FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 24, 2003
Contact Rob Nixon, Communications Manager, rnixon@aidssurvivalproject.org ; 404-874-7926, ext. 16, (cell) 404-291-4110

AIDS Survival Project launches statewide advocacy leadership training program
POSITIVE ACTION NETWORK

In late 2002, a coalition of health department officials from 14 southern states issued a study and a call to action noting the increasing crisis of AIDS in this region of the United States. The Southern States AIDS/STD Directors Work Group’s document, "Southern States Manifesto: HIV/AIDS & STDs in the South," noted that this health emergency has a disparate impact on southern citizens, particularly poor and disenfranchised populations. Little has changed since then in terms of funding, programs, and public policy. Calling on the federal government to "realize that individuals in rural areas of the South, especially African-Americans, do not have the safety net available in most urban areas," the manifesto urges immediate action to prevent the situation from worsening.

In a major advancement toward meeting this challenge, AIDS Survival Project has launched the Positive Action Network, the first of its kind in the state of Georgia with a primary focus on HIV/AIDS issues. The program is designed to train individuals throughout the state to become their own self-empowered advocates, thereby increasing the voice of disenfranchised populations in the formation of public policy. These advocates will be able to provide advisory councils, policy-making panels, review boards, and health departments with a clear perspective on the issues and challenges that make the HIV/AIDS and STD epidemic unique in the South. They will also join AIDS Survival Project’s longstanding, effective advocacy work in the state legislature and in coalitions working toward equitable public health policy and funding. As a direct result of its advocacy efforts, AIDS Survival Project is looked to by elected and appointed officials and public health system administrators as an authority on HIV public policy. Building the advocacy infrastructure will result in more comprehensive and timely responses to calls for assistance from these officials throughout the state. The Network will impact public health policy by including the voices, experiences, and points of view of people living with HIV in all areas of Georgia. In turn, their health outcomes will be improved through positive action and self-empowerment, as has been shown in all the agency’s existing programs. Finally, the advocates will set an important example in their communities as the Network expands secondary prevention efforts and support services to new areas and counteracts stigma and discrimination.

The training program is for 8 months, meeting one Saturday a month. It is an intensive training with workshops on:
Grassroots Organizing
Letter-writing Campaigns
Facilitating Meetings
Preparing Effective Presentations
Computer Networking
Analyzing Legislation
Implementing Roberts Rules of Order
Understanding the Government System
Regional Community Advocacy Projects
HIV/AIDS Issues (including Ryan White funding, AIDS Drug Assistance Program, Prevention, etc.)

The goals at the end of the training:
– Statewide network of people living with HIV and concerned citizens trained to respond to short- and long-term advocacy issues.
– Participants trained to provide information to the community, media and political appointees about HIV in their community via various advocacy efforts.
– A minimum of two individuals out of each health district in the state of Georgia trained to address HIV/AIDS issues in their region of the state, in addition to collaborating with other state and federal agencies and NGO’s.

During the eight-month period each participant will receive in-depth leadership development training, a certificate of completion, and community recognition for completing the training. In addition the training will provide the participants with various tools to address other community issues.
The program represents a significant step toward addressing the pressing HIV/AIDS issues throughout the state of Georgia, with a particular emphasis on giving a voice to the traditionally under-served populations in small-town and rural areas. AIDS Survival Project is currently seeking individuals to participate in the free training program and work toward leadership advocacy positions in their communities.

Forty-three people have already signed up for the current training session, which begins Sept. 19. The application process for that session (which extends through June 2004) is closed. But anyone with an interest in this program or seeking application for the Summer 2004 training schedule should contact Greg Smith, Positive Action Network Program Manager, at 404-874-7926, ext. 24; gsmith@aidssurvivalproject.org. Or visit the web site at www.aidssurvivalproject.org.

As the program develops, the Positive Action Network will partner with other AIDS service organizations and local health departments around the state.

Two-years’ partial funding for the program has been provided through a grant from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. Late in 1997, AIDS Survival Project became involved as a major plaintiff in a class action law suit against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia for taking hundreds of millions of dollars from the non-profit sector to form a for-profit company. The Healthcare Georgia Foundation was established in 1999 with funds resulting from the settlement of that suit. In 2002, the foundation issued its first grants, including the funding for Positive Action Network. The foundation focuses its grantmaking on addressing health disparities, strengthening non-profit health organizations, and expanding access to primary healthcare.