CAP Newsroom
Press + Media Resources
Boilerplates
About Cascade AIDS Project
Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1985 as the Cascade AIDS Project, CAP is the oldest and largest community-based provider of HIV services, housing, education and advocacy in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We promote well-being and advance equity by providing inclusive health and wellness services for LGBTQ+ people, people affected by HIV, and all those seeking compassionate care. When the need for affordable, accessible, and culturally affirming primary care services was identified as a community need, we responded by opening Prism Health in 2017. And in 2022, Our House of Portland joined the CAP family to further expand our service offerings and allow us to offer a full lifecycle of care to our community. To learn more about CAP, please visit www.capnw.org
About Prism Health
Prism Health provides high quality, affordable, and accessible health care for all, with a focus on serving individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus all other gender and sexual minorities (LGBTQ+). All of Prism services aim to reach the most vulnerable – those living below the poverty line, communities of color, homeless or unstably housed individuals, and people experiencing mental health and/or addiction issues. To learn more about Prism Health, please visit www.prismhealth.org
About Our House
Our House provides healthcare, housing, therapeutic activities, peer recovery mentorship, and other vital services to those living with HIV. We have been a part of the Portland community since 1988, and while our services have expanded in the decades since, our commitment to people living with HIV has remained the same. In 2022, Our House of Portland joined the CAP family to further expand our service offerings and allow us to offer a full lifecycle of care to our community. HIV is a complex and challenging disease that can often be overwhelming, so we seek to foster a safe, affirming community that diminishes or eliminates those challenges which allows our residents and community to live their most vibrant and health lives! To learn more about Our House, please visit www.ourhouseofportland.org
Press Releases
Jake Thomas | The Lund Report
“Jonathan Frochtzwajg, public policy and grants manager for Cascade AIDS Project, told The Lund Report that PEP is often prescribed to survivors of a sexual assault or health care workers exposed to HIV on the job. The health authority contracts with the Cascade AIDS Project to help people in the Portland metro area access the drug. Frochtzwajg said that contract highlighted for his organization roadblocks to getting the medication.
‘We have a front-row seat to all the barriers,’ said Frochtzwajg. ‘And those run the gamut from providers not familiar with PEP, to patients not being able to fill prescriptions because many pharmacies don’t stock the medication, to people not being able to afford the copay when they get to the pharmacy counter.’”
Megan Messerly | Politico
“‘Because the federal government has failed in so many ways to provide access to health care for Americans, Oregon is stepping in,’ said Jonathan Frochtzwajg, public policy and grants manager at the Cascade AIDS Project and one of the members of Oregon’s task force. ‘Congress, and in particular the Senate, is broken, and states are having to compensate for that.’”
“How has the surge in the omicron variant impacted the LGBTQ+ community in Oregon?CEO of the Cascade Aids Project, Dr. Tyler Termeer joined AM Extra to answer that question.” Watch the full interview at https://www.koin.com/am-extra/omicron-impacts-on-the-lgbtq-community/
TerMeer departs CAP with a clear strategic, equity and business growth plan for Prism Health. Emily Gilliland will serve as the interim CEO while the CAP Board of Directors conducts a national search for the next CEO. The search committee will include members of CAP staff, stakeholders and the LGBTQIA+ community. The goal is to hire a new CEO by the Fall of 2022.
The 39-year-old gay man brings 17 years of experience in nonprofit leadership to the organization. He was most recently CEO of the Cascade AIDS Project and Prism Health in Portland, Oregon.
"‘It is an honor to be selected for this role at such a pivotal moment in the HIV movement, and I am looking forward to contributing my leadership to best serve people living with and at risk for HIV in the Bay Area and beyond,’ stated TerMeer in a news release.”
“Jim Clay, a 75-year-old gay man and public health worker, lost his partner to AIDS 11 year ago. Clay spent six years in retirement until returning to the workforce at 70. Now, he manages Cascade AIDS Project’s Aging Well program, which he designed to support the mental and physical health of older adults living with HIV and AIDS. ‘Many of the older adults that I work with are also widows. They live alone, they feel lonely, they’re isolated, and this has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic,’ Clay says.”
The Body Pro | Larry Buhl
“The biggest issue with the California law is that it doesn’t allow pharmacists to be reimbursed, so there’s no financial incentive to participate,” said Jonathan Frochtzwajg, public policy and grants manager of the Portland-based nonprofit Cascade AIDS Project, a sponsor of the Oregon bill. He added that, with the Oregon bill, pharmacists would act like doctors, offering screening and counseling for HIV, and would be reimbursed for their time like doctors are.
