April 18th is National Transgender HIV Testing Day! This year, we would like to share some context about the importance of this day and offer some resources for our trans and gender-nonconforming community members—including a fun local event!

March 31st marks Trans Day of Visibility—We’re celebrating at CAP, Our House and Prism by sharing a bit about the history of this day and sharing resources for our trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming community members. 

March 20th marks the annual observance of National Native HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, a day to address the impact of HIV on Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. NNHAAD was created to encourage HIV testing, prevention, and treatment in these impacted communities.

February 7th marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). NBHAAD is a day to increase HIV education, testing and treatment in Black communities and acknowledge how HIV disproportionately affects Black people. 

Today is February 1st , and also the start of Black History and Black Futures Month in the United States. Black History Month was first conceptualized as being a weeklong celebration to encourage the coordinated teaching of Black history in public schools across the United States.

We are excited to share that we’ll be bringing back the Winter Survival Kits that we’ve done in years’ past at CAP and Prism Health, and will be accepting donations starting today, January 10, for any and all winter survival items (see list below). These items will be collected at Prism Health and the three CAP social service locations in Portland, Vancouver, and Longview through March 18, 2022.

When visiting Portland, Oregon in 1961, Dr. King addressed the audience at the Keller Auditorium (then called the Civic Auditorium): “Americans must rise above the narrow confines of their individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity,” he said. “They must rid themselves of the notion that there are superior and inferior races.” 

On our final episode of 2022, we are joined by a very special guest: Brenda Chambers. Brenda is a participant in CAP's Aging Well program and is a long-term survivor of HIV. Listen as she tells her story of being a grandmother, a caregiver, a friend, and a peer to her community, and don't miss hearing how she is leveraging her 18 years in recovery to support and mentor others through their healing journeys.

The HIV epidemic in Oregon & beyond is not over, and if you think it is, it is because you are only looking at the most privileged groups affected by HIV. The HIV epidemic is less visible because it is becoming concentrated among marginalized communities.

Founded in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever international day for global health. Every year, folks across the globe come together to raise awareness of HIV & AIDS in our communities, support those living with and impacted by HIV, advocate for resources to tackle HIV transmission, combat stigma associated with HIV & AIDS, and, above all, remember those lost to us due to HIV & AIDS.

CAP + Our House + Prism Health are proud to sponsor the 2023 QDoc Film Festival! Founded in 2007 by Russ Gage and David Weissman, and directed by Molly King and Deb Kemp since 2017, QDoc has shown award-winning films fresh from Sundance, Berlin, Hot Docs, Tribeca, Amsterdam and other top-tier festivals. We have shown historical films, personal stories, artist biographies, experimental work and topical films dealing with current controversies.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a recognition of the ancestry and traditions of Native American and Indigenous Peoples within the context of what is now called the United States, and globally. As described by the National Congress of American Indians, this month “is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native People.”

Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is held on November 20th to honor those who have been killed as a result of transphobia, as well as to draw attention to the violence faced by many in the trans community. TDOR was established in 1999 by activist Gwendolyn Anne Smith as a memorial to Rita Hester, a trans woman who was murdered in 1998. This initial local vigil expanded and is now commemorated annually across the world.

November 1 officially kicks off Open Enrollment, the time of year when most people in the US shop and enroll in health coverage. But did you know, you can get complimentary health insurance navigation and other benefit navigations services at CAP? Joining us today is Rusty Shorey, one of the incredible Benefits Navigators here at CAP to discuss the various ways in which we can help you sort through all the noice of Open Enrollment, Benefits Navigation, and more!

As nonprofits that serve or advocate for LGBTQ+ people experiencing houselessness, Basic Rights Oregon, Cascade AIDS Project, the PDX Trans Housing Coalition, and Pride Northwest oppose Mayor Wheeler and Commissioner Ryan’s proposal to ban unsanctioned public camping and force people living outdoors to move to mass shelters (Resolution 901).

October 11th marks Coming Out Day, an effort started over three decades ago. The day was started by Rob Eichberg, a psychologist and gay rights activist, and Jean O'Leary, the head of National Gay Rights Advocates at the time. They wanted to "create a holiday that celebrated queer identities in order to decrease stigma and homophobia,"

Saturday, October 15th marks National Latino AIDS Awareness Day 2022. Goals of NLAAD include stopping HIV stigma, addressing the disproportionate impact of HIV on Latino communities, and promoting testing, prevention and education. The day also falls on the last day of Latino Heritage Month (also known as Hispanic Heritage Month).

With Election Day right around the corner on November 8th, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to dive into CAP's Public Policy & Advocacy work! Joining us for our seventh episode today is Jonathan Frochtzwajg, CAP's Public Policy and Grants Manager, to give us the inside scoop on our policy initiative, advocacy work, and a plethora of resources, including our 2022 Voter Resource Guide, to help you get prepared for the upcoming elections.

Our event photos from the 2022 AIDS Walk Northwest are LIVE! Find you team photo, check out the amazing candid shots, and relive the abundant love and vibrancy of our community!

Our sixth episode of Vibrant features a great conversation with Tim Smith, one of our incredible HIV & STI testers at Pivot, a testing program of CAP. With AIDS Walk Northwest coming up next week and National Gay Men's HIV & AIDS Awareness day following closely on its heels on September 27th, the topic of HIV testing is popping up a lot. So Tim is here to give us a look into the services Pivot provides, and why these services are so critical to reducing HIV & STI transmission in our men who have sex with men (MSM) communities.