Back in August, the White House announced over the next few months, the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) would be created with in effort to draft the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The Strategy would cover three topics, (1) reducing the number of HIV infection, (2) increase access to care/treatment options for those persons living with HIV/AIDS, and (3) decrease health disparities related to HIV/AIDS. ONAP proceded with organizing 14 HIV/AIDS Forums to be held across the country collecting reccomendations on how this task can be accomplished. The first official White House ONAP Forum was held at the 2009 Center for Disease Control and Prevention National HIV Prevention Confernce (NHPC) in Atlanta, GA.

October 26, 2009, the ONAP Train rolled around to Columbia, SC. From attending the first forum, I was siked to attend the forum that would be in my own back yard. At the completion of the night, I was very happy that I attended. I felt like the State of South Carolina, and a few neighbors from North Carolina, made their voices heard. 

The audience included Persons Living with HIV/AIDS, parents, siblings, Executive Directors of AIDS Service Organizations, and others who have the interest and the knowledge that the TIME IS NOW TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM WITH HIV/AIDS! So I fought most of the night with myself, if I would stand and add something to the reccomendation list, and finally before the completion of the night, I did stand to the microphone...(Being a very shy person...lol) I reccomended more opprutunites for Community Based Organizations being able to develope and implement programs targeted at reducing stigma and discrimination towards the increasing numbers amongst Young Black Gay Men (YBGM).

For the readers, check out ONAP HIV Forum Schedule and if you are in the general vacinity try to make it, and allow your voice to be heard. If a meeting is not coming to your neck of the woods, dont worry you can still voice your opinion, by visiting  ONAP Call To Action and leaving your reccomendations.

For more information concerning anything you have read, please do not hesitate to email or just respond to this... 

Thank you all, and have a wonderful rest of your day.
<signing off>