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HIV Organizations Announce Racial Justice Index To Remedy Disconnect Between HIV Leadership And Community Impact
Leading up to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, AIDS United and its Public Policy Council, composed of 55 of the nation's leading organizations dedicated to ending HIV, are announcing they have launched the Racial Justice Index. AIDS United is working collaboratively with the Black AIDS Institute, a Public Policy Council member, to guide this work. After the summer of 2020 that ushered in a racial reckoning in America, this novel initiative aims to create awareness — and eventually sustainable change — around the misalignment between who holds power and resources in HIV organizations and the epidemic’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans.
The Racial Justice Index is part of a series of outcomes that emerged from more than two years of conversations led by leaders of color among the Public Policy Council and was made more urgent by the national outcry for racial justice. In June 2020, AIDS United, along with 53 members of its Public Policy Council and more than 20 other HIV organizations, issued an open letter to all elected officials calling for all policies to be enacted through a racial justice and equity framework. The Index’s mission is to assess and improve the HIV sector’s commitment to racial equity by creating assessment tools and resources to combat anti-Black racism and other forms of racism that will first be analyzed in PPC organizations and then the HIV sector. This includes hiring practices, leadership, talent retention and decision-making in the HIV movement. The Index’smethodical implementation process will seek to onboard HIV organizations to respond to an online national survey that will inform a publicly-released report, which will facilitate critical leadership conversations among HIV stakeholders.
The initiative will be guided by the Racial Justice Index Committee, a committee formed out of AIDS United’s Public Policy Council and co-chaired by Raniyah Copeland, president and CEO of Black AIDS Institute, and A. Toni Young, CEO, Community Education Group — nationally renowned Black leaders in the HIV community. The PPC and the Index committee are managed by Carl Baloney Jr., AIDS United vice president for policy and advocacy. AIDS United Board members, Dr. Kimberley Jeffries Leonard, president of Links Inc., and Dr. David Holtgrave, Dean of the University at Albany School of Public Health, SUNY, have also been instrumental in assisting in the creation of the Index. The committee includes HIV service and advocacy organizations from across the country. The work of the Racial Justice Index will first assess how leadership in the HIV movement reflects the communities most impacted and will later aim to provide training and capacity building to root out white supremacy in HIV organizations’ work.
As a Black man living with HIV, I am very proud of our diverse coalition of organizations making this commitment to racial justice. Since the start of the HIV epidemic, AIDS United has played an active role to ensure that all who are living with and vulnerable to HIV receive the care they need. We are in a moment where the HIV sector — and the health care sector as a whole — must look inward and ask ourselves if our structures and decisions truly reflect the people and needs of those most impacted by the epidemic. The Public Policy Council has always pushed for responsiveness and inclusiveness across the HIV sector. This carries that work forward in these pressing times when health inequities are at our nation's forefront. We cannot end HIV without ending the systemic racism that is too often embedded in processes that result in the disparities in new infections and lack of access to care. I know it is time for change, and we are eager to put in the required work to end racist inequities and the imprint of systemic racism in our sector.
Jesse Milan Jr., President and CEO, AIDS United
For 21 years, the Black AIDS Institute has led the fight to end HIV from a uniquely and unapologetically Black lens. With Black Empowerment as a central value, our leadership and our staff represent the communities we serve. By partnering with AIDS United and drawing from the intersectional expertise of the 55 Public Policy Council organizations, the Racial Justice Index will catalyze the prioritization of Black leadership, resource allocation, and capacity building. If we are committed to ending HIV within our lifetimes, rectifying the stain of white supremacy in how we do our work must be of the utmost priority.
Raniyah Copeland, President and CEO, Black AIDS Institute, co-chair of AIDS United’s Racial Justice Index Committee
HIV, HCV and Substance Use Disorder rage through Black and poor rural communities across the United States, it is critical the organizations are equipped to address the needs or Black people in the rural and Southern communities. The Racial Index will provide a tool for organizations to better develop staff and meet the growing needs of Black and brown communities.
