Thirty years ago, when AIDS was first discovered, the medical model of care was the primary way we provided services to the sick and dying. The HIV/AIDS community asked the question, “Is this the best way to take care of People with AIDS (PWAs)?” especially since many hospitals and doctors refused to take in our friends.

As a result, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation* funded pilot projects to look for alternatives. Using the “San Francisco Model” as a case study, the HIV/AIDS community transformed the medical model of care into the Continuum of Care Model that is still utilized for treating HIV.

The difference between these two models is profound and deserves a re-examination as we implement healthcare reform. In general, the medical model of care is doctor-focused. Health information and services are coordinated and informed by doctors and hospitals. The Continuum of Care Model is client-focused. It is a partnership between consumers, doctors, and community based organizations. It looks at the whole person, not just their healthcare. The Continuum of Care Model understands that housing, food, transportation and other services are essential to staying healthy.

When you’ve been fighting AIDS as long as we have, it’s easy to forget that not everyone shares our sense of urgency about this epidemic. Recently, a friend said to me “You have to remember, people don’t care about AIDS anymore.” While I can certainly understand how some could draw this conclusion, I refuse to accept it. It’s our job, as a community, to make sure that Americans understand the devastation this epidemic continues to reap on our neighbors, friends and loved ones.

This is why programs like AIDSWatch, which will be taking place this week in Washington, DC, are so critical. They provide an opportunity for people living with this disease to tell their own stories, in their own words. It allows brave me and women to educate their members of Congress, not only about the terrible toll of this epidemic, but also the importance of a sustained and committed response from our government.

Still, given these difficult economic times, much of the public’s attention is focused elsewhere. How do you stay relevant and essential? This is the question facing many AIDS organizations. As this disease is constantly evolving, we as a community must also be flexible and adjust to new political and economic realities if we are to be successful.

Here are some thoughts on how you can ensure your agency’s future:

1. Be the Best

2. Evolve and/or expand your mission

3. Consider becoming a Federally Qualified Health Center

4. Merge

February 7th is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS continues to have a disproportionate impact on African Americans. On this day, we remember all the friends we’ve lost, all the friends fighting to stop this epidemic, and all our friends who are fighting for their lives.

We all know the numbers. They are unsettling and wrong. They’re not incorrect, but they feel wrong because, for an equal opportunity disease, AIDS sure does seem to discriminate. Black gay men and Black women shoulder the major burden of the U.S. epidemic and that is wrong.

I may not be Black and I may not completely understand the cultural experience of the African American community, but I stand in total support and will fight shoulder to shoulder until we find a cure and stop this epidemic from ravaging not just African Americans and communities of color, but all communities. To paraphrase a quote from Dr. King, “HIV/AIDS anywhere is a threat to our health and well being everywhere.”

The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel C. Montoya as its new Deputy Executive Director. Daniel brings with him more than 22 years of senior level HIV/AIDS and public health experience, focusing on strategic communications, public affairs and project management with public, private and non-governmental organizations. “I am [...]

Here at NMAC we are excited to start the new year, 2011, with a renewed energy and commitment to achieving our goals. Like so many of you, we too have made New Year’s resolutions. We have exciting changes coming to our social media platforms in 2011 and our resolutions will help us be more interactive with the communities we serve and create a dialogue around topics that are important to you!

MILES Training is Coming to New York February 8-9, 2011!

Applications due January 21st; successful applicants will be contacted by January 25th.

The National Minority AIDS Council’s (NMAC) Men’s Institute of Leadership Excellence and Service (MILES) program is an innovative leadership program aimed at enhancing the capacity of leadership staff, particularly African American MSM, within community-based organizations (CBOs) that serve African American gay, bisexual and other MSM.

Despite winter weather affecting the travel plans of many conference-goers, the first day of the 2010 HIV Prevention Leadership Summit (HPLS) in Washington, DC, began with a splash during the opening plenary session entitled “Taking HIV Prevention to the Next Level.” DC-area percussion group Batala warmed the audience up with Africa-influenced rhythms and funky beats, energizing one and all for the morning’s featured speakers.

Last Wednesday, people from across the United States and around the globe came together to commemorate World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1. It is a day to raise awareness of the continuing AIDS epidemic, to remember those who have lost their battle to this disease, and also to celebrate our advancements in HIV/AIDS research and treatment. The theme for this year’s World AIDS Day was, “Universal Access and Human Rights”.

To observe this important day, The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), in cooperation with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), the National Women’s AIDS Collective and the Positive Women’s Network, sponsored a congressional briefing, “Identifying HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Needs of Women of Color.”

The AIDS Crisis Calls for Solutions, Regardless of Politics
Cross Posted from the Huffington Post Blog

By Paul Kawata
Executive Director of the National Minority AIDS Council

AIDS has no party affiliation. It does not discriminate against liberals or conservatives. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) does not care if Republicans or Democrats control Congress. It continues to infect an average of 56,000 Americans a year, whether it’s an election year or not. And it certainly doesn’t shut down in times of economic distress.

Many people want to find a way to get their communities involved for World AIDS Day (December 1), but don’t know where to start. The Facing AIDS photo initiative contributes to the message of World AIDS Day by coming together as a global community to help reduce stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS, and promote awareness and testing. This World AIDS Day is particularly timely, as communities across the country are coming together to support the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).

Last year, in addition to the hundreds of individuals who participated in our Facing AIDS photo initiative for World AIDS Day, community groups across the country hosted Facing AIDS events for individuals to share messages about why they are Facing AIDS. Some group participants included Alabama A&M University , Young Black Moguls, New Mexico AIDS Services, Black Educational AIDS Project, Inc (BEAP), and Oregon State University.

For 2010, we’ve already been hearing feedback from organizations who are planning another Facing AIDS event this year. Facing AIDS is an opportunity for groups—whether they are community-based organizations, non-profits, businesses, student groups, faith-based groups, governmental or non-governmental, AIDS walks, and fundraisers, etc.—to make a call to action.