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Connecting community-based HIV/AIDS organizations: Power of partnership

Catherine Daily, BA and Alis Marachelian, MPH. Health Promotion, Mary's Center for Maternal and Child Care, Inc. / Washington AIDS Partnership, 2333 Ontario Road NW, Washington, DC 20009, 2024207101, kdaily@maryscenter.org

The national AmeriCorps Program that focuses solely on HIV/AIDS places members in community-based organizations (CBOs) in six cities across the US. Members serve as HIV/AIDS prevention educators; HIV antibody testers and counselors; food service providers for people with HIV/AIDS; case managers; and hospice and/or residential caregivers for people with HIV/AIDS for an entire year. Community based HIV/AIDS organizations, due to scarce resources, often suffer from a lack of communication and networking. Team members bridge this gap by sharing their experiences each week and referring clients to each others' organizations.

Members are provided to CBOs as “living grants” through locally-based community partnerships. They work full-time four days week at local agencies, and then spend their fifth day focusing on joint service projects in the community. They are advocates for people living with HIV/AIDS in their community by providing connectivity to care.

This program also encourages and supports young people to pursue careers in medicine, social work, HIV prevention, and care. In today's age of HIV/AIDS funding cuts, this program is a unique untapped resource that is cost-efficient and effective. Members provide the missing service link and human rights advocacy to people living with HIV/AIDS and the larger community.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Community-Based Partnership, HIV/AIDS

Related Web page: www.aidsfund.org/naf/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered

HIV Research and Practice Roundtables II

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA