April 10, 2008

NAPWA and POZ Announce a 10-Year Partnership to Reinvigorate AIDS Activism in the US

Today, the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and POZ magazine announced the signing of a 10-year agreement intended to rejuvenate and expand the active participation of people living with HIV/AIDS.

There are more people living with HIV in America than ever before. As a result, the need for prevention education, access to care and treatment, funding for AIDS services, and laws to protect people living with HIV has increased dramatically. Together, NAPWA and POZ intend to rally the community of people living with HIV to strengthen its visibility and amplify its voice.

Increasing NAPWA’s membership will allow the organization to have a more powerful impact on HIV/AIDS legislation.  Given the impending change in the federal administration and the decrease in funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, it remains imperative that the voices of people living with HIV be heard.

“The face of AIDS has changed significantly. Today, it reflects a more diverse population than in the early days of AIDS,” says Frank Oldham, Jr., NAPWA’s Executive Director.  “As percentages of African Americans, Latinos, and women living with HIV have skyrocketed, there is a need to unify these diverse communities into a single voice for the benefit of all people living with and those affected by HIV/AIDS.  POZ will enable NAPWA to reach the broader community in order to encourage their participation in a new AIDS movement.”

Over the last several years, NAPWA and POZ have collaborated on a variety of projects focused on prevention, increasing HIV testing, and decreasing stigma around HIV. An existing relationship between NAPWA and POZ provides NAPWA members with a subscription to POZ magazine. This new partnership is far reaching and lays the foundation to better inform, empower, educate and connect the entire HIV community.  NAPWA will use specially allocated pages in POZ to communicate to its membership base, keeping them aware of critical impending legislative change and informing them on issues of policy and politics. POZ will heavily promote the importance of getting involved with NAPWA to its extensive audience.

NAPWA is the representative voice of the one million plus Americans living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.  Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the world’s oldest coalition of people living with AIDS as well as the oldest national AIDS organization. NAPWA provides community education and leadership training for people living with HIV. Among the programs NAPWA has developed are National HIV Testing Day, AIDSWatch, the Ryan White Youth Conferences and the Staying Alive Conference.  For more information, please visit napwa.org.

POZ is the premier lifestyle, treatment and advocacy magazine for people living with—and those affected by—HIV and AIDS. The award-winning magazine and website (poz.com) provide the most complete and expert HIV/AIDS information available in the United States. Together, the magazine and website reach more than 70 percent of all of those people living with HIV/AIDS who are aware of their status. The website provides extensive opportunity for both public and private social networking and represents one of the largest communities of openly HIV-positive people in the world. For more information, please visit poz.com.

Click here to view the press release.

Previous Comments:

Dede Goins, Vallejo, 2009-03-24 16:10:30
I enjoy reading the poz magazines because it not only educates me in the long run it helps me educate my friends and family on how to protect yourself against the deadly deasiess of HIV and Aids. I have had HIV for 12 years now and i am not affraid to talk about it or even go out shering my story all around the world. i beleave who ever created this magazine had the most greasted out look on life and how you as a deing can look at life a whole new way. thank you!

mark, , 2009-02-24 03:14:37
been poz over 20 years,the whole world knows about it,the last thing we all need is mindless 'activism'.science,and only science can make this picture any brighter,and there's NO financial obstacle in fixing this nightmare i've been living with for 2 decades.do us all a huge favour and just keep your brain-dead 'activist' nose out of things you'll never be a part of fixing.go get a real job .

Helen, Bremerton, 2009-02-02 12:02:21
This is great news! However, I don't understand why you are limiting this information to just the HIV/AIDS community. I feel that the only way to help people to get over the stigma regarding this virus, is to educate the people of the United States.I love talking to people about the stigma of HIV and educating people, and then they accept me more as a person and get over the fear of the AIDS thing. There is not enough television ads or programs regarding AIDS/HIV. We need more exposure on tv

Paul M., , 2008-06-26 06:59:07
I have been Poz for 20 years now. I looked at joining NAPWA, but of course you have to pay. If you truly want people living with aids to join,,,make it free! As far as getting involved...these groups don't want poz people. These groups want MSW's. So to give us the lip service of please join in, just doesn't cut it with me. If you want us open the doors and accept people who know. I remember the beginning, ask us, we can help! We live what you study EVERY DAY!

Mark Peterson, Detroit, 2008-06-09 12:17:56
Great news! Now here's the rub. Both NAPWA and POZ have done an admirable job in advocating for PLWH/A's. However, both tend to forget that HIV is not just a belt-way issue or a bi-coastal issue. The mass of PLWH/A's and our concerns in the space between NYC/DC and CA need to be addressed and NOT forgotten as our advocates consolidate forces. So brothers and sisters, here's the challenge as you consolidate--continue to speak with and for ALL of us. Include us in your processes.