Public Policy + Advocacy

Change The System

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, people living with HIV and their allies have understood the vital importance of speaking up for their well-being. As the AIDS activism organization ACT UP iconically put it, “Silence = Death.” Today, CAP follows in this rich tradition by advocating at the local, state, and federal levels for public policies that promote the health and wellness of people living with HIV, LGBTQ+ communities, and people of color.

Priorities

Improving HIV Care

We champion programs that are critical to producing positive health outcomes for people living with HIV, such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA).
Strengthening HIV/STI Prevention

We advocate for policies and funding that support broad and equitable access to the tools that prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including sexual-health education, HIV/STI testing, and PrEP & PEP.
Promoting LGBTQ+ Health

We fight for legislation and investments that advance LGBTQ+ health, like comprehensive insurance coverage of gender-affirming care.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health

Our advocacy encompasses the systemic problems that affect HIV and LGBTQ+ health, including houselessness, mental health and addiction, and structural racism.

Victories

Gender-Affirming Care Coverage

Working closely with Basic Rights Oregon, CAP helped pass major legislation (HB 2002 in 2023) that closed the significant gaps that existed in insurance coverage of gender-affirming care—thus expanding access to these life-saving health services.

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PEP Access

CAP played a key role in passing bills in both Oregon (HB 2574 in 2023) and Washington (SB 6127 in 2024) to reduce barriers to HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), especially in rural areas. These bills required hospitals to provide PEP medications to patients in the ER and prohibited insurers from charging a co-pay for the drugs.

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Pharmacist-Prescribed PrEP & PEP

CAP led a campaign in 2021 to pass House Bill 2958 in Oregon, which made it feasible for pharmacists to prescribe PrEP and PEP without a prescription from another healthcare provider.

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Washington HIV Treatment Access

CAP successfully advocated for a budget proviso requiring Washington State’s Health Care Authority to provide Medicaid members with barrier-free access to all HIV medications.

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The Data Justice Act

Successfully championed by CAP in Oregon in 2021, House Bill 3159 required healthcare providers to collect sexual-orientation and gender-identity information from patients (with informed consent), and provided funding to Oregon Health Authority to develop a database that will provide unprecedented insight into LGBTQ+ health disparities.

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