Bat 'n Rouge on August 12th

Syphilis Screening at Pivot

Starting in June, Cascade AIDS Project, in collaboration with Multnomah County Health Department, began offering free HIV and STD testing at Portland's newest bathhouse, Hawks. The goal is to expand our testing services into the community so more people can learn their HIV status and then take the steps necessary to protect themselves and their partners. We are thrilled that management at this new venue approached us to offer testing to their patrons, as this shows their commitment to the health of the community. CAP and MCHD staff will be at Hawks every second Monday and third Thursday of the month from 7 - 10PM. 

For more information, please contact our Prevention Services department or Pivot.   

AIDS Walk Portland & Pride 

Congratulations to the 199 people who signed up for AIDS Walk Portland 2012 at our '80s 

Jared Cassel at AIDS Walk Pride booth

themed AIDS Walk/CAP booth at Pride! These 199 folks are part of the 10,000 we hope to bring back to Pioneer Courthouse Square on Sept 23, 2012 and some of those who will help us reach our $450,000 goal.

"What a blast!" said Jared Cassel, Intern at CAP in Development. "I had a great time helping people sign up and convincing others to take an AIDS Walk pen and sign up at home. I am stoked for the Walk!"

Pride is CAP's first real push for AIDS Walk Registration, though some 400 folks have already taken the initiative -- some are even past the $1,000 mark in their fundraising effort.  Most who have registered are walking with a team. We anticipate close to 300 teams, but our top 3 are aggressively pushing for record levels of support. These teams are:

• The League of Legends  $5,689.50 
• Bar Challenge, Red Cap  $3,748.00 
• Bar Challenge, Silverado  $1,950.00 

There are several ways to be involved and many parties coming up -- so stay tuned here, on our facebook page and the website, www.aidswalkportland.org.

Mumbai, India: Insisting on Condoms for Sex Can't Be Grounds for Divorce -- A wife's refusal to have sex with her husband without a condom does not constitute grounds for divorce: this was the ruling by the High Court in Mumbai, India. This ruling came from a case involving Mr. Bapat, who was petitioning for a divorce from his wife because she refused to have unprotected sex with him.  This was due to the fact that she did not want to have children because they were not financially stable. A two-judge panel rejected Mr. Bapat's plea. "She wanted to give the child a better life. It is a mutual decision, and a husband cannot insist," Justice P.B. Majmudar said, according to the Times of India. Although this decision was not about HIV, it could have an impact on transmission rates.

AIDS Fight Enters New Phase with Prevention Pill -- With an FDA panel's endorsement of the use of the drug Truvada to prevent HIV infection, the 30-year battle against the AIDS epidemic is advancing to a new phase, advocates say.  Truvada has been on the U.S. market as an HIV treatment since 2004. It is already being prescribed off-label by some doctors for preventing HIV infection in certain patients who are healthy but at risk. If FDA expands approval to formally sanction this use, insurance companies could likely cover the cost. Truvada can cause kidney and liver problems, but for some people, the risk of kidney problems "10 years down the line may be less than the risk for acquiring HIV, which is significantly more problematic and can be fatal," said Jim Pickett, prevention advocacy director at AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

2012 International AIDS Conference, July 2012 in Washington D.C. -- This year's international AIDS conference theme, "Turning the Tide Together," reflects a defining moment in the HIV epidemic. In this moment we now have the scientific potential to end the HIV epidemic, but it is also a moment to call the world to action to work together to turn the tide on HIV and AIDS. Due to another "turn of the tide," as of January 2010, people living with HIV are allowed entrance into the U.S. This policy change was crucial to bringing the conference back to the U.S. after nearly two decades. The conference brings together leading scientists, public health experts, community leaders, policy-makers and the HIV-affected community to discuss the most recent research findings and possible global scientific collaborations, and to enhance collaborations to more effectively overcome barriers locally, nationally and globally to access prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display during the International AIDS Conference. The AIDS Memorial Quilt began in November of 1985 by San Francisco gay rights activist, Cleve Jones. While organizing a candlelight march, Jones learned that over 1,000 San Franciscans had been lost to AIDS. In response, he asked his fellow marchers to write the names of the loved ones they had lost on paper placards, which they taped to the San Francisco Federal Building. Taped together, the cards looked like a patchwork quilt. The sight of the placards inspired Jones and friends to make a larger memorial, and thus the Quilt began.

The Quilt has grown to over 48,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels -- most commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS. It has traveled around the world and serves as a powerful, tangible reminder of the countless lives affected by AIDS. For more information about the AIDS Memorial Quilt visit: http://www.aidsquilt.org/.