AEGiS-ATDN: Taking Care of Our People

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Taking Care of Our People

Information Bulletin #14 - March 2002

Information Bulletin is back to a regular schedule. Our offices in New York's downtown were far enough away from Ground Zero not to have been physically damaged, but close enough to have had our communications systems deranged. Grief, confusion, anger and sadness accompany the constant memory of the thousands of people who lost their lives, and their loved ones. We won't ever forget.

Many people throughout the country have lost their jobs and health care coverage. Our organization doesn't have the expertise to help with every problem, but we can help people with AIDS or HIV who live or work in New York to access health care and support services, medications, housing, or counseling. Don't hesitate to contact us. You don't need money or to be insured or to have a job to make use of our services. You only need to know that you are HIV+, or HIV+ and Hepatitis C (HCV) positive.

There are things that we can do to let the world know that we value life and health and happiness. Tens of millions of people who live in the United States are uninsured or underinsured. They can't afford food, housing, health care, or medicine to treat AIDS, breast cancer, and heart disease. The health and well being of our people is our greatest asset and strength.

Not-for-profit organizations, including those that provide food, housing, treatment and care for people with HIV/AIDS are suffering terribly from a lack of donations. Programs that depend on public charity to survive, including hundreds that feed thousands of poor and hard up people and families throughout the United States on a daily basis, are sending people away without food. Social service agencies have seen their budgets and donations deeply cut. There is a national crisis.

Please make a donation, of whatever size you can, to any not-for-profit organization of your choice. Even a $10 contribution is a significant donation to any organization. Whether or not you are able to make a contribution, please contact your congressional representatives and tell them that many men, women and children, including those who have lost their jobs and sources of income since Sept. 11, need help right now.

We've learned a lot from over ten years of helping people and their families deal with AIDS. A lot of suffering, pain and hardship can be prevented. Be safe, respectful, responsive, and responsible now. It may prevent things from being far worse in the uncertain future.
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AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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