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JUN28

Science Alone Can't Create a Just World

I often talk about what it was like testing HIV-positive in 1992, when the only treatment available was AZT. Today, I consider the bounty of treatments available and the many more in development. I think of what science has done for me, this field, and for so many others like me. Yet science alone can’t create a just world. In its purest form, science can be cold, calculated, and simply focused on what can be proven true or false. Science has delivered both cures and bombs, has been used for both good and bad. While science has the potential to fix much of what ails us — it won’t work for the advancement of us all without being firmly steeped in and led by our values.

Posted By: Michael Kaplan, President & CEO, AIDS United - Tuesday, June 28, 2016

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JUN24

Are you #DoingIt?

National HIV Testing Day is a reminder to get the facts, get tested, and get involved to take care of yourself and your partners. An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and that number grows by almost 45,000 every year. One in eight people who have HIV don't know it. That means they aren't getting the medical care they need to stay healthy and avoid passing HIV to others.

Posted By: AIDS United - Friday, June 24, 2016

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MAY13

Remembering and Acting on Asian and Pacific Islander HIV Awareness

My friend Ron Sy—a longtime HIV and Asian Pacific Islander LGBT activist—died suddenly, earlier this year. May is Asian Pacific Islander American heritage month, and Ron has been on my mind.

Posted By: Jacob Smith Yang, Senior Director of the Capacity for Health Program, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum - Friday, May 13, 2016

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MAY13

Why Hepatitis Awareness Month and National Hepatitis Testing Day Matter

Recently someone from a local health department asked me how many Americans are living with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). “Three to five million,” I responded. “That doesn’t seem like very many. Why should I care, given all the other public health concerns?” While I was surprised by this question, it made me realize many others may be wondering the same thing.

Posted By: Emalie Huriaux, Director of Federal & State Affairs, Project Inform - Friday, May 13, 2016

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FEB05

Celebrating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

February 7, 2016 marks the 16th year for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the Diaspora. NBHAAD was founded in 1999 as a national response to the growing HIV and AIDS epidemic in African American communities. Black people, families, and communities have been among the most impacted by the HIV epidemic since its dawn. Research shows that poverty, isolation, and fear of discrimination, lack of affordable and accessible health care, and overt and systemic racism—compounded with deep-seated stigma—continue to place many in the Black community at-risk for infection. As Black youth, Black gay and bisexual men, and Black transgender women are disproportionately represented in new cases of HIV/AIDS annually in our nation, it is evident that intervention efforts must target our communities in order to effectively address the epidemic.

Posted By: By Venton C. Jones Jr., MSHCAD, Program Officer for LGBT Health and Wellness Initiatives, National Black Justice Coalition, Washington D.C. - Friday, February 05, 2016

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DEC03

World AIDS Day: The Time to Act is Now

December 1 marked World AIDS Day, a time to remember and honor those who have died as a result of AIDS and HIV infection, commemorate the progress made in the fight against the AIDS epidemic, and emphasize the need for continued efforts in reaching goals of an AIDS-Free generation. The United States’ theme, The Time to Act Is Now, recognizes the critical moment we’ve reached. The HIV epidemic in the United States began with fear around an inexplicable illness and discrimination towards those impacted. Living with HIV was once seen as a death sentence. Through medical innovation, policy change, and the dedication of advocates, people living with HIV can now live full lives. Despite this progress, significant work lies ahead. In the United States, 1.2 million people are living with HIV, and only 30% of these people have reached viral suppression. There are stark disparities in the burden of HIV in certain communities and discriminatory practices still threaten the lives of all people living with HIV. From passionate statements during White House events to landmark actions by politicians across the country, World AIDS Day has made it clear - the time to act is now.

Posted By: AIDS United Policy Department - Thursday, December 03, 2015

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DEC01

World AIDS Day 2015: Making the Promise a Reality

This World AIDS Day, help us make the promise a reality. Please consider a tax-deductible year-end gift or monthly pledge to AIDS United. By investing in our work, we can continue to advance our mission of ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.

Posted By: Michael Kaplan, President & CEO, AIDS United - Tuesday, December 01, 2015

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NOV24

Comunidad

I hear the word community often, but at Empodérate! it has taken on a concrete, meaningful form. Community provides support, acceptance, and the strength to combat HIV and stigma. Community is crucial to well-being, and this year I am finding that both personally and through my AmeriCorps service.

Posted By: Anna Persmark, AIDS United AmeriCorps Team DC - Tuesday, November 24, 2015

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SEP18

Guest Blog: Meeting the Needs of People Living with HIV Over Age 50

From establishing America’s first HIV/AIDS support group for older adults, to igniting changes in national policy, SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) leads the fight against this epidemic in the aging community. On this National HIV/Aging Awareness Day, 50% of Americans living with HIV will be over 50. With graying demographics—and adults over 50 accounting for one in six new diagnoses—that number is projected to soar to 70% by 2020. As ACRIA’s research shows, older adults with HIV have higher rates of depression, struggle with more comorbidities, and lack robust support networks to enable them to age with dignity and respect. Social isolation, higher rates of poverty, and a lack of access to culturally competent health care compound the problem. What is most upsetting about these age-related disparities? Older adults living with HIV are more likely to be diagnosed later, too often when the virus has progressed to AIDS.

Posted By: Aaron Tax, Director of Federal Government Relations, SAGE - Friday, September 18, 2015

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JUL16

AIDS United: Making the Promise a Reality

For almost three decades, AIDS United has supported community-driven responses to the HIV epidemic around the country that reach the nation’s most disproportionately affected people, including gay and bisexual men, communities of color, women, people living in the Deep South, people struggling with substance abuse, those living in poverty, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Posted By: AIDS United - Thursday, July 16, 2015

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