Last week, Leaders and Organizations in the Black community sent a letter to Governor Kate Brown, Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, Senate President Peter Courtney and members of the Emergency Board.

As you know, COVID-19 is also highlighting what was already true—while Oregonians are weathering the same storm, we’re not all in the same boat. Black, brown, and Indigenous communities have always been denied the resources we need to be healthy. So, it is absolutely predictable that we are the communities hit hardest by COVID-19—and not just by the virus itself. Nationally, we also know that the CARES Act has already left Black communities behind.

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.

We wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your commitment to supporting CAP and Prism Health during this unprecedented time. Together, we have raised over $250,000 to support CAP and Prism Health’s COVID-19 relief effort. Some of the work we have been able to accomplish includes:

CAP is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $5,000 grant from Bank of the West to help support our Employment Assistance program in Oregon.

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.

CareLink is a short-term program (3 to 6 months) that provides connection to medical care for HIV-positive people who are newly diagnosed with HIV, incarcerated or recently incarcerated, as well as those who have not seen an HIV medical provider in more than six months.

CAP Has been Awarded the Following Grants in response to COVID-19 to support General Operating Expenses, COVID-19 Response, Emergency Rent Assistance, Medical Motel Vouchers, Emergency Technology Purchases, Transportation Support, and other programmatic support.

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.

We wrote to you a couple of weeks ago to let you know that all of our HIV organizations remain open and able to provide the services that you need and deserve. We are all available in different capacities and we encourage you to visit our websites, social media pages and call us. Our plan is to remain open during the Stay Home: Save Lives order and to continue to be here for you. We hope that you are finding ways to take care of yourselves during this time.

Our agency is already witnessing the impacts of the spread of COVID-19 on our clients. People living with HIV who are not “virally suppressed” are at greater risk of developing serious, potentially life-threatening symptoms than the general public. Many members of this population are also experiencing homelessness or housing instability, further increasing their risk of acute COVID-19. The rate of requests for emergency rent assistance has more than doubled since last week as clients have been laid off or seen their work hours reduced.

We are reaching out to you in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to let you know we are here for you. We understand that social distancing, while a necessary part of stopping the spread of coronavirus, has a real impact not only on the services we are able to provide at this time, but also the lives of you and your loved ones.

At CAP, the well-being of our community is a top priority and we are aware that the populations we serve are often the most vulnerable during a public health crisis. We will be staying open with essential services so that our clients can receive the care they need, while also protecting our members, visitors, volunteers, and staff while they are here.

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.

This month, we honor the 14th annual National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) which revolves around the theme of “Resiliency + Action: Ending the HIV Epidemic in Native Communities”. Founded in 2007, this community-driven national mobilization effort was designed “to encourage Natives (Native Americans, Native Alaskans and Native Hawaiians) across the Unites States and Territorial Areas to get education, get tested, get involved in prevention and get treated for HIV”.

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).

In August of 2019, I released an open letter in The Skanner to acknowledge that CAP’s work with the Black community in Portland has been lacking. At the time, our time for showing up at the table was far overdue.  Today as I reflect back, I realize I should have started the conversation with two simple words.

I’m sorry.

Next time you visit us on the web, you might notice that things have changed up a bit! Starting February 5, CAP will be launching our brand new website to our community!

Cascade AIDS Projects appreciates each and every one of our volunteers and the many contributions they provide to the agency, but every year we recognize a number of outstanding volunteers with our Action Awards. They will be publicly recognized at our annual volunteer appreciation event, Party for the People, on Thursday, February 13. Here are our 2019 Action Award winners:

The new rule would make it harder for them to obtain tourist visas and follows an incident in which a Hong Kong airline, under pressure by government authorities, forced a woman to take a pregnancy test before she was allowed to board a plane to the U.S. Pacific island of Saipan. We, along with the undersigned organizations, have signed an open letter to Secretary Pompeo urging the administration to immediately rescind the Pregnancy and Racial Profiling Rule now!

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed each year on February 7 to “increase HIV education, testing, community involvement, and treatment among black communities”. Coordinated by the Strategic Leadership Council, thousands of organizations and groups across the world organize to address HIV disparities that exist within the Black community nationally and globally. This year’s NBHAAD theme, “Together for Love: Stop HIV Stigma” raises awareness that we all have a role to play in stopping HIV stigma.