A. Toni Young, Founder and Executive Director, Community Education Group, co-chair of AIDS United’s Racial Justice Index Committee
We are proud of the AIDS United Public Policy Council for deepening our commitment to racial justice through the important and urgent work to create the racial justice index. This initiative will help us examine the HIV sector's commitment to racial equity and empower us all with the resources needed to end the HIV epidemic, starting with our own organizations.
AIDS United Public Policy Council Co-Chairs Bill Keeton, Vivent Health vice president and chief advocacy officer, and Dr. Tyler TerMeer, Cascade AIDS Project Chief Executive Officer
On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I join AIDS United’s Public Policy Council to celebrate the launch of the Racial Justice Index, an initiative designed for HIV service organizations to conduct internal reviews aimed at eliminating racist structures, policies, and hiring practices within them. The HIV/AIDS epidemic’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans is rooted in systemic racism and the Racial Justice Index provides a tool for HIV organizations to reassess their internal structures. The Racial Justice Index is a much needed mechanism to center racial equity at the core of the HIV sector’s commitment to ending the HIV epidemic.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
I applaud AIDS United for launching the Racial Justice Index on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a devastating impact uponAfrican Americans and other communities of color. In order for AIDS service and advocacy organizations to effectively address these devastating disparities, they must accurately reflect the demographics of the people who need their services.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
ABOUT AIDS UNITED
AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant- making, capacity building and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV-related policy for populations and communities most impacted by the U.S. epidemic. To date, AIDS United’s strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to, HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. Learn more at www.aidsunited.org
ABOUT BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE
Founded in 1999, Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is the only uniquely and unapologetically Black think and do tank in America. Our mission is “to stop the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals to confront HIV.” Black Empowerment is our central theme and we are led by people who represent the issues we serve. We source our capacity building, mobilization, and advocacy efforts from Black leaders and communities across the country, and provide culturally respectful, high-quality, HIV prevention and care services for Black people in Los Angeles. Learn more at https://blackaids.org
ABOUT AIDS UNITED PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL
AIDS United’s Public Policy Council is the nation’s largest and longest-running policy coalition of community-based HIV organizations. Supported by the AIDS United Policy Department,
Learn more at www.aidsunited.org
PRESS CONTACT for BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE:
Michelle Huff Elliott | Simone Smalls
Strategic Heights Media media@strategicheights.com 212-634-7176
PRESS CONTACT for AIDS UNITED
Warren Gill
AIDS United wgill@aidsunited.org
CAP Observes World AIDS Day 2020
We were honored to join thousands of organizations and individuals across the globe participating in World AIDS Day yesterday! Originally started in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. Observed every year on December 1st, it is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV transmission, to show support for people living with HIV, and to remember and honor those who have died from an AIDS-related illness. It is also an opportunity to reflect back on our journey from the early days of the epidemic to where we are today. For 35 years, CAP has provided lifesaving and community-focused services to folks in Oregon and SW Washington.
2020 has been a year like no other due to the COVID-19 pandemic and our community has faced increased challenges in housing, mental health, food security, and access to healthcare. CAP has responded by providing emergency housing and rent assistance, tele-health services, food delivery, and virtual support groups. While we have been able to provide much needed relief to hundreds of Oregonians and Washingtonians throughout the pandemic, the need for these services has continued to grow and many of our friends and neighbors still need access to compassionate healthcare and critical wraparound services. For the past few weeks, we have shared a number of videos (which you can watch below!) leading up to World AIDS Day that give a window into the services we offer and why they are critical to the folks we serve. We work daily to help bring health equity to those most impacted by and living with HIV, end stigma, and provide compassionate care to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. These messages from CAP staff, volunteers, community partners, and donors truly highlight the breadth of that work.
Thankfully, we have you, our steadfast community, to come together with us to meet these growing needs. This World AIDS Day, we were able to raise over $10,000 in critical funds to help bolster our programs this winter through your direct gifts and through our CAP Junior Board sponsored Drag Bingo event, featuring the unforgettable Mama Tits. Some of you signed up to volunteer and many of you shared messages of hope and remembrance on World AIDS Day. We are so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support, and we can’t say thank you enough.
Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts!