POZ | Trenton Straube
“Members of the Oregon House voted 47–7 to pass a bill allowing pharmacists to prescribe pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) drugs to prevent HIV, reports Cascade AIDS Project (CAP), a nonprofit HIV organization leading the effort to pass the bill.”
The Lund Report | Ben Botkin
“In testimony, the Cascade AIDS Project, which is in Portland and southwest Washington state, gave real-life examples of people who have struggled to access the medication. They include: a woman who suffered a sexual assault was unable to get a prescription through an urgent care clinic and finally got one after multiple attempts through her primary care provider. Many patients in rural areas feel their provider is not knowledgeable about the topic, the group said.”
The Body | Larry Buhl
“Jonathan Frochtzwajg, public policy and grants manager of the Cascade AIDS Project, told TheBody that although Oregon pharmacists can prescribe PrEP, they aren’t doing so. ‘The vast majority of pharmacists lack the training to assess patients, and billing systems aren’t configured to allow pharmacists to get reimbursed for their services in the same way as other health care providers,’ he said. ‘Our full-time PrEP navigator has never heard of it happening.’ Frochtzwajg added that Cascade AIDS Project is developing a bill that would address the barriers to pharmacists prescribing PrEP.”
The Oregonian | Tom Hallman Jr
“COVID-19 upended the lives of the clients Cascade AIDS Project serves, said Meghan Von Tersch, a housing navigation team leader. ‘Getting food has become an obstacle because they’re medically fragile,’ she said. ‘For the past six months, we have been getting it for them. We couldn’t do this without volunteers like Luke.’”
The Columbian | Patty Hastings
“Cascade AIDS Project is another organization that received Community Foundation grant money to use for motel vouchers or emergency rent assistance. Marisa McDowell, Southwest Washington housing team lead, said the nonprofit wanted to keep its 410 clients and their families safe during the pandemic. Those who have HIV or AIDS have an increased risk of contracting COVID-19, making it important to be inside.”
Portland Business Journal | Maddie Pfeifer
“CEO of Cascade AIDS Project and Prism Health CEO Tyler TerMeer said the grant will allow for an expansion of telehealth services that provide access to primary and mental health care for the LGBTQ+ community.”
The Lund Report | Ben Botkin
“Prism Health in Portland will receive $28,131 for video conferencing software licenses and equipment for telehealth visits. Prism Health serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer patients as an extension of the Cascade AIDS Project.”
OPB - Crystal Ligori & Jenn Chavez
“With the spread of coronavirus in the Pacific Northwest, many health care and social services have shifted more toward telemedicine and virtual support in order to maintain social distancing. That includes the Cascade AIDS Project, which has been providing HIV services and advocacy in the Pacific Northwest since the 1980s. Since the pandemic began, the organization has largely shifted away from providing in-person services in favor of giving support by phone, email and telehealth.”
We are heartbroken to hear of the the senseless violence against members of Colorado Springs’s LGBTQIA+ community at Club Q on Saturday. Saturday’s events were a chilling echo of the tragedy at Pulse in 2016 and serve as stark reminder of the countless ways in which hate and bigotry continue to fuel unimaginable pain on our friends, families, and loved ones.
We at Cascade AIDS Project are deeply concerned about a federal judge’s ruling Wednesday that employers who provide health insurance for their workers should not be required to cover PrEP if doing so would conflict with their religious beliefs. U.S. law currently mandates that most health-insurance plans cover PrEP at no cost to their enrollees.
As a healthcare organization committed to compassionate, affirming care whose core value is bodily autonomy, we are incredibly disheartened by the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. We have spent nearly 4 decades on the front lines of the HIV epidemic. We know better than anyone that Silence = Death
CAP is proud to sign on to the attached letter below, which seeks “to urge [The Honorable Merrick Garland and The Honorable Xavier Becerra] to pledge and to act to ensure that the United States v. Gilead lawsuit serves as a mechanism to increase access to PrEP across the country, as quickly as possible.
With the announcement of Dr. Tyler TerMeer’s departure as CEO from Cascade AIDS Project to helm San Francisco AIDS Foundation, we are excited to announce that Emily Gilland will serve as the Interim CEO of CAP!
