser Health News
In a bipartisan push, Congress has restructured a program that provides housing assistance for people living with HIV to funnel more money into areas struggling to control the outbreak.
While legislators and housing advocates say the adjustments will better target regions with high rates of the virus, these changes are likely to mean less money for some of the large cities that handled the early effects of the epidemic.
To help with the transition, Congress increased funding for the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program about 6% this year. In the past, this money was distributed based on a jurisdiction’s cumulative number of cases (including people who had died).
Now under the 2017 funding, finalized by Congress in May, HOPWA has awarded $320.4 million to qualifying states and local jurisdictions to be apportioned primarily based on their share of the total number of people living with the virus. The number of cases required to qualify for funding also changed from 1,500 cum- ulative AIDS cases to 2,000 living cases of HIV/AIDS.
No jurisdiction will receive less HOPWA money than in 2016, but about 25 cities and counties are getting a smaller piece of the pie than before.
“As the formula is fully implemented, without additional funds those jurisdictions will lose out,” said Opal Jones, of the National AIDS Housing Coalition, a housing advocacy group in favor of the formula change. “It’s a great start. It’s just not enough.”
The program, which began in 1992, provides financial assistance to help participants pay for rent, mortgage and utility costs.
“I think we can’t underestimate the power that home has in improving the health in somebody with a chronic condition,” said Russell Bennett, of the National AIDS Housing Coalition.
Shyronn Jones, 39, has struggled financially since she was diagnosed with HIV. She was once a homeowner in New York, but when she moved to Atlanta, the only housing she could afford was an apartment in a crime-ridden pocket of the city. She was having trouble getting medical care, and her white blood cell count dipped to dangerous levels. Jones then got connected to HOPWA, which helped her move into a better neighborhood.
“HOPWA just saved me,” Jones said.
You’ve walked your 1 million steps, dutifully logged sleep patterns and graphed your heart rate — all courtesy of that trusty fitness band that gently nudged you into better health.
But now its manufacturer has closed its doors or is acquired by someone else. Or perhaps you decide to switch to a different brand altogether. What happens to all that data you’ve put so much sweat into?
Millions of customers who own a Jawbone UP activity tracker faced that question this month after learning the company was liquidating after manufacturing issues, a legal battle with rival Fitbit, and months of complaints by customers about paltry customer service.
Jawbone says that in its case, a successor company — Jawbone Health — has acquired certain assets including customer data from Jawbone parent Aliphcom during liquidation proceedings. The successor company will serve and support existing customers.
The scenario raises broader questions about this relatively young technology: Who owns the fitness health data you’ve been feeding into various trackers and apps? Can you have it deleted, upon request? And if you’re ready to move on (or are forced to), how can you get it back? sumer data with the same high level of care . ... Jawbone will delete such personal data upon request of the customer because it is the customers’ data.”
To request to have your data returned to you and/or destroyed, customers can send an email from this site: jawbone.com/contact.
When it comes to transferring your data from one fitness tracker company to another, keep in mind that the information might not easily import into the new app. There are some public forums that discuss importing Jawbone data into Fitbit, for example, but the success appears to be mixed (often requiring a third-party app as a middleman). or assets.”
“Fitness trackers like this are a goldmine for useful personal data, which can be used in a variety of different ways,” cautioned Christopher Dore, a Chicagobased partner at consumer protection law firm Edelson PC. “One issue with fitness tracking data is the heath information you’re giving away, such as heart rate, activity intensity. This becomes, in my mind, quasi-medical information they’re collecting about you.” A second concern, Dore said, is that most of these devices have the ability to track location.
“A company can learn your daily habits, see what stores you go to, where you drive,” he said.
According to Jawbone’s privacy policy, your data is broken down into various sections: information you actively provide when you sign up (such as name, height, weight, birth date); information you automatically provide (gleaned from mobile apps, fitness tracker devices, and their website); and information third parties collect.
A lesson to be learned here: Be wary of what you’re freely sharing with tech companies, whether it’s a social media site, wearable gadget or mobile app.
“Without additional funds those jurisdictions will lose out.”