Your Friends at CAP
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is now the oldest and largest HIV-services and LGBTQ+ health provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, with more than 100 employees working across four locations. Our organization seeks to prevents new HIV infections; support low-income people living with HIV; and provide safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. Through our vital health, housing, and other social services, we help ensure the well-being of more than 15,000 people each year. More information can be found at www.capnw.org.
Affirming our Commitment to Safe, Compassionate, And High-Quality care for the BIPOC & LGBTQIA+ Community
Historically, during times of great unrest, it is often our most diverse communities that experience compounded hardship. From the stress of overloaded systems rife with inequity to blatant and targeted harassment of people in our community.
Sadly, we’ve seen that Portland is not immune. As a local nonprofit healthcare provider , Prism Health stands firm in our commitment to offer a safe, affirming, and non-judgmental space where all members of the all members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community can obtain the compassionate and culturally effective health care they need and deserve.
Our facility was designed in strategic partnership with members from our Black Trans community to ensure a level of cultural competence, comfort and functionality that benefits everyone, especially those who the current systems consistently and repeatedly underserve.
We prioritize inclusivity to insure that all members of the BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ community can access affirming and high-quality health care. Patients do not have to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer to receive care, but services will focus on addressing the sensitive issues of sexual and gender minorities and their families and friends.
Our clinic serves all patients regardless of ability to pay. No one will be denied services based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, nationality, or religious affiliation. We offer a sliding fee for all based on family size and income. Please ask at the reception desk.
Our doors are open. We are committed to your health and safety. We are committed to accountability. We are committed to continuing to build a medical community that is trustworthy, reliable and accessible. And we are committed to you, our community!
It is with these commitments that we move forward into this time of great social and political change with gratitude and intention to be at your service.
About Prism Health
Prism Health is a nonprofit LGBTQIA+ health center in the Pacific Northwest providing comprehensive primary care. As a division of Cascade AIDS Project, Prism Health leverages CAP’s decades of LGBTQIA+ health experience to address the wide range of health issues disproportionately impacting our community. The southeast Portland clinic features primary care, mental health, and pharmacy services—all in a space where queer people can be sure they will feel safe, welcome, and understood from the moment they walk in the door. For more information, please visit www.prismhealth.org.
We’re Joining the Fight Against Big Tobacco
Cascade AIDS Project is proud to announce our endorsement of the vaping and tobacco tax on the ballot this November, and we hope you’ll join us in voting YES for a healthy future!
People have been suffering from vaping-related illnesses while tobacco companies target our kids with candy-flavored vapes. Research shows that teens who vape are 3x more likely to start smoking. But Oregon doesn’t tax vapes one penny. That’s why we’re voting YES to protect our youth.
Tobacco is the #1 cause of preventable death in Oregon. That means we all pay the price—almost $1.5 billion per year in smoking-related health care costs. This measure will prevent nearly 12,000 premature deaths. That’s why a bipartisan committee wrote this measure to dedicate the dollars to tobacco prevention and cessation programs and the Oregon Health Plan.
Dollars raised by the vaping and tobacco tax must go to the Oregon Health Plan and to fund smoking prevention programs and programs to help people quit for good. The new revenue cannot be used for anything else.
Cascade AIDS Project is proud to join the fight against Big Tobacco by endorsing the YES for a Health Future Campaign along with the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, nurses, doctors, local chambers of commerce, small businesses and community based organizations across the state.
Will you join us in voting YES this November?
Go to www.yesforahealthyfuture.org to learn more!
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is now the oldest and largest HIV-services and LGBTQ+ health provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, with more than 100 employees working across four locations. Our organization seeks to prevents new HIV infections; support low-income people living with HIV; and provide safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. Through our vital health, housing, and other social services, we help ensure the well-being of more than 15,000 people each year. More information can be found at www.capnw.org
CAP & 53 Other HIV Organizations Demand Racial Justice In Open Letter to Politicians
CAP joins 53 other LGBTQ+ and HIV/STI organizations in an open letter to Politicians demanding broad policy and structural changes that will lead to racial justice. We know that we cannot end the HIV epidemic in the United States without also dismantling institutions and policies that promote and enable systemic racism and white supremacy, and we are proud to link arms with those in Minneapolis and across the country who are speaking out against police brutality and institutional racism. The full letter can be read below.
