Cascade AIDS Project (“CAP”) is proud to announce that it has been awarded $50,000 from Gilead Sciences, Inc. to create a program to work with individuals aged 50 years and over who are are living with HIV.

This allocation of $1M in lottery bonds for Prism Health is a significant statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community from the state legislature and our Governor,” said CAP’s Executive Director, Tyler TerMeer. “We are honored and humbled by this show of trust in the work we are doing to provide safe, affirming, and culturally effective health care to the LGBTQ+ community.

As you know, there has been a lot of uncertainty in recent months about funding for health care, particularly at the national level. Threats of budget cuts for health care and prevention programs, attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and other actions are causing worry among people living with HIV/AIDS who access these federally funded programs and services so they can stay healthy and vibrant.

CAP is pleased to announce the appointment of new members of its Board of Directors, as well as the full slate of officers for FY2018. Joining the Board over the past fiscal year are Mikki Gillette, Jenn Klotz, Travis Marker, Dr. John Nusser, and Bil Spigner.

The devastating and discriminatory actions coming out of our nation’s capital over the last 24 hours have been heartbreaking and difficult to digest. It’s hard to express the increased frustration, outrage, and sadness I am feeling today as I look at the impact that these decisions will have on our community, our friends, and our chosen families.

A year ago today, the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando shook the LGBTQ+ community to its core and left us devastated, angry, and bewildered. Each of us was affected by this tragic action in our own way. Most of us read or watched the news of the horrifying events and thought about how it related to our lives. Others, like our own William McKell, a Bilingual HIV Prevention Specialist at CAP, were more personally affected by the tragedy.

Multnomah County has worked alongside CAP for three decades to serve the LGBTQ community,” said Chair Deborah Kafoury. “We’ve fought stigma together, we’ve fought for equity together, and we are proud to support this effort to further reduce barriers and increase access to health care.

“We are honored that the Collins Foundation has made this generous investment in Prism Health.” Said CAP’s Executive Director, Tyler TerMeer. “This is a clear commitment by Collins to health equity in the LGBTQ+ community, and the health and well-being of Oregonians overall. Through Prism Health, we will remove barriers, improve access, and most importantly provide quality health care for all LGBTQ+ patients across the Portland metropolitan area.”

CAP is proud to announce that it has created a new position of Equity Outreach Coordinator to address barriers faced by refugees, people of color, people living in rural areas, and others in obtaining the housing resources available for people living with HIV.

March 20th is National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Unfortunately, new HIV infection rates having been increasing in recent years among American Indians and Alaskan Natives. Yet, rates have been decreasing during this time-period for white communities.

“FamilyCare Health has been a long-term partner of CAP, and we are delighted that they have made such a significant statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community by investing in Prism Health,” said CAP’s Executive Director, Tyler TerMeer. “This $80,000 investment allows CAP to complete the health center renovations and open in spring of 2017.”

This has never been about bathrooms. It wasn’t about drinking fountains, either. It’s about keeping Trans people out of public spaces. Trans people have existed since the beginning of time. We have been using public accommodations alongside Cisgender people for as long as our society has been developed. There is no known incidence of a Trans person assaulting someone in a bathroom. This is not a safety issue for cisgender women in bathrooms. That is a mirage.

CAP is thrilled to unveil the new logo for Prism Health, our LGBTQ+ primary care center opening in Spring of 2017!

Understanding and acceptance of our identity is a lifelong journey. Over the course of my journey with the virus, I have met some of the most life-changing and inspiring individuals, many of whom don’t even realize the impact they are having on those around them.

Understanding and acceptance of our identity is a lifelong journey, one of which I admit I struggled with for many years. Today, as we observe the 17th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I stand a confident and proud Black, openly HIV positive man who daily urges the community to wake up to the harsh reality of the epidemic among us.

Under this contract award, CAP will provide both case management and care support services for persons living with HIV and prevention services including access to HIV testing, condoms, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for persons at high risk for HIV. These efforts and services align with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the End AIDS Washington Initiative’s primary goal to reduce new HIV infections in Washington State by 50% by 2020.

Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $15,000 from the Kaiser Permanente and $24,500 from the Miller Charitable Fund at The Oregon Community Foundation to support the opening of CAP’s LGBTQ+ Primary Care Health Center: Prism Health.

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.

CAP will commemorate World AIDS Day by honoring the individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to fighting the epidemic in our community at third annual Heroes of HIV luncheon. Taking place at the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland on December 1st from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, the event will honor individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the fight against HIV in our community.

Yesterday, November 20th, we observed Transgender Day of Remembrance to honor those who have lost their lives simply for living their truth. Despite the great strides we have made in our fight for equality and human rights, this year alone, more than 21 transgender Americans – mostly women of color – were tragically murdered because of their gender identity.