Delaware HIV Consortium - Latest HIV/AIDS news | Learn more about what's going on at the Consortium and help the thousands of Delawareans living with HIV/AIDS!

Dear Friends,

Every day the men, women, children and families that the Delaware HIV Consortium assists continue to be challenged with the many struggles of living with HIV disease. For instance, even though stable and affordable housing is a primary factor in improving health care outcomes for people living with HIV disease, due to a lack of funding, the wait list for housing assistance is nearly four years. Education, advocacy, medical insurance assistance and many other supportive services also lack adequate funds to further assist those in need and to help prevent the spread of this disease.

May I ask you for a simple favor? Will you please take 5 minutes and email 5 friends and ask them to donate $5 to help us meet the challenging needs of the HIV community? In a matter of moments and for the cost of a cup of coffee you can help us make a difference in the lives of people five times over!

Your contributions may be made on-line, or by mailing your gift to the: DHC, 100 W. 10th St., Suite # 415, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Please help us today and pass along this information in a stroke of a key, a text or an email. It will only take 5 minutes to contact 5 friends and ask them to donate $5 dollars. Every dollar and every donation makes a difference because every 9 and ½ minutes someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV. It's as easy as FIVE…FIVE…FIVE!

Warm Regards,

Peter Houle, MBA
Executive Director"

Click here to make your donation today.

Every 9 and 1/2 minutes someone in the US is infected with HIV

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It's never too early to register yourself and your friends today for the 24th Annual AIDS Walk Delaware at www.AIDSWalkDelaware.org or call 302-652-6776. Join the Consortium's team or start your own. Find AIDS Walk Delaware on Facebook and share it with all of your friends. With Each Step… You can make a difference.

Sponsors are needed for the 2010 AIDS Walk Delaware! All three AIDS Walks are in need of volunteers both for planning and the day of the event. If you would like to join a committee, help is needed in planning, team building and distributing materials and posters across New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties from now through October. If you would like to help in anyway, or want to be a sponsor, please contact John Hinkson at jhinkson@delawarehiv.org for a referral to your local Walk coordinator.
With Each Step…You Can Fight HIV/AIDS in Delaware.

The Delaware HIV Consortium would like to thank the more than 100 attendees who joined us for the Consortium's Annual Meeting on May 19, 2010 at the Dover Sheraton. A special thank you goes out to New Castle County Executive Chris Coons for sharing his touching story about his past experiences working with the homeless and HIV infected people in New York City and his life changing experience of traveling to Africa. In addition, we are grateful to ViiV Healthcare for sponsoring the meeting and for providing the keynote speaker, Mark Shaefer, Head of North American Medical Affairs for ViiV Healthcare. Copies of the 2009 annual report are available by contacting the Consortium at 302-654-5471.

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The Delaware HIV Consortium would like to thank everyone who helped make the 6th Annual WOW Awards a success. Without the help of the many donors, sponsors, volunteers, food donors and guests who bought tickets and auction items, the WOW Gala would not have been the successful event that it was. Thanks again to the Clarion Hotel - The Belle for hosting the event and the amazing staff that helped make it all happen. THANK YOU!

We need your help!

Please support our efforts to ensure affordable housing is available for people living with HIV/AIDS. Click here to view and download/print the Letter of Support. Other than medical treatment and therapy adherence, permanent, stable, affordable housing is the most influential factor in stabilizing and maintaining the overall health of an HIV-positive individual. Your signature on the Letter of Support will demonstrate to our lawmakers that you support Concurrent Resolution 16 and agree that adequate housing in our community is an essential component of an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

2009-2011 Resource Guide Available for Pick-Up.

The Delaware HIV Consortium is pleased to announce the availability of the 2009-2011 Delaware Resource Guide. This convenient directory lists over 200 agencies and programs throughout Delaware which provide HIV/AIDS services and related resources. The Resource Guide includes text in both English and Spanish and can be obtained free-of-charge by calling the Delaware HIV Consortium at (302) 654-5471 or (877) 338-7328 (toll free). Information can be found on services such as: case management, crisis help, HIV counseling and testing, housing programs, medical resources, and supportive services.

The guide is divided into six sections. Section I provides abbreviated charts of agencies by county and category of service for quick referral. Section II provides an alphabetical listing of all 200+ agencies which includes-by agency-the services offered, location, phone number, hours of operation, applicable fees, and targeted populations. The final sections of the guide include medical information about HIV/AIDS, other important resources (helpful web sites, prescription assistance phone numbers, and free internet access sites), and ways in which people can become more involved in HIV/AIDS planning programs. The Resource Guide concludes with an agency index.

Planning Council Data Work Group members worked diligently on the Resource Guide. Rita Devlin Salvo, Manager of Community Planning said, "Thank you to the Planning Council members who took time from their busy schedules to contact the agencies and programs in the Resource Guide. With their help, we verified and updated existing information and added new programs. This year's Resource Guide provides more thorough Spanish translations than in previous years."

Salvo continued, "Adding new agencies and more Spanish translation presented challenges with the layout, the quantity of pages and our budget constraints. We wanted to keep the guide in the popular paperback-size format. This year's Resource Guide is jam-packed with information-literally and figuratively."

Translating more information into Spanish serves a vital purpose. While Hispanics represent a relatively small percentage of Delaware's population (about 6%), the HIV/AIDS rate of infection among Latinos is on the increase, according to the most recent Delaware Department of Public Health statistics. "As the Consortium strives to provide a quality continuum of care for people with HIV/AIDS in Delaware, it is critical that we give everyone the necessary tools to understand the disease," said Peter Houle, executive director. "We hope the new Resource Guide in its bilingual format makes it easier for the Spanish speaking community to access prevention, testing and treatment services."

The 2009-2011 Delaware Resource Guide can also be found on the Consortium's web site at www.delawarehiv.org under the HIV Services drop-down menu. The online Resource Guide will be updated continuously between printings. To order copies or for more information, contact Rita Devlin Salvo at (302) 654-5471, ext. 107 (toll free at (877) 338-7328), or by e-mail at rdsalvo@delawarehiv.org.

Planning Council/Policy Sub-Committee 2010 Meeting Schedule

5 joint Planning Council/Policy Sub-Committee Meetings will be held as follows
Dover Sheraton
1570 North Dupont Highway
Dover, DE 19901

Lunch 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Meeting Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Work Group Breakouts, When Needed: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

5 additional Policy Sub-Committee Meetings will be held as follows:
Community Service Building
100 W. 10th Street, Wilmington DE, 19801
Meeting Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 Noon

Meeting Dates

Dates	Dates	Location
Policy	Wednesday, January 27	Wilmington
PlanningCouncil/Policy	Tuesday, February 23	Dover
Policy	Wednesday, March 24	Wilmington
PlanningCouncil/Policy	Thursday, April 29	Dover
Consortium Annual Meeting ¹	Wednesday, May 19	Dover
Policy	Wednesday, June 23	Wilmington
Policy	Wednesday, July 28	Wilmington
Planning Council/Policy	Tuesday, August 17	Dover
Policy	Wednesday, September 22	Wilmington
Planning Council/Policy	Thursday, October 21	Dover
No November Meeting	No November Meeting	No Meeting
Planning Council/Policy	Tuesday, December 7	Dover

Click here to download a copy of the meeting schedule in MS Word format

Please notify Rita Devlin Salvo or Alyson Lang when you are unable to attend a meeting by calling 654-5471 or email us at rdsalvo@delawarehiv.org and alang@delawarehiv.org

¹ The Delaware HIV Consortium Annual Meeting is included so people can reserve the date on their calendars.