As a person living with and concerned about HIV, I am enormously grateful to have spent the past 7.5 years of my career nurturing a vibrant and powerful community for social and racial justice at Cascade AIDS Project (CAP). It is therefore with mixed emotions that I announce my plans to step down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to start a new chapter at one of our nation’s oldest and most influential HIV Organizations – San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF)
Congress is expected to allocate more than $800,000 to Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) later this year for a major expansion of the mental-health program at our LGBTQ+ health center, Prism Health. The funds were included in the 2021-22 federal budget at the request of U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer. CAP was one of only 10 organizations selected to receive funding after being nominated by Rep. Blumenauer
The Oregon Legislature has given final approval to House Bill 3159, also known as the Data Justice Act. Championed by Cascade AIDS Project, the bill positions Oregon as a national leader in collecting data on LGBTQ+ health disparities.
After more than 30 years of collaboration and a shared mission, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) and Our House are finally moving in together. Unifying our two organizations will allow us to better serve and support the needs of our community, while also expanding our vision of care.
Following months of advocacy by Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) and allies, the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners voted yesterday to allocate $250,000 in the County’s 2021-22 budget toward community-based services for aging adults living with or affected by HIV.
A bill that would give pharmacists in Oregon the ability to write prescriptions for PrEP passed out of the Oregon House on Tuesday with overwhelming support. Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is leading the effort to pass the legislation, which would make Oregon the third state in the country to enable pharmacists to prescribe PrEP, as well as HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
We are delighted to share our new strategic plan with you! Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) and its health program, Prism Health, have developed our strategic plan to inform and guide our important work over the next three years. The plan was developed to prioritize the work that addresses identified community needs within an evolving healthcare and social policy environment…
Leading up to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, AIDS United and its Public Policy Council, composed of 55 of the nation's leading organizations dedicated to ending HIV, are announcing they have launched the Racial Justice Index. AIDS United is working collaboratively with the Black AIDS Institute, a Public Policy Council member, to guide this work. After the summer of 2020 that ushered in a racial reckoning in America, this novel initiative aims to create awareness — and eventually sustainable change — around the misalignment between who holds power and resources in HIV organizations and the epidemic’s disproportionate impact on Black Americans.
We were honored to join thousands of organizations and individuals across the globe participating in World AIDS Day yesterday! Originally started in 1988, World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day. Observed every year on December 1st, it is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV transmission, to show support for people living with HIV, and to remember and honor those who have died from an AIDS-related illness…
Historically, during times of great unrest, it is often our most diverse communities that experience compounded hardship. From the stress of overloaded systems rife with inequity to blatant and targeted harassment of people in our community.
Sadly, we’ve seen that Portland is not immune. As a local nonprofit healthcare provider , Prism Health stands firm in our commitment to offer a safe, affirming, and non-judgmental space…
Cascade AIDS Project is proud to announce our endorsement of the vaping and tobacco tax on the ballot this November, and we hope you’ll join us in voting YES for a healthy future!
CAP joins 53 other LGBTQ+ and HIV/STI organizations in an open letter to Politicians demanding broad policy and structural changes that will lead to racial justice. We know that we cannot end the HIV epidemic in the United States without also dismantling institutions and policies that promote and enable systemic racism and white supremacy, and we are proud to link arms with those in Minneapolis and across the country who are speaking out against police brutality and institutional racism. The full letter can be read below.
CAP CEO Tyler TerMeer had the pleasure of talking with OPB’s Crystal Ligori for a segment of OPB’s “All Things Considered”. To hear the entire conversation with Tyler and Crystal, or read the interview, click read more below.
Today I am tired. Today I am overwhelmed. Today I am sad, anxious, angry, and frustrated. One of the most difficult parts of my role as the CEO of CAP and Prism Health is finding strength to be a light in the dark. I have sat here searching for the right message to send to you, and if I'm honest with myself, I don't have the strength today for eloquence. So many names weigh heavy on my heart and mind -Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Andre Emmett, George Floyd, Tony McDade, and on and on. So many lives taken for no cause, and with no justice.
Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) is very pleased to announce that Prism Health has earned Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Look-Alike status from the United States Health Resource & Services Administration. In order to achieve this designation, health centers must demonstrate that they serve an underserved area or population, offer a sliding fee scale discount, and provide comprehensive services regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
Prism Health is excited to announce that an in-house pharmacy will be coming soon to our Belmont location! Construction on the pharmacy began in earnest on 1/21/2020, with the goal of being built out in 8 weeks. The new pharmacy space will include the Avita Pharmacy, our pharmacy partner.
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 Hilton Portland Downtown on December 5th 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.
Press + Media
For Press + Media Inquiries, please contact Dustin Vance, Marketing + Communications Manager at dvance@capnw.org | 503.278.3854.