For coverage on the 2008 International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City, 
August E-Newsletter
A Letter from David Richart, Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Executive Director
Caring for People
Preventing New Infections
Advocating for Change
Creating Community
Upcoming Events
A Letter from David Richart, Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Executive Director
Greetings Friends and Supporters of Lifelong AIDS Alliance,
This month, I attended the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, along with our Director of Prevention and Education, Erick Seelbach. The conference had over 24,000 attendees from all over the world in attendance and received heavy media coverage due to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) announcement about the new HIV incidence estimate for the United States. This estimate reflects new HIV infections that occur each year.
The new number the CDC released - 56,300 new infections a year - was significantly higher than the previous estimate of 40,000. This alarmingly high new incidence estimate is a sobering indication that HIV and AIDS is still pervasive, and still a major problem in the United States. Please read more about the community still greatly affected by HIV and our Prevention Team’s response under “Preventing New Infections” below.
At the Conference, data was also presented from 86 countries globally that illustrated that countries that still criminalize homosexuality or homosexual behaviors have the highest rate of HIV infections comparatively among men who have sex with men. This clearly shows that we must as a global community continue to focus our efforts not only on educating high risk communities about prevention, but we must also work on creating a more tolerant and accepting country and world.
For many years, people have been waiting for a HIV vaccine, in hopes of ending this pandemic. At the Conference, it became painfully clear a vaccine is farther away than we’d been hoping for, and we need to start focusing on the prevention options we currently have. While Lifelong and other AIDS Service Organizations have spent a lot of time focusing on behavioral prevention interventions, the Conference reminded us that a combination of approaches is what is needed to reduce new infections. There is ongoing research about vaccines and other biomedical interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, and we hope to hear some positive results from this research in 2009.
Congress has called a special congressional hearing in Washington D.C. next month to specifically discuss prevention and how it will fit into the National AIDS Strategy. I will attend this hearing and be the voice on behalf of Lifelong and our community. When I return, we will be hosting two special presentations in collaboration with the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR). The specific information about AMFAR’s visit will be posted on the Lifelong AIDS Alliance website in the next few weeks.
Thanks,
David Richart
Executive Director
The Care to Shop program needs your help this summer! Care to Shop is easy, affordable and really makes a difference. After doing your regular grocery shopping at a Care to Shop store, drop an additional item or two into a bin outside of the store. Lifelong will collect the food and distribute it directly to those in need! A list of participating stores is always available on the website. Want to participate in a bigger way? We are in need of volunteers to help cover shifts over the summer while our year-long volunteers take their summer vacations! Check out our Volunteer page and help us today!
Last month, the Prevention and Education department hosted their annual Safer Sex Event at a bathhouse in Capitol Hill. The event went really well and had a record number of volunteers helping to make the event a huge success. There was even a group of volunteers who performed a skit to kick off the evening.
At the International AIDS Conference, one of the plenary speeches was not only about the new incidence estimates, but also about how the disease is still affecting the men who have sex with men (MSM) communities the most. This was the first time that a plenary speech was focused on MSM populations in the history of the International AIDS Conferences. Even though HIV and AIDS affects intravenous drug users and lower socio-economic communities, it is still hitting the MSM communities the hardest across the globe.
The AIDS Awareness & Action Day (A3 Day) will take place this year on February 18, 2009. This special day only happens once every two years, and has advocates from across Washington State gather in Olympia to educate state lawmakers about the need for HIV and AIDS prevention and services in our state. Don’t miss the opportunity to advocate for change at the state’s capital with Lifelong!
Want to make a difference now? Your voice CAN help! Join the C.A.N., Communities in Action Network and advocate for improved policies, services, research, prevention, and civil rights in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The Seattle AIDS Walk is on Saturday, October 4, 2008 in Volunteer Park on Capitol Hill. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with your community to make a difference! Whether you participate as a volunteer, donor, or as an individual walker or member of a team, your participation makes a difference. The Seattle AIDS Walk is a wonderful way to show your support for your community, make new friends, strengthen old bonds, and support a good cause.
Thank you to the 22nd Annual Seattle AIDS Walk Sponsors:
MOMs Pharmacy, Nordstrom, Microsoft, Comcast, MOViN 92.5, The Mountain 103.7, The Seattle Weekly and Seattle Gay News.
August 22-30, 2008, Seattle welcomes the Seattle Gay Softball World Series. The theme of this year is “Northwest Quest,” and Lifelong AIDS Alliance is proud to sponsor and be a beneficiary of this event.
Saturday, October 4, 2008 is the Seattle AIDS Walk Walk. Volunteer. Donate. Together we can make a difference in our community. For more information please visit: www.SeattleAIDSWalk.org or call 206.323.WALK.
Saturday, September 13, 2008 Comedian Alison Arngrim and Nellie Oleson will be in Seattle at Re-Bar for a comedic event you don't want to miss! Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets The concert benefits Lifelong AIDS Alliance.
Thursday, October 23 is the Macy's Passport Event. This event has been dazzling fashion fans for 26 years. Featuring showcased fashion, celebrities and theatrics at Seattle's Pacific Place, this event donates all proceeds to Lifelong AIDS Alliance and is a must-attend event. Check the Lifelong AIDS Alliance website for more information coming soon!