A Recipe for a National AIDS Strategy

by CHAMP
Fri, 09/26/2008 - 10:37am

There's been a lot of talk recently about the need for a national AIDS strategy. But what exactly would go into such a strategy? Well, I'm sitting in a barn outside of Oxford, MS with over 60 people who traveled here from around the country to Stand Against AIDS, and they're talking about just that. After a morning of affinity group meetings (such as transgender, youth, women, faith-based, harm reduction and more), the groups are reporting back about what they--we--need in a national AIDS strategy.

Just a few of the things we need are:
* A campaign against homophobia
* Research for women with HIV
* Prevention for 50+ year-olds
* Housing for all
* Latino communities--recognize barriers: language, religions
* Include discordant couples in the NAS--recognize challenges to prevention--expand access to relevant prevention strategies
* Post-incarceration reentry services
* Leadership composed of PLWHA
* Awareness for young people that really reaches young people

And the list goes on and on... I count 11 sheets on giant flip-chart paper on the walls here! I hope they post the full list online soon!

What would YOU like to see in a National AIDS Strategy?

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Thank you for this. I was

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 10:58am.

Thank you for this. I was delighted to see a focus on Latino communities, and hope that that includes cultural issues from the diverse Latino perspectives (not from the dominant culture perspective). I would also ask that immigrant communities and issues be included as a focus, and of course, racism: any strategy should have a visible anti-racist thread...

I agree that there should be

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 2:45pm.

I agree that there should be a national stragety for aids being one of those people livng with it I have had to learn a lot of things the hard way becaue no one talked about it openly years ago when I was diagnosed . If Congress can give millions to other nations to combat the spread of aids & hiv why can congress not look in their own back yard to be able to get those infected to stand together to fight from wwithin ?

I was among those who

Submitted by Nick Nicholas (not verified) on Wed, 10/01/2008 - 3:40pm.

I was among those who participated in the affinity groups at the recent Stand Against AIDS in Oxford, MS, and I am pleased to see it mentioned and discussed here. It was an invigorating and empowering event. I just wanted to take this opportunity to assure one other commenter on this article that indeed, culturally diverse Latino perspectives -- *from* the Latino perspective rather than the dominant perspective -- were represented. Moreover, the importance of overcoming racism in fighting this epidemic was a viewpoint frequently expressed during the meetings, and I expect it will be a central point of the document to finally emerge from the group's work.

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About the PJM

The PJM was initiated by Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP) in collaboration with ACT UP Philadelphia, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, the Georgia Prevention Justice Alliance, the Harm Reduction Coalition, the National Women and AIDS Collective, the New York State Black Gay Network, and SisterLove.