We look forward to seeing
everyone who has registered for the United States
Conference on AIDS (USCA), from
October 29-31, in
San Francisco, CA. Below is some helpful information to plan your trip!
Below are some last minute notes before you head to the meeting.
 Bring Your Laptop!
The program book and many other materials have not been
printed this year, but are being made available on a flash drive, which will be
handed out at registration. If you do not have a laptop, do not worry. There
will be Cyber Cafés in each
of the exhibit halls, located in the Continental Ballroom, on the Ballroom
Level, and the Golden Gate,
on the Lobby Level.
Other
“Green” Initiatives at USCA
Printing less is just one of
the steps we're taking toward becoming a more green meeting. Don't worry - we're
not changing everything, just trying to do a little bit better. Help us to save
some money, cut down on waste, and maybe save a tree or two. Some highlights:
This year’s conference bag is
a reusable grocery bag. We would like to thank Gilead for sponsoring
the bag.
We will not be handing out bottled
water. Unless we get a health alert, tap water will be available
throughout the meeting.
We are asking everyone to
recycle their name tags at the end of the conference for future meetings - just
turn it in with your final evaluation.
Print Green,
a certified environmentally-friendly printing company located just outside of
San Francisco, CA, produced many of the printed materials for USCA. You can be
assured that they were created using 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based
dyes. The company's unique approach to print production and close proximity to
the conference venue have helped cut the amount of chemical waste and fossil
fuel use associated with the conference, reducing its overall carbon footprint.
We will be supporting other
green programs carried out by San Francisco and the Hilton.
 Follow USCA
Online
Sign up to follow the conference on
Twitter: www.twitter.com/USCA09
or www.twitter.com/NMACCommunity.
Please mark all Tweets and re-Tweets
@USCA09!
Get Ready for Exhibit Hall Bingo
We have two (2) exhibit halls
this year – one in the Golden Gate, on the Lobby Level
and the other in the Continental
Ballroom, on the Ballroom Level, which
will be open:
Thursday,
October 29th - Saturday, October 31st
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
We are playing Exhibit Hall BINGO as an incentive to ensure everyone
visits both halls. You’ll receive your cards at registration. From there you
will:
Visit all of the organizations
in each cell.
Request a hole punch from
each exhibitor.
Once you have visited all of
the vendors on this card, return the card to Exhibitor Registration located in
the Golden Gate Ballroom for a raffle ticket.
This bingo card must be
completely punched and you must be present to win. You will get a different
raffle ticket for each day.
Raffle Prizes will be drawn
at 11:30 a.m. in Golden Gate Ballroom and at 4:00 p.m. in Continental
Ballroom
We have some great prizes,
including airfare, hotel and registration for the 2010 USCA in Orlando, FL. You
must be present at the drawing to win! Go to the exhibit halls for more
details!
Pack for the weather! San Francisco weather can vary wildly throughout the day,
and often is chilly at night, so bring a warm jacket. The high temperatures
throughout the meeting are expected to be in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Stay
informed at weather.com.
Getting to the Conference Venue: San Francisco Hilton (Union
Square)
This year’s USCA is taking
place at the:
333 O’Farrell Street * San Francisco, CA
94102 * Telephone: (415) 771-1400.
Be sure to go the right hotel –
there are several Hilton hotels in San Francisco. The hotel is sold out;
however, some rooms may open up as we get closer to the start of the meeting.
If you are flying in, please keep in
mind that both area airports – the San Francisco International
Airport
(SFO) and Oakland International
Airport
(OAK) – are located about 25-40 minutes from the
Hilton San Francisco (Union Square). While the Hilton San Francisco does not
provide transportation from the hotel, it does offer extensive information about
ground travel
options
and as well as map of the local
area. The most cost effective options are:
-
Super
Shuttle
which costs around $17 (each way) and will take you
directly to the hotel. Call (800) BLUE-VAN to make a reservation or to ask a
question.
-
BART
is the acronym for Bay Area’s rapid transit system.
It has a route from the airport to a stop about 3 blocks from the Powell Street
station, and costs around $8 (each way).
  USCA Programming Highlights
Please check out this year’s conference program in
advance on our website
here.
USCA’s target population this year is the Transgender Community. The meeting will
start with an Opening Transgender Plenary, on Thursday, October 29th,
at 12:45 p.m. USCA is holding a transgender focused institute, a transgender
lounge and the largest number of transgender workshops and scholarships in the
history of the meeting. (The flag above is the Transgender Pride
Flag.)
This year’s program has a number of special events of note,
which are detailed below.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER
28TH
All are welcome to participate in this
session, though advance
registration
is required.
* 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
USCA Sponsor and Exhibitor
Registration Opens
(This is for sponsors and exhibitors only.)
Location:
Golden Gate, Lobby Level
* 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
USCA Media
Registration Opens
Location: Sunset Room, Lobby
Level
* 3:00 p.m. to 7:00
p.m.
Location: Franciscan B &
C, Ballroom Level
This is a free event open to the public. USCA registration
is not required.
* 4:00 p.m. to 7:00
p.m.
USCA Registration Opens
Location: West Lounge, Ballroom
Level* 6:30 p.m. to 8:00
p.m.
Limited to 300 people on a
first-come, first-served basis, and is specifically for people from regions not
getting official NAS Town Halls.
Location: Plaza B, Lobby
Level
THURSDAY, OCTOBER
29TH
* 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m. to 5:00
p.m.
Special All Day New Media
Institute
Location: Mason and Powell
Rooms
* 8:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m.
* 12:45 p.m. to 2:15
p.m.
Opening Plenary Luncheon:
Transgendered People & HIV: Our Time Has
Come!
Location: Grand Ballroom,
Grand Ballroom Level
* 2:30 p.m. to 5:30
p.m.
Seminars of note:
 Gilead Seminar: When to Start: 350 Reasons to Be Treatment
Literate
Location: Yosemite A&B, Ballroom Level
 Boehringer Ingelheim Seminar: Total HEALTH & HIV
Location:
Imperial A, Ballroom Level
* 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Union Square Park (2
blocks from the Hilton San Francisco.
Tickets are required; but
available for free at USCA registration or the BMS Exhibit Booth – #161 in the
Continental Ballroom.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER
30TH
This is a day of special session called the Platinum Friday
Series!
* 7:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Location: Grand Ballroom
* 8:30 a.m. – 10:30
a.m.
Location: Plaza A, Lobby Level
Location: Yosemite B, Ballroom
Level
We would like to thank the
Sponsors, Program Partners and Federal Government Supporters
who helped make the 2009 United States Conference on AIDS a
reality:
2009 USCA Program
Partners
AIDS Action
AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and
Families
The AIDS Institute
AIDS, Medicine and Miracles
American
Academy of HIV Medicine
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
The Balm In
Gilead
Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS
Cable Positive
CAEAR
Foundation
International AIDS Society
LIFEbeat
M·A·C AIDS
Fund
Mothers’ Voices
The NAMES Project Foundation
National AIDS Housing
Coalition
National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS
Directors
National Association of People with AIDS
National Native
American AIDS Prevention Center
2009 Federal
Government Supporters
Health and Human Services
Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
Health Resources and Services
Administration
National Institutes of Health
Office of AIDS
Research
Office of Minority Health
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration
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