Testing.com, a trusted informational guide for medical lab testing and at-home screening, has recognized Cascade AIDS Project + PIVOT as two of the best community-based organizations in Portland for providing vital services, such as free or low-cost STD testing and treatment, to fight the growing STD epidemic.

On May 25, 2020 Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, after a convenience store employee called 911 and told the police that Mr. Floyd had bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life. This was not a new moment or scenario in our nation’s history. Countless Black and Brown bodies have been inappropriately profiled, wrongly accused and lost to police brutality before and after this moment. However, it was those 8 minutes and 46 seconds that sparked a racial awakening and literally took the breath from our nation.

The origin of Black History Month goes back to 1915, when Dr. Carter Woodson founded the Study for African American Life and History (previously known as the Study of Negro Life and History). He introduced “Negro History Week” in 1926 to honor the history and recognize the accomplishments of the Black community in the United States.

My name is Déja Fitzgerald (She/Her) and I am incredibly excited to be CAP’s new Equity and Inclusion Advocate. In the past few weeks, I have been often asked why I chose to pursue this particular role with this particular organization. As a Black queer woman, my lived experience serves as the foundation that guides my work as an equity practitioner, community advocate, and educator…

October 15 is National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day - a day aimed to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in the Hispanic/Latinx population of the U.S. It is a day to draw attention to the disproportionate impact that exists in the Latinx community when it comes to HIV.

CAP is so very pleased to recognize and celebrate one of our CAP volunteers, Luke Marshall. Luke was one of seven people individual recently recognized by Jiffy Lube International through the “Do More Award”, which seeks to “honor volunteers who use their vehicles to make a difference, whether it is driving a cancer patient to the hospital for treatment or delivering a hot meal to a family in need. By providing these volunteers with a year’s worth of vehicle maintenance services, Jiffy Lube can help keep them on the road so they can continue to Do More.”

We wanted to take a moment to say thank to you all for your incredible support of CAP and AIDS Walk Northwest. AIDS Walk Northwest (formerly AIDS Walk Portland) is a cornerstone event for CAP and helps raise awareness for HIV and AIDS as well as critical funds to support CAP and our Community Partners as we fight to end HIV transmission. Thousands of you rallied over the past few months and helped us exceed our fundraising goal; because of your generous support we raised over $178,000 during this year’s event to support healthcare and HIV services for both CAP and our Community Partners!

Hello Everyone, It’s Tyler TerMeer – CEO of Cascade AIDS Project and Prism Health!

I’m reaching out today with an important update about AIDS WALK Northwest.

As I’m sure you can imagine, we have been keeping a close eye on the wildfires this week and due to the increased smoke and fire safety concerns in our local area, we have made the tough decision that AIDS Walk on September 12th will be a virtual livestream event only.

CAP is excited to announce that we are currently hiring a full-time Equity and Inclusion Advocate. This position was made possible thanks to a generous grant from The Collins Foundation for $115,000 over two years.

In our last letter, we shared our commitment to providing you with updates on how our system is adapting in the pandemic, and taking the necessary steps to ensure that you have access to the services you need, while staying safe and healthy. You are always in the forefront of our minds, but in these past few weeks, amid community uprisings it becomes even clearer how important it is for us to stay connected.

Last week, Leaders and Organizations in the Black community sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown, Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, Senate President Peter Courtney and members of the Emergency Board.

As you know, COVID-19 is also highlighting what was already true—while Oregonians are weathering the same storm, we’re not all in the same boat. Black, brown, and Indigenous communities have always been denied the resources we need to be healthy. So, it is absolutely predictable that we are the communities hit hardest by COVID-19—and not just by the virus itself. Nationally, we also know that the CARES Act has already left Black communities behind.

We wrote to you a couple of weeks ago to let you know that all of our HIV organizations remain open and able to provide the services that you need and deserve. We are all available in different capacities and we encourage you to visit our websites, social media pages and call us. Our plan is to remain open during the Stay Home: Save Lives order and to continue to be here for you. We hope that you are finding ways to take care of yourselves during this time.

At CAP, the well-being of our community is a top priority and we are aware that the populations we serve are often the most vulnerable during a public health crisis. We will be staying open with essential services so that our clients can receive the care they need, while also protecting our members, visitors, volunteers, and staff while they are here.

In August of 2019, I released an open letter in The Skanner to acknowledge that CAP’s work with the Black community in Portland has been lacking. At the time, our time for showing up at the table was far overdue.  Today as I reflect back, I realize I should have started the conversation with two simple words.

I’m sorry.

Thirty five years ago CAP incorporated as a nonprofit under a mission designed to support men, women, and youth affected by HIV and AIDS, prevent the spread of HIV in populations at highest risk, and advocate for an effective community response to the epidemic. We were a reflective light for many in the darkest of days. A time where diagnosis for most meant a death sentence. Today, an individual’s journey with HIV has transformed from dying from, to living with, to now thriving despite.