Got a press release (posted below) recently regarding my local AIDS Service Organization- AIDS Services Group- and their new executive director, Peter DeMartino. This is for those who live in the Charlottesville, Virginia area and rely on ASG for their positoid needs.
In recent years, I haven’t been too involved with the organization, but I’ve always had a special place in my heart for ASG because it was where my doctor first directed me when I decided to speak out about my HIV positive status back in 1996. The first positoids I met face-to-face (in a highly confidential fashion, per support group rules) were via ASG, and when Gwenn called the organization a few years later looking for someone to interview with HIV, they fatefully put us in touch with one another; a gesture I am eternally grateful for and one that forever changed the course of my life in so many ways.
Though I’ve been out of the loop with ASG, I hope to work more closely with them in the coming weeks, months and hopefully years. As for the new Executive Director- welcome to Charlottesville, Peter!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Contact:
Cynthia Neff
President - Board of Directors
AIDS/HIV Services Group
434.825.1622 tel.
434.979.8734 fax
Executive Director Announcement
Charlottesville, Virginia, June 12, 2010 - AIDS/HIV Services Group (ASG) is proud to introduce our new Executive Director, Peter DeMartino, PhD. Mr. DeMartino comes to ASG from Palm Springs, CA where he has worked for the Desert AIDS Project (DAP) in program development and quality improvement. His work at DAP involved community organizing and needs assessment, public policy development and public and foundation funding strategies. Mr. DeMartino has extensive experience working with HIV and AIDS including sitting on the Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) Caucus for the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition. He has served as a member of the California State Office of AIDS Community Planning Group (CPG) and also as a grant reviewer for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV prevention grants. Mr. DeMartino has been an active agent in the recent reauthorizations of the Federal Ryan White Legislation. Mr. DeMartino holds a doctorate from the University of Chicago and brings experience and expertise in advocacy, programming, and support for persons at risk for and living with HIV and AIDS. He has presented nationally on program development, healthcare advocacy, and Positive leadership.
ASG has served persons living with HIV and AIDS in the Charlottesville Metropolitan region for almost twenty-five years by providing life-supporting services as well as programming for our community aimed at preventing new HIV infections in our region and ensuring access to care for persons living with HIV. Together with our community, we are committed to the cause of ending the spread of HIV in our city, our state, and our country. On a regional, state, and national level HIV continues to disproportionately impact gay men and persons of color. We are committed to ending health disparities as evidenced by increasing HIV infection rates. With over one million dollars in federal and state grants, ASG offers programs that assist those seeking to remain HIV negative by providing prevention services, including free and confidential rapid HIV testing. We also provide medical case management and supportive services to over 140 persons living with HIV or AIDS. Some of these services include housing assistance, access to primary medical care, supportive services such as substance abuse treatment and transportation.
ASG looks forward to continuing our work in our community under new leadership with a renewed purpose. As we look towards the twenty-fifth anniversary of the organization, ASG is excited to reinvigorate past partnerships and together with our community continue the fight to end this chronic and social disease.
Contact information for Mr. DeMartino beginning June 15, 2010 will be:
434.979.7714 x226
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