Dear Elected Official:
The HIV community is no stranger to protests. From our formation in the early 1980s, our progress has depended upon our willingness to put our bodies and livelihoods on the line to stand up to the unjust and discriminatory systems that neglect us.
The progress we have made in fighting the HIV epidemic would not be possible without HIV advocates taking to the streets and screaming their truth to those in power. We owe a great debt to the titans of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s whose example and leadership taught us so much about the need for direct action and civil disobedience.
As protests currently occur throughout the country, AIDS United’s Public Policy Council must state publicly and unequivocally that we are in solidarity with all of those who protest violent and oppressive systems. We are also committed to infusing racial justice throughout all our work. We do so because we know it is the only way we can end the HIV epidemic in the United States.
Let us be clear: There is nothing deficient about Black and Brown bodies.
And yet, those of us who are Black and Brown are more likely to die from medical conditions as different as childbirth and heart disease. There is nothing specific about Black bodies that make us more susceptible to HIV, and yet nearly half the new HIV diagnoses in the United States are among Black people.
The problem is neither medical nor biological. It is sociological. The problem is white supremacy.
We have seen white supremacy in action in dramatic ways recently with the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and Tony McDade. We have also seen white supremacy play out in less obvious ways recently, too, with the COVID-19 death rate among Black communities far outpacing other communities.
White supremacy is all around us, and it is taxing.
The mission of AIDS United and our Public Policy Council is to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. We cannot achieve that without prioritizing the health and well-being of Black people. We also know that we cannot achieve that without major shifts in our justice system.
AIDS United, in partnership with the ACT NOW: END AIDS Coalition, released in 2018 a community-driven plan to end the HIV epidemic. That document called for significant criminal justice reforms, including:
• Repealing laws that criminalize HIV and other infectious diseases.
• Decriminalizing sex work.
• Undoing the harassment and criminalization of immigrant communities.
• Minimizing criminal justice involvement for people who use drugs.
• Reducing mass incarceration.
• Eliminating both mandatory minimums for drug offenses and cash bail.
• Removing legal barriers to accessing public housing and other social benefits for individuals with past drug convictions.At the foundation of each of these policy proposals is a thorough commitment to valuing Black lives. These concrete proposals will go a long way toward making our communities safer and ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.
We urge you — whether you are the mayor of a small town, a member of Congress or the President of the United States — to enact these policies. We also call on you to enact all policy through a racial justice and equity lens.
AIDS United’s Public Policy Council joins our voice with the current generation of civil rights champions. We join the calls for justice for the victims of systemic, racist violence in the United States. We join with all those who are rejecting an abusive and dehumanizing criminal justice system that for too long has targeted Black and Brown communities. Will you join us?
AIDS United
Jesse Milan Jr., President & CEO
The AIDS United Public Policy Council:
AIDS Action/Fenway Health
AIDS Alabama
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
American Academy of HIV Medicine
Amida Care
APLA Health
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Black AIDS Institute
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
Careteam+ Family Health
Cascade AIDS Project/Prism Health
Cempa Community Care
Center for HIV Law & Policy
Collaborative Solutions
Community Education Group
CrescentCare
Delaware HIV Consortium
Desert AIDS Project
Equitas Health
GMHC
God’s Love We Deliver
Harm Reduction Coalition
Housing Works
Howard Brown Health
Intercambios Puerto Rico
JRI Health
JustUs Health
Latino Commission on AIDS
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Metro Inclusive Health
My Brother’s Keeper, Inc.
