Federal Uncertainty Is Testing HIV Prevention. Our Commitment Isn't Wavering.
For more than twenty years, CAP Northwest has been a steady presence in HIV prevention across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Free HIV & STI testing. Navigation that walks alongside people as they connect to care. PrEP access that helps people stay healthy and avoid HIV transmission. This work has never rested on a single source of support and instead relies on federal grants, state & local contracts, and the generosity of people who believe our community deserves care without barriers.
One of the oldest and largest of those sources is now uncertain, and we want to be honest with you about what that means for our work.
What's happening
Our single largest prevention contract comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have carried out this work under the same scope for two decades. The current five-year cycle ended on July 1, and for the first time, we were asked to apply for a short, one-time extension to bridge the next few months. We have been selected for that extension, which keeps our current prevention work steady through October.
What comes after October is less clear. The CDC has signaled that a new funding opportunity is coming and that they expect it to look much like the one we have relied on for years. However, we have not yet seen it, and that gap between what has sustained this work for a generation and what comes next, is the source of real uncertainty for us and for organizations like ours across the country.
A Wider Strain
The pressure is not only federal. It is showing up closer to home, too. As county budgets tighten, our three county partners in Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington have all had to reduce staff. Multnomah County recently cut asymptomatic STI screening at its clinic from five days a week to one. Washington County has lost a public health nurse and a disease intervention specialist this year. For years, these local partners absorbed strain to keep essential services whole. Increasingly, that is no longer possible.
Much of this traces back to decisions being made, and not made, at the federal level. Funding that Congress has already approved has been slow to reach the programs it was meant to support. These are not new or experimental programs. They grew out of the movements that reshaped this country's response to HIV, they have long carried support across the political spectrum, and they have been a cornerstone of prevention for a generation. The gains of the last twenty years were hard won, and they are not something we can afford to quietly lose.
Where We Stand
We planned ahead. CAP Northwest built this year's budget knowing this moment might come, and our prevention services are secure for now. We are also working to find new ways to strengthen the work, from deepening the connection between prevention and care at Prism Health to helping more clients access the coverage they are entitled to.
But we will be honest with you: the gap left by federal uncertainty is larger than we can close on our own. That is where community comes in.
How You Can Help
Make a Gift.
Your support directly sustains testing, navigation, and prevention when other funding falls short. Consider becoming a monthly donor to help sustain access to vital services like free HIV & STI testing on our giving page.
Fundraise.
You can also register as a fundraiser for AIDS Walk Northwest, our biggest community moment of the year. Your friends, family, and community are your biggest supporters and can make a huge impact, so join us today.
Get care.
Choosing Prism Health for testing, PrEP, primary care, and your pharmacy needs keeps you healthy and helps keep these services strong for everyone else too.
Show up.
Our volunteer program is back, with new ways to support our teams directly in our work. You can learn more about our volunteer program below.
As an organization with over four decades of service to our region, we continue to meet every hard moment with resolve and care. We intend to meet this one the same way, together, alongside you.
PREVENTION CONTACT
Edgar Mendez
Director of Prevention
e: emendez@capnw.org
About CAP Northwest
Founded in 1983 as a grassroots response to the AIDS crisis, CAP Northwest is a leading provider of LGBTQ+ healthcare and HIV services in the Pacific Northwest. We deliver affirming, integrated healthcare, housing, prevention, and community support. Our wraparound model meets the needs of the whole person — recognizing that health, stability, dignity, and safety are deeply interconnected. As both a provider and an advocate, we deliver care today while helping build a more just and healthy tomorrow.
