Keep the Pressure On!

Last week we urged you to tell your Members of Congress that HIV programs and funding must be protected in the midst of the budget slashing efforts that are presently en vogue on Capitol Hill. This week, we ask you to keep the pressure on! Members of Congress are still on recess and in their home districts, giving you the best opportunity to catch them face-to-face at town hall meetings , district offices, job fairs, or other local events where they can hear directly from YOU, their constituent. Once Congress reconvenes after Labor Day, things will move quickly as they will immediately begin work on the fiscal year 2012 (FY12) appropriations bills and  the agreed upon spending cuts from the debt ceiling deal will be enacted. The “super congress,” the 12-member bi-partisan committee charged with cutting the federal deficit, will meet next month to identify the required $1.2 - $1.5 trillion of cuts over the next 10 years. If we wait to begin our advocacy efforts until these processes are under way, we will have waited too long.

AIDS United has developed a number of tools to help you start and/or strengthen your advocacy efforts now! Check out the new State Fact Sheets, town hall tip sheet and our guide on how to find and meet with your Member of Congress for everything you need to help Congress get the message: HIV and health programs must be protected.

Donna Crews, Director of Government Affairs

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District Office Visit Guide and Office Locator

Through surveys of 260 congressional staff members, the Perceptions of Citizen Advocacy study published by the Congressional Management Foundation found that constituent visits to the Washington office (97%) and to the district/state office (94%) have 'some' or 'a lot' of influence on an undecided Member, more than any other influence group or strategy. What does that mean for HIV advocates? It means that we need to start scheduling visits to the Washington DC and district offices of our Members of Congress, right away!! Use AIDS United's district office visit guide to make sure that you get the most out of your time with your Member or their staffers. With a little practice and preparation, people may start confusing you as a veteran Washington DC lobbyist!

Visit AIDS United's Action Center for our District Office Visit Guide

You can locate the Congressional Member's district office nearest to you by visiting Contacting the Congress. Just type in your address and click on the Member you wish to visit. Their district and Washington DC office information can be found along with their political profile.

Find your Congressional Member's district and Washington DC offices

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Spotlight on an AIDS United Advocate

Julene, an advocate who has worked with an AIDS Service Organization and is now in AIDS education, is one of AIDS United’s most active HIV advocates. We can always count on her to call and email Congress about important HIV/AIDS issues. AIDS United contacted her recently to learn what motivates her to take action and what tips she can offer other advocates on how to effectively communicate with Congress.

1. AIDS United: Why do you take action on our alerts?
Julene: I take action for a host of reasons: I did HIV/AIDS social service work for 18 years through the heart of the epidemic. I know it is not over simply because it's not as visible. AIDS has shifted our world and for me it is personal because of the many losses I've experienced. We've lost a generation of political force; I feel the loss and want to keep the energy burning. When I lived in NYC, I went to Act Up meetings. Activism is important; it helped bring us to today where now AIDS is a chronic illness.

2. AU: When do you usually respond to an AIDS United Action Alert?
J: I am busy nearly all the time. I leave actions in my inbox till I have time. Often I do an action in the evening, but I won't make calls in evenings to elected officials. Calls are trickier. I have a part time job, so if an action to make a call comes through when I'm at home doing emails on a Thursday or Friday I make the call. Sometimes during the week I'll save the action till Thursday or Friday and do it when I can.

3. AU: What are your best practices or strategies for sending effective e-mails or making effective phone calls?
J: I do lots of political online actions and will post to Twitter or Facebook, or both, if it is easy to click and I want to go there or am already on them. Sometimes I'll post to one and not the other.

Do you have advocacy tips to share? Contact Public Policy Associate Jimmy Schneidewind at jschneidewind@aidsunited.org
AIDS United Political Director

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AIDS United Political Director Bill McColl Quoted in Two Publications

Friday's edition of the Washington Post featured an article on how Congress’ delay in passing a federal budget has led to a hold up in distribution of HIV funding that pays for basic medical care and essential support for more than 500,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, according to officials and advocates.  In the article, Bill McColl, Political Director for AIDS United and co-chairman of a working group that monitors Ryan White Care Act funding, is states, “A very large part of the delay was created by Congress”. McColl organized the conference call after hearing from city officials on the East and West Coasts who were looking for their money. “It’s a terrible way to do budgeting.”

Read the entire Washington Post article

McColl was also quoted in a POZ Magazine article entitled, "Facing the Future of HIV Care." The article talks about how the future of health care for people living with HIV will be affected by the nation's economic volatility and Congress' recent propensity to drastically cut domestic discretionary programs, including health services that benefit people living with HIV. In the POZ article, McColl comments on the difficult situation: “Part of our problem,” says William McColl, political director for AIDS United in Washington, DC, “is that HIV care is so specialized. We’ve got an entire system that’s been propped up in some ways by this specialty care that Ryan White–funded programs have provided. Providers don’t really make money [with] HIV. It costs a lot, and there’s not a huge reimbursement. We’re going to have to force that system to change.”

Read the entire POZ article

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Announcements

AIDS United Hiring Regional Field Organizers
AIDS United seeks three Regional Field Organizers to work with its grantees, partners, and allies to implement a coordinated national organizing strategy to mobilize grassroots state and federal HIV/AIDS-related advocacy to achieve the National HIV/AIDS Strategy goals--reduction in HIV incidence; increase in access to care and improvement of health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS; and reduction of HIV-related health disparities.  Regional Field Organizers will be located in Texas, Washington DC, and the Southeast U.S.

Learn more about the Regional Field Organizer position

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day
The National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness day focuses on the challenging issues facing the aging population with regards to HIV prevention, testing, care and treatment. In addition, there is an increased need for prevention, research, and data targeting the aging population, medical understanding of the aging process and its impact on HIV/AIDS.

The AIDS Institute launched this day in 2008 and is the lead.

Visit The AIDS Institute's page for posters, a fact sheet, a planning guide and more.

Register your NHAAAD events here and visit this page soon to find local events.

Learn more about HIV and aging here.

"My PrEP Experience" - Personal Stories from PrEP Users
"My PrEP Experience" is a collection of stories - video and written - from people who have chosen to use PrEP as one way to protect themselves from HIV. The story collection is brought to us by the online guide to gay men’s health, Life Lube.

Also, if you haven’t already, please take the time to sign onto a letter that seeks to clarify the facts about PrEP, open up community discussion, and makes clear that everyone interested in PrEP is entitled to respect, accurate information, and new HIV prevention tools.

Sign the letter

What the FOA is going on?!?!
The HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV PJA) will host a webinar on CDC’s funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for HIV prevention programs in health departments. Panel will include representatives from CDC, state and regional organizations and prevention providers.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, September 21 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. ET.

Register for the webinar

New State-Specific Resources for Super-Committee Advocacy
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has new state-specific resources for super-committee advocacy. The fifty state-specific fact sheets can help advocates make the case for why any plan for deficit reduction must protect programs vital to the well-being of women and families; make millionaires and corporations pay their fair share; and promote job growth, ensuring lower deficits and a stronger economy in the long term.

Click here to check out the fact sheets

The NWLC also recently updated their state-specific factsheets on the importance of Social Security to women and families in each state.

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