Nashville CARES
National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development
National Black Justice Coalition
North Carolina AIDS Action Network
Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund
Positive Women’s Network – USA
Prevention Access Campaign
Prism Health North Texas
Puerto Rico Community Network for Clinical Services, Research, and Health Advancement
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
SisterLove
Southern AIDS Coalition
Thrive Alabama
Transgender, Gender Variant, Intersex Justice Project
Treatment Access Expansion Project
Treatment Action Group
Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services
Us Helping Us, People Into Living
Vivent Health
Whitman-Walker Health
Women’s Collective
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is now the oldest and largest HIV-services and LGBTQ+ health provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, with more than 100 employees working across four locations. Our organization seeks to prevents new HIV infections; support low-income people living with HIV; and provide safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. Through our vital health, housing, and other social services, we help ensure the well-being of more than 15,000 people each year. More information can be found at www.capnw.org
For People Living With HIV, A New Public Health Crisis In COVID-19
©2020 OPB. All Rights Reserved
CAP CEO Tyler TerMeer had the pleasure of talking with OPB’s Crystal Ligori for a segment of OPB’s “All Things Considered”. To hear the entire conversation with Tyler and Crystal, use the audio player at the top of this page. We have also attached a copy of the article written by Crystal Ligori and Jenn Chavez below for your convenience. The original copy of this interview, including the audio conversation, can be found here.
With the spread of coronavirus in the Pacific Northwest, many health care and social services have shifted more toward telemedicine and virtual support in order to maintain social distancing.
That includes the Cascade AIDS Project, which has been providing HIV services and advocacy in the Pacific Northwest since the 1980s. Since the pandemic began, the organization has largely shifted away from providing in-person services in favor of giving support by phone, email and telehealth.
Tyler TerMeer, the group’s chief executive officer, told OPB’s “All Things Considered” that its work is geared toward creating access to services for people who need them, no matter what’s happening in the world around them.
In addition to HIV and sexually transmitted infection screening and support services, CAP also provides social services for people living with HIV, including rent assistance, help addressing food insecurity, and making sure unhoused people with HIV stay connected. Those have become even more important amid the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. On the health care front, the organization has worked on making sure home HIV test kits and safer-sex supplies are available to community members, despite the in-person separation. They’ve also begun to provide COVID-19 testing.
“[We recognized] that people who we currently serve and members of the broader LGBTQ+ community and beyond would need access to COVID-19 testing,” TerMeer said, “and that we could offer that to the people that we serve but do it in a culturally affirming way.”
TerMeer acknowledged that transitioning to a telehealth model was difficult. “When I made the decision that we were going to this new model, it is in some ways such a far step away from who we are under our mission of an organization,” TerMeer said. “We built Cascade AIDS Project on the ability to provide in-person, compassionate, trauma-informed, client-centered care.”
TerMeer said while group leaders recognize that going virtual is not ideal, the services they provide are vital, and thus need to continue by any means available.
The mental health impacts of the pandemic on people living with HIV, as well as the LGBTQ community, is another concern. TerMeer acknowledged that people in those communities, global pandemic aside, have a long history of trauma and isolation.
“This time of being back in a period of isolation where they can’t have that social connection is very difficult for some of them. They are perhaps on their own, and their only outlet for social connection had been coming to see us for our social service programs, or for our social support program where they met with their peers,” TerMeer said.
Post-traumatic stress has been triggered by current events, especially for some long-term HIV survivors or members of the LGBTQ community who served as caretakers during the early years of the HIV epidemic.
“They’re reliving a very difficult chapter of their life where people were sick and dying around them,” TerMeer said.
The recent death of AIDS activist and Act Up founder Larry Kramer has brought that era of the HIV epidemic back into the national spotlight, in the context of current events. But as TerMeer and his colleagues have heard from some members of CAP’s “Aging Well” support group, the recent comparisons of the coronavirus pandemic and the HIV epidemic are not helpful. In fact, many would highlight the stark differences between the two.
During those early days of the epidemic, “you didn’t see a front-page New York Times article that talked about the 100,000 deaths in the community. That happened years into the epidemic of HIV, and was page 18 news,” TerMeer said.
Long-term HIV survivors are sometimes put off by the comparison, he said, because society didn’t respond to and care about the LGBTQ community in the same way back then, as people living through the epidemic faced stigma, discrimination and fear.
“It was really LGBTQ people and their friends and their family that had to start a revolution, that started a movement that allowed us to get us to where we’re at today in the HIV movement. It wasn’t a societal shift, a societal shutdown that got us to this point,” TerMeer said.
