The MAC AIDS Fund announced today that it is granting a total of $475,000 to four AIDS service organizations to launch a collaborative effort to fight HIV/AIDS in people over the age of 50. The grants include $150,000 for the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), $150,000 for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), $150,000 for Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and $25,000 for GRIOT Circle. Together, the four agencies will employ their respective areas of expertise – including education, advocacy, research, capacity-building, and direct services – to combat the alarming rates of infection among people over the age of 50.
“This visionary grant from the MAC AIDS Fund shows that no matter how challenging the economic environment might be these days, we can still find creative solutions to our most urgent issues when we partner together,” stated Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. “We are particularly grateful to MAC AIDS for their willingness to support innovative strategies for prevention models and education at this crucial moment in the epidemic,” continued Dr. Hill.
The dramatic spike in infections among people over the age of 50 is of serious concern to AIDS service organizations across the nation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported earlier this year that HIV infections among this age group increased by 25% between 2006 and 2007. In fact, according to a recent ACRIA study within 5 to 7 years more than 50% of all people living with HIV I the U.S will be over age 50.
The collaboration seeks to improve health outcomes for people over the age of 50 by inserting aging issues into HIV/AIDS public policy at the federal, state and local levels. By bringing the unique HIV prevention needs of the older adults into the conversation around health policy, the group plans to ensure that people over the age of 50 receive adequate HIV prevention services. While all four groups are located in New York City, the collaboration is national in scope, and promises to produce positive outcomes that have enormous implications for HIV prevention throughout the United States.
The bold show of support from the MAC AIDS Fund seeks to build on a previous collaboration between the four organizations, also funded by MAC AIDS, which took the first steps toward addressing the HIV/AIDS needs of this crucial demographic.
Some examples of the work accomplished during the original collaboration include a first-of-its-kind HIV social marketing campaign targeting older adults spearheaded by GMHC; a SAGE and GMHC collaboration to sponsor HIV testing days at SAGE’s Harlem site; the GMHC and ACRIA joint publication, Achieve; and HIV trainings at senior-serving organizations throughout New York City conducted by all four organizations.