Thirty five years ago CAP incorporated as a nonprofit under a mission designed to support men, women, and youth affected by HIV and AIDS, prevent the spread of HIV in populations at highest risk, and advocate for an effective community response to the epidemic. We were a reflective light for many in the darkest of days. A time where diagnosis for most meant a death sentence. Today, an individual’s journey with HIV has transformed from dying from, to living with, to now thriving despite.

The award will help support Camp Activities this holiday season, including the annual toy drive and holiday party at the Hi-Lo Hotel. Kevin Cook, Director of Camp KC, was overjoyed to receive this gift at iQ Credit Union Vancouver office. “Thank you [iQ Credit Union] and your employees for your generous donation to Camp KC! Our campers, families and volunteers greatly appreciate it!”

CAP joins 51 other LGBTQ+ and HIV/STI organizations in an open letter to Facebook in an effort to address ads pushed by the tech company surround HIV Prevention and PrEP. The misinformation has increased fear among patients about PrEP and PEP, especially those most susceptible to HIV transmission, despite messages from health officials and federal regulators validating their safety. The full letter can be read below.

It was fifteen years ago that I participated in my first AIDS Walk. I had only known my status for a few short months and I remember feeling incredibly vulnerable as I had only just begun adjusting to my new life living with the virus. However, looking back, taking that first step towards my future at the walk was a defining moment in my journey.

I’m writing this open letter to our community on behalf of Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) to acknowledge that our work with the black community in Portland has been lacking.  Our time for showing up at the table is far overdue, and I am deeply sorry that CAP has not been historically more responsive to the black community.

Cascade AIDS Project has been awarded a grant for $15000 from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in partnership with Macy’s.

CAP is very pleased to announce it is a recipient of the $20,000 Finalist Award from Ninety-Nine Girlfriend.

Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is very pleased to announce a partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc. for the 2018-2021 Aging Well Program. Gilead is funding the three-year $375,000 program that focuses on supporting the wellbeing of aging adults living with and affected by HIV.

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”.

CAP and Kaiser Permanente have kicked off a project aimed at changing both the way individuals disclose their gender identity when enrolling in Kaiser insurance and the way gender non-conforming patients are then routed through the healthcare system.

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.

Through the efforts of Laela Wilding, Ambassador of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) and the 2018 Portland Film Fundraiser “Cleopatra”, over $3000 was raised for CAP’s Camp KC. Camp KC is a summer sleepaway camp that takes place every year on the Oregon coast. It is attended by children infected or affected by HIV.

Ms. Curtis is a Regional Bank President for Wells Fargo & Company. As an Executive Vice President, she is responsible for managing the customer service, sales and community involvement activities of nearly 800 team members at 74 bank branches in northern Oregon and Southwest Washington. A native of England, she began her Wells Fargo career in 1988 as a teller.

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.