Archive November 26, 2014

Prevention Programs

Leave a comment

HIV Alliance is committed to preventing new HIV infections.  In Oregon, the populations most at risk for HIV are: gay/bi men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), people who inject drugs (PWID), and partners of people living with HIV/AIDS (P/PLWHA).  Our prevention programs are committed to reducing risk amongst these populations.

Our programs for men who have sex with men (MSM) are housed under the Alliance for Men’s Wellness.  These programs include outreach and recruitment into testing for the MSM community.  Unzipped Alliance, Party Unzipped, The Alliance for Men’s Wellness newsletter and our Regional Health Fairs are all facets of this program.

Our programs for people who inject drugs (PWID) are focused around our needle exchange program, an evidence based intervention proven to reduce HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV) infections.  Embedded in our needle exchange program is our Hepatitis C (HCV) program to improve access to healthcare to those living with HCV.  A HCV/HIV dual infection can be incredibly challenging.  Our Hepatitis C Community Health Worker helps our HCV clients manage their Hepatitis C disease and remain HIV negative.

The partners of people living with HIV/AIDS can be particularly at-risk for contracting HIV.  We assist these individuals by educating our clients living with HIV on safer sex and disclosure practices through our Guys Like Us program.  We also offer testing and risk reduction counseling to the partners of all our HIV-positive clients.  We provider a space for anyone who feels at risk for HIV to contact our prevention manager with any questions they might have.

Hosting an Event? Let us Know!

Leave a comment

The HIV Alliance prevention outreach team is committed to representing gay/bisexual/pansexual men and transfolk in the community and ensuring equitable access to sexual health and wellness information and safer sex supplies. If you are hosting or know of an event happening in the community, please let us know! We would love to come and table, distribute safer sex supplies, or otherwise support your event. Please fill out the form below and we will make every effort to be in attendance!

 

[contact-form to=’unzipped@hivalliance.org’ subject=’Event Attendance Request’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment (include event date%26#x002c; time%26#x002c; location%26#x002c; and what we can do to support you)’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

Help Us Build Our HIV/AIDS Timeline

Leave a comment

We are continuing to add to our HIV/AIDS timeline, but just as the struggle continues, so too does our efforts to compile an accurate picture of the history of this disease.

For one person or one agency to describe the history of HIV/AIDS is impossible. The disease has affected millions, and each experience is unique. Different communities have felt the impact in different ways.

Help us by contributing events and landmarks in the fight to end HIV/AIDS.

[contact-form to=’ryandel@hivalliance.org’ subject=’History Timeline Item Submission’][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website Address with More Information’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Event/Landmark Description’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]

World AIDS Day 2014

Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 1, 2014

 World AIDS Day—December 1st, 2014

 Eugene, OR—November 20, 2014: December 1st, 2014 is World AIDS Day and the month of December is recognized as AIDS Awareness Month.   World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to remember the people who have died. “Every 10 minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV,” said HIV Alliance Executive Director, Diane Lang. “This alarming statistic is a reminder that there is still a great deal of work to be done.”

 The first World AIDS Day was December 1, 1988.public information officers, James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, who were working the newly formed Global Programme on- a part of the United Nation’s World Health Organization- came up with the idea of a global day of recognition as a way to increase awareness and prevention efforts around the still growing epidemic. Bunn recommended the date of December 1st as a date that was likely to gain maximum news coverage around this burgeoning disease. On October 27, 1988, the UN General Assembly officially recognized that the World Health Organization declared December 1, 1988 to be World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day has become the longest-running awareness and prevention initiative of its kind in the history of public health.

 “While the medications have improved dramatically over the years, we still do not have a cure for this disease,” stated Renee Yandel, Program Director for HIV Alliance. “We are hopeful that some day in the future we will truly celebrate World AIDS Day as a way to mark the end of this epidemic.”

