For coverage on the 2008 International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City, 
- A Letter from David Richart, Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Executive Director
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A Letter from David Richart, Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Executive Director
Greetings Friends and Supporters of Lifelong AIDS Alliance,
July has been a very exciting month at Lifelong, as it marks the first month of the 2009 fiscal year. Last fiscal year was a tremendous success for every department and program at Lifelong, and we are excited for 2009 to be equally if not more accomplished.
We are also looking forward to an even more successful year of fundraising, starting with our largest event of the year, the Seattle AIDS Walk on Saturday, October 4, 2008. Our fundraising goal for the 22nd Annual Seattle AIDS Walk is $650,000 which will go directly to our client programs and services. In addition, we are anxiously waiting for this upcoming year’s sensational Gay Bingo season, the sophisticated Black Tie Bingo and the 16th Annual Dining Out For Life.
Additionally, we are extremely excited for the opening of MOMs Pharmacy at Lifelong AIDS Alliance’s Seattle location. The construction is progressing quickly and we are anticipating that it will open in early September. A client at our Everett facility recently explained her feelings about Lifelong renting space to MOMs Pharmacy in an e-mail:
“My doctor doesn’t have time to spend with me to review my medications and the pharmacy I currently use doesn’t even know what all my medications are used for. I have side effects that make my day unbearable and I don’t know what to do. I also have three dogs and a young daughter that I have to bring with me so I can care for them. It’s even more difficult because I don’t have transportation to and from the pharmacy. I am so happy that with MOMs Pharmacy I will now get my meds delivered to me at home, understand exactly how, when, and why I need to take them, and get advice on how to deal with the side effects.”
To read more about Lifelong renting space to MOMs Pharmacy, please visit our website. We are confident the 2009 fiscal year will bring tremendous success with our services and programs, and are thrilled to welcome MOMs Pharmacy as an option for clients.
2009 will also be a year of many government changes and changes in policy. Recently, the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) act was passed in the Senate. This act lifted the ban that prohibits travel and immigration into the U.S. by HIV-positive non-citizens. It also mentions and recognizes the need for HIV prevention, care and treatment in men who have sex with men (MSM) populations. Furthermore, the act removed the requirement that 33% of prevention funds be spent on “abstinence-only” programs in schools.
PEPFAR is also a tremendous success because it sets a new precedent for the level of funding that acts can have. In the beginning of August, I will be traveling to Mexico City for the International AIDS Conference, where we will hear about scientific developments and research. Next month I will share with you the progress we made at the Conference.
Thanks,
David Richart
Executive Director