In all of the Cascade AIDS Project’s current priorities — addressing trauma and PTSD, providing essential healthcare and financial assistance, maintaining social connections — TerMeer added that racial equity is kept front and center. From discussions about data collection and contact tracing to considering how face coverings have in the past put some people of color at risk of being profiled, TerMeer said CAP is putting a racial justice framework on all its conversations about COVID-19.
“There should be nothing about us, without us,” TerMeer said. “That’s how the HIV movement was built, and that’s how public health crises should be addressed,” TerMeer said.
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is now the oldest and largest HIV-services and LGBTQ+ health provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, with more than 100 employees working across four locations. Our organization seeks to prevents new HIV infections; support low-income people living with HIV; and provide safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. Through our vital health, housing, and other social services, we help ensure the well-being of more than 15,000 people each year. More information can be found at www.capnw.org
About OPB
OPB is the state’s most far-reaching and accessible media resource, providing free access to programming for children and adults designed to give voice to community, connect Oregon and its neighbors and illuminate a wider world. Every week, over 1.5 million people tune in to or log on to OPB’s Television, Radio and Internet delivered services. As the hub of operations for the state’s Emergency Broadcast and Amber Alert services, OPB serves as the backbone for the distribution of critical information to broadcasters and homes throughout Oregon. Oregon Public Broadcasting is a statewide network that includes OPB Television, an affiliate of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and OPB Radio, presenting local news coverage and the programs of National Public Radio (NPR), Public Radio International (PRI) and American Public Media (APM). The OPB Web site is opb.org.
We Must Choose A New Tomorrow
Today I am tired. Today I am overwhelmed. Today I am sad, anxious, angry, and frustrated. One of the most difficult parts of my role as the CEO of CAP and Prism Health is finding strength to be a light in the dark. I have sat here searching for the right message to send to you, and if I'm honest with myself, I don't have the strength today for eloquence. So many names weigh heavy on my heart and mind -Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Andre Emmett, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and on and on. So many lives taken for no cause, and with no justice.
It has been one week since the unjust murder of George Floyd and in the last 72+ hours an environment of civil unrest has become the reality in communities across our nation and right here in our own backyard. There is a clear difference between the peaceful protest / marches of thousands and the destruction and looting of the few. I know and acknowledge that often the media, our elected officials and beyond don't always make that clear. By doing so they dilute the critical message and intent of these peaceful protests. That Black Lives Matter. That the response we are seeing across the country (peaceful or not) comes from being pushed too far and comes from something that has been stewing in this country for decades. That even if people don’t condone it or understand it, that there is a reason that all of this is happening.
This moment is a culmination of the pain of racism, the fight for justice, dignity, life and human rights.
Our community is not new to this moment. We have been a part of it time and time again - during the civil rights movement, together at stonewall, in the suffrage movement, and during the height of the AIDS Epidemic. Through it all, we have remained strong, steadfast, and resilient. And while we wax nostalgically on these great moments of social progress, we forget all of the blood, sweat, tears, suffering, and pain it took to make those changes a reality. We fail to acknowledge the trauma and violence that so many of our people, specifically our Black and other Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), experience every single day of their lives. We invoke the names of Sylvia, of Marsha, of Miss Majors, but we continue to shy away from the very real work of addressing the systems, including within our own movement, that marginalize and threaten those who have offered everything, including their lives, to bring about lasting change.
But today is not about the past. Today is about the present. It is about each and every one of the millions of Black lives that experience racial injustice on a daily basis. It is about the inequity that exists in jobs, healthcare, and education for our BIPOC communities. It is about the rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia that have cost the lives of thousands of beautiful Black and Brown bodies who had so much to give this world. Today is about action. We can either continue to ignore the responsibility we carry and the work we still need to do to truly move forward to a better future, or we can stop dead in our tracks and acknowledge the truth of our history and its resulting inequities. We can choose a new tomorrow. We MUST choose a new tomorrow.
CAP and Prism Health are committed to identifying and eliminating manifestations of racism across our systems to create a more equitable tomorrow. We are committed to a tomorrow that values all Black and Brown lives. We are building a tomorrow that improves the lived experience of our BIPOC clients and community through health equity and racial justice. And above all, we demand a tomorrow where Black lives aren’t forfeit for simply existing.
