PND (05/23/2000) -- African-American Leaders Convene to Discuss Spread of HIV/AIDS

Insufficient funding and the stigma associated with having HIV/AIDS are the two biggest reasons the virus is approaching epidemic proportions in African-American communities, according to more than 50 political, social, and community activists who participated in a weekend summit (May 20-21) in New Jersey sponsored by pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Wellcome.

The meeting, which was attended by representatives of the Office of the Secretary of Health & Human Services, the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Black Caucus, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, and numerous community-based HIV/AIDS organizations, was convened by Glaxo Wellcome to identify why HIV/AIDS is continuing to spread rapidly in African-American communities.

"To bring this cadre of people together in one room was worth as much as any grant," said Debra Fraser-Howze, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. "This meeting facilitated the transfer of information and ideas among leaders at national, local and community levels."

In discussions on obtaining funding for their community-based programs, participants agreed that stringent documentation requirements make it as difficult for many HIV/AIDS organizations to sustain funding as it is to obtain it.

"The ability to provide the best services and the ability to prove how well the service was delivered are not the same," said community leader Rashidah Hassan, RN, assistant director of the Circle of Care, a ten-year-old Philadelphia organization that links HIV/AIDS services with a full spectrum of family care. "Not getting the funding may mean someone didn't like the organization's monthly report, or that four out of ten items on a funding checklist were missing," Hassan added. "Organizations that don't have a grant writer can't demonstrate how effective their programs are, or how many obstacles they overcame to make a program successful."

Participants agreed that all actions to address the spread of the virus must be community-focused and culturally sensitive, and their recommendations ranged from mobilizing change through local congregations to improving the ability of community-based organizations to compete for and sustain the funding, manpower, and other resources necessary to maximize their services.

"U.S. Leaders Identify Barriers, Propose Actions to Combat HIV/AIDS Crisis In African-American Communities." PR Newswire 5/22/2000.

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