The program will establish a Family Mental Health Program for LGBTQ+ individuals and families at Oregon’s first LGBTQ+ primary health care clinic, Prism Health. The program addresses the comprehensive set of mental health needs faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and aims to bring on a mental health specialist with significant experience with the LGBTQ+ community.

The program addresses the comprehensive set of projects and activities aimed at reducing cases of HIV and STI cases across the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. Specifically, the program is comprised of easily accessible HIV/STI testing clinics, connection to treatment and support services for those testing positive, community education both for those testing positive to prevent further spread of infections and prevention education for the wider community, and one on one health education session for high-risk individuals focused on personalized prevention strategies.

CAP is proud to announce that it has been awarded $113,000 from Meyer Memorial Trust to assess and pursue Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status for Prism Health. The two-year grant will allow the agency to bring on a consultant to help CAP and Prism leadership explore what it takes to become an FQHC, then make the requisite improvements to systems and processes, and ultimately complete the involved application process.

World AIDS Day is upon us again. For me, World AIDS Day has always been a time of reflection and remembrance. A time for me to remember those individuals lost along this journey and to reflect on the ways in which HIV has changed the course of my life.

CAP is proud to announce that it has adopted a paid family leave policy which will provide every qualifying employee with 12-weeks of paid leave to allow them ample time to care for family members including the arrival of a new child or to deal with a serious health condition.

Following repeated legislative defeats to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump is taking steps to further sabotage the ACA.  This includes ending cost sharing reduction (CSR) payments to issuers and issuing an executive order that would destabilize the health care marketplace and erode patient protections.

The Oregon Health Authority is working on a collaborative project with Portland State University and Cascade AIDS Project called Chime In. The project recruits community members at different venues – bars, clubs, sporting events, social and community events in the Portland and Vancouver area, to take a men’s health survey and HIV test.

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!