(RITA!) HIV Treatment Alerts - September 2002

The AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition (ATAC) was formed roughly 1 year ago at a meeting in Houston of national HIV/AIDS activists. The group spent several days discussing the treatment challenges of people with HIV/AIDS and the need for effective advocacy in areas such as novel therapies, vaccines, and microbicides (used during sexual intercourse to prevent transmission of HIV). One theme was especially clear: the need for new people to become involved in the fight to cure HIV/AIDS. ATAC was formed to create a national organization of treatment activists that could deal with issues as a united front, to train and mentor new treatment activists, and to provide a forum for discussion and debate of emerging issues.

ATAC is open to anyone interested in HIV/AIDS treatment activism (except for people employed by pharmaceutical companies). Training and educational sessions are now scheduled several times a year in locations across the country. The next sessions will be in December at the North American AIDS Treatment Action Forum (NATAF) in New Orleans.

To find out more about ATAC, go to www.atac-usa.org. You can join the ATAC e-mail list, by sending a message to info@atac-usa.org that lists your real name, your e-mail address, and the reason why you are interested in HIV/AIDS treatment education or advocacy.

ATAC's Mission and Goals

Mission Statement

We are a national coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS and advocates working together to end the AIDS epidemic by improving HIV research and treatment access. We seek to encourage greater and more effective involvement of all people with HIV in the decisions that affect their lives by identifying, mentoring, and empowering new treatment activists in all communities affected by the epidemic.

Goals

1) To enable people with HIV/AIDS and their advocates to speak with a united, powerful voice to provide meaningful input into the following issues concerning HIV disease and related complications and coinfections:

a. Drug, diagnostic, vaccine and microbicide research, development, approval, pricing, and access; and

b. Prevention, education, and health care delivery.

2) To develop within all communities affected by HIV and related coinfections the leadership to provide the knowledge and skills needed to advocate for improved research, treatment, and access.

3) To facilitate communication and set agenda items:

a. Between HIV treatment activists and government, industry, and academia in matters affecting research, treatment, and access;

b. Among HIV treatment activists and the larger HIV community in keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in research, treatment, and access; and

c. Among HIV treatment activists in the USA and between activists in the USA and activists in other countries, including developing countries.

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Copyright © 2002 - Research Initiative Treatment Action (RITA!). Reproduced with permission. RITA! is published by The Center for AIDS. Contact Thomas Gegeny, MS, ELS, Editor, RITA! for permission to reproduce RITA!. tom@centerforaids.org. http://www.centerforaids.org

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