HIV Alliance was founded in 1994 to prevent new infections of HIV and provide compassionate care to individuals living with this devastating disease. Currently the organization provides care coordination, nurse case management and pharmaceutical support to people living with HIV in 11 counties in Oregon (Lane, Douglas, Josephine, Lake, Klamath, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, Marion, Clatsop and Jackson counties). HIV Alliance has an office in Eugene and an office in Roseburg, as well as AIDS-Certified nurses in Josephine, Douglas and Lane counties. HIV Alliance is a model for effective and efficient HIV prevention, advocacy, care and education programs.

 

www.hivalliance.org

facebook.com/hivalliance

twitter.com/hivalliance

###

Application Process

Leave a comment

HIV Alliance requires all potential employees to include an Employment Application.

The application can be found here: HIVAlliance_Employment_Application.  Download the application and open with Adobe Reader.  In the Document Rights and Instructions field, click Typewriter.  Fill in form and submit with the application packet (Resume and Cover Letter).

All positions are subject to a criminal background check.

Only complete packets will be considered. Please submit resume, cover letter, and completed application forms to the listed email address.

Please check out our volunteer page for more information on how to get involved.

Please, no phone calls. Thank you!

How We Accomplish Our Mission

Leave a comment

At HIV Alliance, we accomplish our mission through:

  • Youth and adult education
  • Prevention programs that target key communities
  • Programs and services that help people living with HIV maintain and improve their physical, social, and mental health

Initially, we provided HIV education, prevention and care services in Lane County only. However, over the years, the structure and funding around HIV has changed. As a result our region has expanded to include eleven counties in Oregon: Lane, Douglas, Josephine, Lake, Klamath, Jackson, Coos, Curry, Lincoln, Clatsop and Marion.

In 2007 we teamed up with the Lane Community College Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene schools to provide low-cost, comprehensive dental services to people living with HIV/AIDS.  Over the years we have partnered with other HIV care providers and community colleges to offer dental services to people living with HIV/AIDS in as many as thirty-one counties across the state.

Hepatitis C has emerged as a significant problem in Oregon especially for people who inject drugs.  Because we already provide a variety of services to these individuals we now provide Hepatitis C screenings to individuals at-risk for acquiring this disease in targeted counties in our region.  We also provide support to people living with Hepatitis C by providing basic needs assistance, support groups and assistance in accessing medical and social support services.

As an organization we operate under a framework of core values that not only inform but direct our work.  Our core values include: collaboration, empowerment, adaptability and innovation, continuous improvement, and non-judgment.

 

Lane County HIV Statistics

Leave a comment

According to recent data, Lane County has the 4th highest prevalence rate in the state and the 5 highest number of new HIV/AIDS diagnosis. As of 2006 there are 296 reported Living HIV/AIDS cases in Lane County (86.3/100,000). In addition there were 14 new HIV/AIDS diagnosis (with average of approximately 17 each year).

HIV Incidence in Lane County mirrors much of our prevalence data. Most new diagnoses are among men, particularly men who have sex with other men. In 2006, 64 percent of new diagnoses were men who reported having sex with other men. For women, the most common report risk was heterosexual sex. Oregon’s incidence data reflects similar trends, with 72% of new diagnoses being men who reported having sex with other men. And the most common reported risk for women was heterosexual sex.

National Hepatitis C Statistics

Leave a comment

How common is acute Hepatitis C in the United States?

In 2009, there were an estimated 16,000 acute Hepatitis C virus infections reported in the United States.

How common is chronic Hepatitis C in the United States?

An estimated 3.2 million persons in the United States have chronic Hepatitis C virus infection. Most people do not know they are infected because they don’t look or feel sick.

How likely is it that acute Hepatitis C will become chronic?

Approximately 75%–85% of people who become infected with Hepatitis C virus develop chronic infection.

One in one hundred Americans has Hepatitis C: Reuters reported in March of 2014 that a CDC analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2003–2010 indicated that 1 percent of Americans (2.7 million) older than 6 had chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections that could damage their livers severely with time.