This moment is a reminder that we cannot relent in our pursuit of equity and racial justice. I am committed to this pursuit, but I cannot bear that burden alone. We must all work together if we want to dismantle decades of institutionalized racism in our communities and our culture. We must all work together to stop the senseless loss of Black lives. And We MUST ALL work together to create an equitable tomorrow for our friends, families, communities, and our country, because our lives depend on it. As a Black man, my life may depend on it. Together we can create this change. Together we can create a better tomorrow.
I Am With You,
Tyler
Prism Health Earns Federal Health Center Status
Portland, OR | March 11, 2020 – Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is very pleased to announce that Prism Health has earned Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike status from the United States Health Resource & Services Administration. In order to achieve this designation, health centers must demonstrate that they serve an underserved area or population, offer a sliding fee scale discount, and provide comprehensive services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
“The board and staff of CAP and Prism Health are delighted to achieve FQHC Look-Alike status! The region deserves a high quality and innovative healthcare option that recognizes the unique needs of the LGBTQ+ community. We are honored by this designation and will continue to challenge ourselves to provide culturally relevant care for all members of our community regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” said Tyler TerMeer, CEO of Cascade AIDS Project and Prism Health.
Prism Health provides high quality, culturally relevant care through a comprehensive patient-centered approach that integrates primary care with behavioral health, pharmacy, and social services. Everything about Prism Health, from the team of providers and support staff and services offered, to intake forms, policies, and even the physical design of the building have been informed by members of the LGBTQ+ community and aim to create a safe welcoming environment. As an FQHC Look-Alike, Prism Health is poised to increase primary health accessibility to the LBGTQ+ community and beyond.
“This is an important achievement for our community, further demonstrating our commitment to welcoming, safe, and non-judgmental healthcare experience for everyone” said Mandy McKimmy, Prism Health Medical Director, “This integrated model along with our designation as an FQHC Look-Alike will allow us to better serve those patients who are in most need of our services.”
Prism Health provides complete primary and preventative care to anyone, including those who are uninsured or who have commercial insurance, Medicaid, or Medicare. Services include primary care, behavioral health, chronic disease management, specialized LGBTQ+ care, supportive services, specialized HIV and STD care & treatment, referrals to specialists, laboratory services, insurance enrollment, and pharmacy services.
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1985 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is now the oldest and largest HIV-services and LGBTQ+ health provider in Oregon and southwest Washington, with more than 100 employees working across four locations. Our organization seeks to prevents new HIV infections; support low-income people living with HIV; and provide safe, welcoming, and knowledgeable healthcare for the LGBTQ+ community. Through our vital health, housing, and other social services, we help ensure the well-being of more than 15,000 people each year. More information can be found at www.capnw.org
About Prism Health
Prism Health provides compassionate healthcare to the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. More information can be found at www.prismhealth.org.
About FQHCs
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) lookalikes, also known as Community Health Centers, are in every state across the nation. FQHCs are authorized under Section 330(A) of the Public Health Services Act to provide healthcare to the medically underserved. More information about the Health Center Program can be found at: bphc.hrsa.gov/about/index.html.
Pharmacy Construction Begins at Prism Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR — Prism Health is excited to announce that an in-house pharmacy will be coming soon to our Belmont location! Construction on the pharmacy began in earnest on 1/21/2020, with the goal of being built out in 8 weeks. The new pharmacy space will include the Avita Pharmacy, our pharmacy partner.
In addition to a knowledgeable staff, free delivery, and online refills, Avita supports our efforts of delivering compassionate and affirming healthcare by offering Financial Assistance, LGBTQ+ Care and Support, Gender Care, PrEP + STD Expertise, and Community Education + Awareness. "When you fill your prescriptions with Avita, you can feel good knowing you're helping support your community and the mission of helping everyone get better together."
The new space will also include a provider pod, a new conference room, and bike racks. Beyond the new pharmacy space, the current back room (which houses Jake Maginn, Prism's Patient Navigator; Freddie Mora, Prism's Epic Site Specialist; Dr. Antoniskis, Prism's MD; and PIVOT) will be getting an overhaul to allow for more stations and better design. We are so excited for this growth at Prism Health and look forward to being able to offer even more personalized, compassionate, and affirming care for our patients with this addition!
