November 1 officially kicks off Open Enrollment, the time of year when most people in the US shop and enroll in health coverage. But did you know, you can get complimentary health insurance navigation and other benefit navigations services at CAP? Joining us today is Rusty Shorey, one of the incredible Benefits Navigators here at CAP to discuss the various ways in which we can help you sort through all the noice of Open Enrollment, Benefits Navigation, and more!

With Election Day right around the corner on November 8th, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to dive into CAP's Public Policy & Advocacy work! Joining us for our seventh episode today is Jonathan Frochtzwajg, CAP's Public Policy and Grants Manager, to give us the inside scoop on our policy initiative, advocacy work, and a plethora of resources, including our 2022 Voter Resource Guide, to help you get prepared for the upcoming elections.

CAP is excited to announce the start of a brand new program in SW Washington in partnership with the Rainbow Advocacy and Inclusion Network (RAINS). With support from the Gamma Mu Foundation, CAP and RAINS will work together to provide peer-based social support for LGBTQ+ folks in and around Longview, WA.

As of Tuesday, June 29th, 2021, CAP SW WA’s STD Clinic is re-open to the public after a 15 month hiatus. Cascade AIDS Project had been providing low-barrier full panel HIV/STI testing and treatment to the LGBTQ+ community in Vancouver for nearly a decade when COVID-19 hit.

The past year living with COVID has created some incredible logistical and service challenges for nearly everyone, and we at CAP are no exception. With many of our services being client-facing, we have worked to navigate the complexities of continuing to provide these critical services in a way that is safe for both us and our clients.

CAP and Our House have been working in partnership for over 30 years. Together, our two organizations have been exploring how an integration of our programs, services, and administrative operations might maximize our collective capacity to serve people living with, and affected by, HIV in every stage of life, throughout Oregon and SW Washington.

With COVID drastically impacting many of our direct client services, such as HIV + STI testing, we wanted to take a moment to provide a quick update about testing at CAP and how you can find testing opportunities near you!

We are excited to announce we are offering expanded HIV care services at Prism Health. We know better than anyone how quality care and treatment can help those living with HIV maintain an undetectable viral load, but more than that, we also understand how to navigate and coordinate care that you need to not only live, but to thrive. Our providers work collaboratively with you to help you achieve your overall health goals, and we are committed to providing affirming and stigma free care.

My name is Nicki Turk and I’m CAP’s Director of Housing & Support Services. I have worked at CAP for 14 years, but this year has been unlike any other in my time here. It has been, and continues to be, so incredibly hard. And yet, I’ve never been prouder of the work CAP does for those living with and affected by HIV, and for the LGBTQ+ community.

October 15 is National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day - a day aimed to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS in the Hispanic/Latinx population of the U.S. It is a day to draw attention to the disproportionate impact that exists in the Latinx community when it comes to HIV.

Last month, we took a look at our CareLink Program and the work they are doing during the time of COVID-19. Although the pandemic has drastically impacted the way we deliver client services, CAP continues to adapt to find ways to insure our clients are cared for and connected. This month, we check in with our Aging Well Program to see how COVID-19 has impacted their clients and community, and what creative solutions they have found to continue their critical work.

CAP is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $2,500 grant from The Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund to purchase food and clothing for participants in our CareLink program.

As we are inundated by the daily impacts of COVID-19 on our friends, families, communities, and globally, we wanted to take a moment to share two stories from our CareLink Team that reminded us of all the good that can be done, even in these trying times. CAP is working tirelessly to expand equitable access to health care, and that work is critically important, perhaps now more than ever.

CAP has been awarded a grant for $17,500 from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in partnership with Macy’s. The grant will be used for CAP’s Women of Wisdom Program in Southwest Washington; which is a unique program that serves as a safe space to provide psycho-social support groups that unite, educate, and empower women living with HIV/AIDS and their children.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, held annually on March 10, is an opportunity for “local, state, federal, and national organizations come together to shed light on the impact of HIV and AIDS on women and girls and show support for those at risk of and living with HIV.” This year marks the 14th annual observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD).

Cascade AIDS Project’s Peer Support Program, led by Program Manager Hannah G., has been a driving force in empowering those affected by HIV in our community. The diverse set of Peer Support Specialists (Peers) are selfless heroes that make this work possible.  Running six years strong and expanding, CAP’s Peer Support Program lives by the unofficial motto “meeting individuals where they are”.

Prism Health is Oregon’s first and only lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus all other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) primary care clinic. As of May 2018, Prism has been open for one full year. To commemorate the event, Prism Health is having a One-Year Anniversary Open House Thursday May 24th 4:30 to 6:30 pm at 2236 SE Belmont Street, Portland. No RSVP necessary.

In commemoration of World AIDS Day, CAP announced that it has adopted a new mission statement to enable the agency to better serve its existing clients and expand services to provide direct medical services to the broader LGBTQ+ community through the creation of a new LGBTQ+ Primary Care Center slated to open in early 2017.

In lead up to National HIV Testing day this Saturday, CAP is teaming with Walgreens and Greater Than AIDS, a leading national public information response to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic, to encourage community members to know their HIV status and take advantage of free HIV testing at Walgreens in North Portland, OR (2829 N. Lombard St.) during a three-day period.