National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV Awareness Day (NAPIHAAD) is observed on annually on May 19, and it began 16 years ago thanks to a group in California called API Wellness. Up to this point, the faces of the AIDS crisis were predominantly white gay men, and presently, the most at-risk demographic is African American men.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General has issued an alert to the public about fraud schemes related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Scammers are using telemarketing calls, text messages, social media platforms, and door-to-door visits to perpetrate COVID-19-related scams.

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.

This April 18th we recognize the 6th annual National Transgender HIV Testing Day (NTHTD). NTHTD was created to highlight ways to reduce HIV transmission, HIV stigma and promote routine HIV testing for transgender and gender non-binary folks – population which experience disproportionately high rates of HIV transmission.

Today’s young people are the first generation who have never known a world without HIV and AIDS. In the United States, more than 1 in 5 new HIV diagnosis are young people between 13 and 24 years old. By the end of 2016 around 51 percent of youth living with HIV were unaware that they had HIV.

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!

I’m writing this open letter on behalf of Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) to first and foremost condemn the racist violence experienced by Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. This event has brought to light that, as an organization, we too have participated in systems that have failed the AAPI community. I want to apologize and acknowledge that our work with and advocacy for your communities in Oregon and SW Washington has been lacking.

Every year on March 10 — and throughout the month of March — 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 16th annual observance of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD).

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) is a national mobilization effort designed to encourage American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians across the United States and Territorial Areas to get educated, get tested, get involved in prevention and get treated for HIV.

On May 25, 2020 Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, after a convenience store employee called 911 and told the police that Mr. Floyd had bought cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. Seventeen minutes after the first squad car arrived at the scene, Mr. Floyd was unconscious and pinned beneath three police officers, showing no signs of life. This was not a new moment or scenario in our nation’s history. Countless Black and Brown bodies have been inappropriately profiled, wrongly accused and lost to police brutality before and after this moment. However, it was those 8 minutes and 46 seconds that sparked a racial awakening and literally took the breath from our nation.

The origin of Black History Month goes back to 1915, when Dr. Carter Woodson founded the Study for African American Life and History (previously known as the Study of Negro Life and History). He introduced “Negro History Week” in 1926 to honor the history and recognize the accomplishments of the Black community in the United States.

As you may or may not be aware, vaccine rollout in Oregon is notably well behind the effort of many states across the US, and the Federal distribution plans have been greatly compromised by our previous administration. The first wave of vaccines in Oregon, known as group 1a, was largely focused on vaccination for healthcare and public health workers. It is believed that in Oregon, that was to be somewhere between 300,000 - 400,000 people. This group alone is more people than we currently have vaccine available in the state. This, paired with a lack of effective state planning, resulted some of the chaotic issues we are now seeing.

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.

Early voting in Georgia’s special election began on Monday. That means between now and January 5 (the actual day of the election), Georgians will decide not only who is going to represent them in the U.S. Senate, but what the balance of power in the Senate will be—and therefore which sorts of federal policy will be enacted in the coming years. It is an election whose impact will reverberate from Atlanta, to D.C., to here in Oregon and Washington, where federal policy has a concrete effect on how CAP serves our program participants.

Although the pandemic has affected us in different ways, there seems to be little doubt that the average person’s mental health in the United States has declined. At a time when family and friends are normally the closest, this year, they will be farther away. That's why taking a proactive approach to insuring our mental health is more important than ever as we enter the holiday season. With that in mind, we wanted to share a few tips to keep you feeling the seasonal spirit and ensure you have the best virtual holidays this year!

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.

My name is Déja Fitzgerald (She/Her) and I am incredibly excited to be CAP’s new Equity and Inclusion Advocate. In the past few weeks, I have been often asked why I chose to pursue this particular role with this particular organization. As a Black queer woman, my lived experience serves as the foundation that guides my work as an equity practitioner, community advocate, and educator…

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.

Did you know that 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people aren't registered to vote? And that Black and Latinx people are less likely to be registered than whites? As a health-focused organization, we believe that our community's well-being depends not only on our physical and mental health, but also our "civic health": the ability to influence the policies that affect our health and healthcare. That's why CAP is urging all eligible voters to make sure they're registered to vote and cast their ballots in the November 3 election!

CAP is so very pleased to recognize and celebrate one of our CAP volunteers, Luke Marshall. Luke was one of seven people individual recently recognized by Jiffy Lube International through the “Do More Award”, which seeks to “honor volunteers who use their vehicles to make a difference, whether it is driving a cancer patient to the hospital for treatment or delivering a hot meal to a family in need. By providing these volunteers with a year’s worth of vehicle maintenance services, Jiffy Lube can help keep them on the road so they can continue to Do More.”