Click here to return to the healing zone; click here to go home

Institute for Gay Men's Health is Created

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Gay Men's Health Crisis
(GMHC) and AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), two of the oldest HIV/AIDS service
and advocacy organizations in the United States, today announced the formation
of The Institute for Gay Men's Health, which will develop and promote a
nationwide health and wellness agenda for men who have sex with men, in order
to address the critical health issue in the lives of gay men -- HIV and AIDS.
The partnership between GMHC and APLA will establish a new level of strategic
planning, along with environmental and community-based interventions that will
shape national and global HIV prevention efforts aimed at gay men, who
continue to have the highest rates of HIV transmission in the United States
and many other parts of the world.
The Institute for Gay Men's Health will focus its efforts in several
areas, including influencing social norms to reinforce positive health values
within the diverse communities of gay men, stimulating public policy, and
advancing community research that will evaluate the utilization of models of
prevention and direct services for people living with HIV and AIDS, and assess
health trends among men who have sex with men. This enhanced research
capability will bolster the ability of both agencies to mold public discourse
and opinion around the critical issues of HIV prevention.
"The partnership of GMHC and APLA represents a unique opportunity to
combine the energies, resources and expertise of the organizations that
provide HIV/AIDS services in the epicenters for AIDS cases in the United
States (New York City and Los Angeles), to prevent and reduce HIV transmission
on a broad scale," said Ana Oliveira, Executive Director of GMHC. "We look
forward to a successful collaboration on the launch of The Institute for Gay
Men's Health."
The Institute for Gay Men's Health, operational as of July 1, 2004, will
be directed by George Ayala, Psy.D., a nationally recognized expert on HIV
prevention. Dr. Ayala, who currently is the Director of Education at APLA, is
part of a team of researchers for a CDC-funded epidemiologic study of gay and
bisexual men of color and is Principal Investigator for a study documenting
factors associated with the successful integration of science-based prevention
interventions into Latino community-based organizations.
The Institute will reside within each agency, on both the East and West
coasts, and be staffed by GMHC and APLA, respectively. GMHC and APLA, through
The Institute, will continue to maintain current, targeted HIV prevention
programs in New York City and Los Angeles, while creating new prevention
initiatives for those cities. The Institute will also foster national and
global relationships, and initiate and define public dialogue on HIV
prevention, as well as other issues related to the health and well being of
gay and bisexual men.
"The Institute for Gay Men's Health will strengthen HIV prevention efforts
on a local and national level, and better position APLA and GMHC to meet the
broadening scope of the AIDS epidemic," said Craig E. Thompson, Executive
Director of APLA. "It will allow us to consider new strategies for HIV
prevention in the overall context of the health of gay men, an approach that
is long overdue."

About GMHC
Gay Men's Health Crisis is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported and
community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight
against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease, help people
with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence, and keep the
prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and local priority.
We provide services and programs to over 15,000 men, women and families that
are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City. For more
information, please visit http://.www.gmhc.org.

About APLA
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the nation's largest AIDS service
organizations, provides direct, bilingual services to more than 7,500 men,
women and children living with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles County each year.
Services include prevention education, food banks and nutrition education,
professional dental care, mental health counseling, housing and transportation
assistance, information and referral services, case management and home health
care. APLA is a leader in the development of HIV prevention programs, and
helps shape fair and effective HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation in
response to the local, national and international epidemics. For more
information, please visit http://www.apla.org .

Click here to return to the healing zone; click here to go home

Click here to go home