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AIDS Treatment News
 People with HIV in the U.S. face a growing emergency as Federal
policy starves human services during an economic downturn, and
essential medical care becomes less available to most people who
need it. Since almost no one can afford antiretroviral treatment
entirely out of pocket, and private insurance has found ways of
avoiding or dumping patients who become seriously ill, public
programs have become a last resort.
Now these programs are under the worst financial threat ever. People are already being denied treatment for AIDS and other diseases who until recently could have obtained it, and the crisis will get worse. Communities must think carefully about what they can do to protect themselves. Some facts are clear:
A major problem in fundraising is that most potential donors are too busy to be personally involved in the work being funded, and therefore are not very familiar with what is really going on. So organizations reach donors emotionally, or by providing networking opportunities for them. This is necessary and useful. But it can reward organizations more for good fundraising than for good service work.
So far only a handful have been doing this work, as the AIDS community has not made it a priority. The community must recognize the importance of this role and provide encouragement, models, training, and other support. Then organizations doing important work can survive hard times. If we do not have significant funding independent of government and corporations, we will lose control of our future to forces that have always been hostile to people with AIDS. Example: WORLD WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases), based in Oakland, California but working nationally and beyond, is one of many advocacy and service organizations that do good work and need community support for it. WORLD, active for 12 years, has published 143 issues of its monthly newsletter "by, for, and about HIV+ women and their loved ones," currently reaching 12,000 people in 87 countries. It conducts two retreats each year for HIV-positive women, and also HIV University, a treatment school for women. This year donations are down, and the newsletter had to be suspended until money can be found for printing and postage. The AIDS Walk usually funds the two retreats, but this year there was only enough money for one, and the other had to be cancelled. And funding has not yet been found for this year's HIV University. Your donation to WORLD, or to another advocacy or service organization of your choice, would certainly help for the current emergency. In addition, the major long-range issue is that we need to get it together as a community to see that advocacy, information, and other services are funded. Despite the economy, many individuals still have enough money to be major donors -- though they may not have time to personally investigate what to give to and why. Perhaps some of our readers can help make these connections. If you may be able to help WORLD, contact executive director Maura Riordan, mriordan@womenhiv.org or 510-986-0340. Or write to her at WORLD, 414 13th Street, 2nd floor, Oakland, California 94612. AIDS Treatment News Published twice monthly Subscription and Editorial Office: 1233 Locust St., 5th floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 800/TREAT-1-2 toll-free email: aidsnews@critpath.org useful links: http://www.aidsnews.org/ Editor and Publisher: John S. James Associate Editor: Tadd T. Tobias Statement of Purpose: AIDS Treatment News reports on experimental and standard treatments, especially those available now. We interview physicians, scientists, other health professionals, and persons with AIDS or HIV; we also collect information from meetings and conferences, medical journals, and computer databases. Long-term survivors have usually tried many different treatments, and found combinations that work for them. AIDS Treatment News does not recommend particular therapies, but seeks to increase the options available. AIDS Treatment News is published 24 times per year, on the first and third Friday of every month, and print copies are sent by first class mail. Email is available (see below). Back issues are available at http://www.aidsnews.org/ To subscribe, you can call 800-TREAT-1-2 or 415-255-0588: |
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We need activism that can bridge the communication gap between
those doing important advocacy or service and those who can fund
it. These activists need to know both groups and be credible in
both, to be a kind of ambassador between them. They may need
special talent, background, or training.