Today is the last day for public comments on proposed federal regulations requiring all hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding to adopt policies that protect the visitation rights of all patients, including LGBT people.

Late last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released two funding announcements on sexuality education that included language focused on LGBT and questioning youth. For the first time, language in the funding announcements for federal sexuality education dollars encouraged states to consider “the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth” and asked states to ensure that programs funded with these dollars are “inclusive of and nonstigmatizing toward” LGBT and questioning participants.

In the wake of a recent incident experienced by a transgender woman who faced degrading treatment at the hospital, today HRC called on Ball Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Muncie, Ind., to immediately adopt an LGBT inclusive patient nondiscrimination policy and train all hospital staff on compliance.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education passed an appropriations measure for Fiscal Year 2011 that provides for important increases in a number of critical federal HIV/AIDS programs. While the current economic times make funding increases of any kind hard to come by, it is especially in such a fiscal crisis that programs like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) are most needed. Thankfully, the Subcommittee has recognized that need, including an $84 million increase for Ryan White care and treatment programs, with $50 million going to provide HIV medications to those most in need through ADAP. Unfortunately, with a record number of individuals on ADAP waiting lists, and more and more states moving toward cutting additional recipients from those programs, the estimated need for FY11 is far greater – $370 million. Even with $25 million in newly-announced emergency dollars from the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as additional contributions by pharmaceutical companies, ADAP remains in crisis. We urge Congress to provide additional funds for this essential effort to keep people with HIV and AIDS in treatment.

Today President Obama released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States — a positive step forward in the fight against HIV and AIDS nationwide. However, it is critical that the administration and Congress provide the leadership and resources necessary to implement this important plan.

Amidst the marches, celebrations and rallies that mark Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month is National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) on June 27th. Observed annually to increase public awareness and promote early diagnosis through HIV testing, NHTD was founded by the National Association of People with AIDS in 1995. As the LGBT community continues to be disproportionately impacted by HIV, it is important that we take pride in improving the health of our communities by getting tested early and often.

Today, a million Americans have HIV/AIDS with one in five (230,000) unaware they are infected. Sixteen years ago today, June 27th, the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS, LGBT groups, and public health professionals banded together to launch a nationwide effort to encourage individuals to learn their HIV status.

Know your status — get tested.

Today the Department of Health and Human Services released the draft regulation requiring all hospitals receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding to adopt policies that protect the visitation rights of all patients, including LGBT people. The draft language requires hospitals to adopt written policies and procedures regarding patient visitation rights including the right to designate visitors of one’s choosing, “including, but not limited to, a spouse, a domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), another family member, or a friend,” and the right to visitation privileges regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. According to HHS, the draft rule will be published in the Federal Register on June 28 and the agency will solicit public comments on the proposal for 60 days.

Yesterday, the Department of Labor announced new guidance that permits an employee to take time off under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to care for a child for whom he or she is acting as a parent, even if the employee does not have a legal or biological relationship to that the child.

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability begins a two-day meeting to review the scientific rationale for and societal implications of the current lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men donating blood. A full agenda and link to a streaming webcast of the meeting is available on the Committee’s website. HRC submitted comments urging the Committee to recommend a revision to the policy that will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. Our comments, and a host of resources and information on the blood ban, are available at www.hrc.org/BloodBan.