The San Diego City Council unanimously voted on Nov. 21 to appoint Todd Gloria to the Board of Commissioners of the San Diego Housing Commission.

Prior to his appointment, Gloria served on the Housing Commission’s Loan Committee approving financing packages for affordable housing developments in the city of San Diego.

Gloria is a housing advisor to Congressmember Susan Davis, and has worked with her to expand and improve local military family housing and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ home loan program.

Additionally, Gloria has served on the San Diego County’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS grant allocation team and helped to establish the Sunburst Apartments, a 24-unit affordable housing complex for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and HIV-positive youth, which is located in East Village.

“I am a passionate believer in the need for safe, decent and affordable housing in our community,” Gloria said. “This new role will allow me to continue my past work to expand housing options for San Diegans in need.”

Gloria was joined by his parents and friends at his confirmation by the council.

“I am excited to be joining the Housing Commission’s Board,” he said. “I am grateful for this opportunity and thank the council for their vote of confidence. I pledge to continue to work every day to address the housing needs of working families in San Diego.”

San Diego LGBT Pride has selected a theme for its 2006 celebration and is accepting submissions from local graphic artists for a corresponding logo. The submission deadline is Jan. 31. A winning entry will be selected in February and the artist will receive a $500 gratuity on behalf of the community.

The theme for 2006 is “Equality! No Turning Back.” Participating artists are asked to reflect the theme in their works, along with the dates of the three-day celebration, which is scheduled for July 28-30.

Entries should be submitted on a 15-by-10-inch black board with the logo image measuring 7-by-7 inches. Internet submissions will not be accepted.

“San Diego Pride is proud to involve the community each year in the creation of its annual logo,” said San Diego LGBT Pride co-chair Philip Princetta.

Both the theme and winning logo will be used on souvenir merchandise as well as on marketing materials and next year’s souvenir program.

All logo submissions will become the property of San Diego LGBT Pride and will not be returned unless arrangements are made through the Pride office. For more information, call (619) 297-7683.

During the holiday season, The Center is collecting gift cards in small denominations ($10 to $25) that can be distributed to youth that visit the Hillcrest Youth Center to help meet some of their needs.

Almost every night, 10 of the young people that come to Hillcrest Youth Center are homeless, The Center said.

Gift cards from the following businesses would be helpful: Albertsons, Ralphs, Vons, Sav-on, Rite-Aid, Target, Old Navy and the Gap.

Any membership donation or end-of-the year gift donation helps The Center and their programs and services. For more information on how to help, contact Zac Mikles at (619) 692-2077 ext. 246 or e-mail zmikles@thecentersd.org.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced on Dec. 6 the launch of www.changeofhaart.com, a new educational Web site featuring information about advances in HIV treatment – also called Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy or HAART – for people living with HIV/AIDS. The site includes resources about recent changes and improvements in HIV treatment, as well as advice and tools to help patients address a wide range of treatment issues. Its launch coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first protease inhibitor and subsequent availability of HAART in the United States.

Since its introduction, HAART has been credited with a 70-percent reduction in the AIDS death rate in the United States, saving an estimated 2 million years of human life. Despite a decade of dramatic improvements in HAART, including the availability of significantly improved options for HIV treatment, over 200,000 Americans who should be receiving HIV treatment are not, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are currently 27 antiretrovirals approved for HIV therapy in the United States. With multiple medicines available to people living with HIV/AIDS, some patients can be confused about treatment options or may be unsure about what questions to ask their physician.

“In recent years, there have been a number of remarkable advances in treatment for people living with HIV, but it can be challenging to stay fully informed,” said Jim Meyers, vice president of U.S. Commercial Operations for Gilead Sciences. “While there are many Web sites about HIV, we saw a need for one that clearly describes the evolution of treatment and empowers patients to feel comfortable discussing new or improved treatment options with their physicians.”

Changeofhaart.com contains a concise history of HAART, video testimonials, an interactive quiz and information about how to manage treatment in order to reduce treatment-related side effects. The site can also help patients locate local resources such as AIDS service organizations.

Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company’s mission is to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Headquartered in Foster City, Calif., Gilead has operations in North America, Europe and Australia.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a plan for new mental health services offered by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency’s Mental Health Services.

This plan outlines how $25.4 million in new mental health services will reach unserved and underserved clients. The funding comes from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), a voter-approved initiative to bolster and continue to transform the delivery of mental health services across the state.

The plan was developed over the past year with community stakeholders and community members, including clients, youth and family members. Workgroups considered needs, issues and MHSA requirements to make recommendations that were synthesized into a draft plan reviewed by the public.

“This is a real opportunity to continue to build a mental health system that responds to the many needs of our diverse communities,” said Alfredo Aguirre, acting mental health director.

The MHSA new programs include a North County walk-in assessment center, $2 million in expanded outpatient services for schoolchildren and almost $7 million in intensive case management services for young adults, adults and older adults with serious mental illness, many of whom may be homeless.

The full range of programs includes wraparound services for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families, client/family-run peer services, supports for child dependents and wards of the courts, and integrated mental health and primary care health services. The plan is one of six components of the MHSA; additional funding for other components – including capital facilities/technology, prevention/intervention and innovation – will be available next year.

With the Board of Supervisors approval, the county will send the plan to the California Department of Mental Health for review. Once approved, funding will be released to increase mental health services according to the plan. The county expects to start new programs from April to August next year. The final plan is available for review at www.sandiego.networkofcare.org/mh.