PRNewswire - Monday, October 5, 1998

More than 2,500 representatives from the nation's leading HIV/AIDS advocacy organizations, AIDS service providers, research institutions, policy-making and government bodies and corporations will participate in the five-day conference. The conference, sponsored by the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), in partnership with 21 national AIDS advocacy and governmental organizations, will take place Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Dallas.

"There has been a great deal reported on the promising advances in AIDS research and treatment, most recently at the World AIDS Conference in Geneva. However, in the U.S., communities of color, women, and youth still have far higher rates of HIV infection, illness, and death," said Paul Kawata, NMAC's executive director. "USCA is the only national or international AIDS meeting focused on bringing together AIDS educators and front-line workers to learn from each other and to translate the advances we have seen recently into practical solutions for our communities."

The Conference Program

The USCA program includes daily Plenary Sessions, Institutes, Seminars and workshops on topics ranging from safety for street outreach workers, to Internet AIDS education, to updates on new AIDS treatments. Plenary speakers at USCA include: former Surgeon General Dr. Antonia Novello; former Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders (invited); U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30); U.S. Representative Martin Frost (TX-24); and internationally acclaimed author, Marianne Williamson.

Among researchers and government officials scheduled to speak at USCA are: Dr. Earl Fox, administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration; Dr. Nelba Chavez, administrator, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; Dr. Neal Nathenson, director, Office of AIDS Research, NIH; Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director, National Center for HIV, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Prevention, CDC; and Dr. Robert Gallo, director, Institute of Human Virology, and the co-discoverer of HIV.

Conference participants will have the opportunity to choose from more than 150 workshops covering ten tracks. This year's tracks will address the following subjects: Care/Primary Care, Executive Director Leadership, Fundraising and Finance, Housing, International Issues, Nutrition, Prevention, Public Policy, Special Issues, and Treatment Research.

Additionally, attendees participate in full-day Institute sessions, offering in-depth exploration and discussion of today's most current HIV/AIDS- related issues as well as three-hour Seminars that will address issues related to HIV/AIDS in the following communities: Children/Adolescent, Deaf Individuals, Drug Users, Heterosexuals, Prisoners, Lesbian/Gay/Transgender Individuals, People of Color, and Sex Workers. Finally, numerous Poster and Roundtable sessions have been added as new features to USCA.

The conference will also include exhibits from more than 100 community-based organizations, public and private corporations, federal and state agencies, national organizations with AIDS-related programs, people living with AIDS coalitions, industry, religious organizations, and community retailers. Special events at USCA will include a "Concert for Life" featuring the Turtle Creek Chorale, the Women's Chorus of Dallas, Friendship West Baptist Church Choir and Miss America 1998, Kate Shindle. The Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, the NOVA Dance Company and the Filipino Folk Arts Theatre will each perform during the welcoming reception. Finally, USCA will feature exhibitions of an AIDS mural and AIDS portrait project.

USCA participants are case managers, care providers, executive directors, finance administrators, physicians, nurses, social workers, interfaith providers, health educators and health department workers, people living with AIDS, community activists, government officials, corporate and foundation funders, and other management and support staff representing more than 1,000 organizations. Last year's United States Conference on AIDS held in Miami, attracted more than 2,200 participants representing more than 1,000 organizations. Participants came from 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 15 countries.

The diversity of USCA's program, presenters, partners, exhibitors and attendees reflects the wide range of communities that are impacted by the AIDS epidemic," said Paul Kawata of NMAC. "We expect this to be a powerful conference that will draw from these diverse experiences to influence the provision of AIDS services, care, and prevention for years to come."

Conference Partners

Joining the National Minority AIDS Council as Program Partners for the 1998 USCA is a diverse group of national organizations including: AIDS Action; AIDS, Medicine & Miracles; AIDS National Interfaith Network; The Balm in Gilead; Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS; Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS; Elton John AIDS Foundation; LIFEbeat; Mothers' Voices; National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors; National Native American AIDS Prevention Center; and The Red Hot Organization. USCA's government partners include: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA); Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); Housing and Urban Development (HUD); National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); Office of AIDS Research (OAR); Office of Minority Health (OMH); Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA); U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Corporate and foundation support for the United States Conference on AIDS comes from AT&T Foundation, Glaxo Wellcome, Inc., Merck and Company, Inc., Ortho Biotech, Inc., Elton John AIDS Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Roche Laboratories, Inc., and Roxane Laboratories Inc. The official airline for USCA is American Airlines, Inc. and the official media sponsor is POZ Magazine.

About NMAC

The National Minority AIDS Council was formed in 1987 to develop leadership within communities of color to address the issues of HIV/AIDS. Its constituency is composed of more than 3,000 community-based organizations that deal with AIDS on the front lines -- in hospitals, clinics, shelters, schools, storefronts and the streets. Thousands of men and women of color rely on such organizations for outreach, care, education, housing and support services. NMAC's goals are to lend visibility, leadership, educational messages, and materials, comprehensive technical assistance and a powerful national voice to these front line workers. To register for USCA and to obtain detailed information about all USCA speakers and programs, including Plenaries, Institutes, Seminars, Workshops, Roundtables, and Posters please call Peter Velasco at 202-483-6622, ext. 327, or e-mail, pvelasco@nmac.org.

SOURCE: National Minority AIDS Council
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