CAP Commemorates World AIDS Day With Sixth Annual Heroes of HIV Luncheon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Portland, OR — December 1st marks the 32nd anniversary of World AIDS Day – a time for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to show their support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have lost their lives in the epidemic.
CAP will commemorate World AIDS Day by honoring the individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to fighting the epidemic in our community at third annual Heroes of HIV luncheon. Taking place at the Hilton Portland Downtown on December 5th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, the event will honor individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the fight against HIV in our community. This year’s honorees are:
Myrna Yvonne-Williams
Ms. Williams’ work with HIV/AIDS began in 2003, with a Memorandum of Understanding between The Portland Chapter of The Links and CAP. The first event was an HIV/AIDS Symposium held at Portland Community College, Cascade Campus. Each year, Ms. Williams has facilitated monthly meetings with The African American AIDS Awareness Alliance (A6) in planning meetings with CAP and other organizations in hosting HIV/AIDS events throughout the year. Those events are: World AIDS Day, The National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, The Balm in Gilead Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, HIV Testing Da and My Friend Who Has AIDS Project, Ms. Williams’ work with A6 has been supported by grants from CAP, The Links Incorporated, the Oregon Health Authority, the NW Health Foundation and Kaiser Hospital Foundation. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Ms. Williams has worked within the organization on its HIV/AIDS activities.
Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer
Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer has spent over 30 years working to increase access to health care, reduce poverty, and promote cross-cultural understanding. Advocacy for people living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS is personal for her. In his final months, the Representative cared for her father who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. He passed 18 months after his diagnosis.
Since she was appointed to the Legislature in 2011, Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer has been a trusted champion for the Cascade AIDS Project. Most recently, she was a chief supporter for two of CAP’s priorities in the 2019 session to modernize Oregon’s HIV/AIDS-related statues to promote accuracy and reduce stigma, and requiring cultural competency continuing education for medical providers in our state. The Cascade AIDS Project is honored to have such a champion for our community in the Legislature and we are grateful for her work to improve the lives the people living with HIV.
Multnomah County Health Services Center
As part of Multnomah County’s Federally Qualified Health Center, the Health Services Center (HSC) has provided high-quality, patient-centered HIV and primary care services in Oregon since 1990. They are the only Ryan White-funded medical provider in Oregon and currently serve approximately 1,400 people living with HIV in Oregon. HSC utilizes a medical home model to provide team-based care and embraces a harm reduction and trauma-informed approach in all that they do. Their services include primary and HIV speciality care, HCV curative care, nurse case management, behavioral health, medical case management, patient navigation, on-site lab services, Medication Assisted Treatment, and art therapy.
HSC is also a preceptorship site for the Mountain West AIDS Education and Training Center to train other healthcare professionals and healthcare organizations to integrate high quality, comprehensive care for those living with or affected by HIV. In March 2019, HSC implemented Rapid ART Start as their annual quality improvement project, aiming to get those newly diagnosed with HIV access to HIV medications within 5 days or less. HSC is honored to work collaboratively with an active Client Advisory Council and many community partners to innovatively and efficiently meet the changing needs of our community.
OnPoint Community Credit Union
OnPoint Community Credit Union is deeply committed to standing with great organizations that serve the community we call home. That’s why they chose to partner with Cascade AIDS Project. In 2019, OnPoint supported CAP through the credit union’s Refer a Friend campaign, resulting in a $44,750 donation to CAP. This generous support covered the cost of a full year’s worth of HIV test kits (over 4500), allowing CAP to continue providing free and confidential HIV testing in our community.
OnPoint and its employees also champion CAP’s work through annual support of our Art Auction, AIDS Walk and Heroes of HIV Luncheon. OnPoint Community Credit Union looks forward to continuing to grow its partnership with Cascade AIDS Project to help advance its mission to empower all people with or affected by HIV, reduce stigma, and provide the LGBTQ+ community with compassionate healthcare.CAP’s mission is achieved through communities and organizations uniting to solve the fight against HIV.
More information about the event can be found at www.heroesofhiv.org.