Advocacy
Action
Center

Overview

Welcome to the Southern AIDS Coalition’s Advocacy Action Center

Our activity in public health advocacy is incredibly strong at the national, state, and local levels. Not only do we have some amazing partnerships, but we also sit in some very high seats, allowing us to make lasting policy changes for people living with HIV and those possibly at risk of this epidemic.

Federal, State, and Local Advocacy

Our work at the federal level is continually increasing as we support policies that help reduce HIV-related health disparities and enhance health benefits for people living with HIV, or those who may be at risk for HIV in the South.

We are a part of the AIDS United Public Policy Council (PPC), which brings together organizations from across the United States to advocate for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them. This is a huge benefit of being a member of SAC. In addition, we are involved in the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP), a coalition of local, regional, and national organizations advocating for progressive federal HIV/AIDS legislation and policy in the United States.

Our local advocacy allows us to organize grassroots efforts to support and directly impact health and wellness in our communities. At SAC, we remain committed to the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in all aspects of the response to the epidemic. That's why we are leading the charge to ensure that people living with HIV in the South are engaged and their voices continue to be heard.

Our HIV/AIDS Networks in the Deep South (HANDS) state-based advocacy networks work as members of the Southern AIDS Coalition to change local, state, and federal legislation. Our HANDS Networks also facilitate workshops, connect people living with HIV to each other and build their capacity to advocate and host state-based advocacy days.

Policy Action Center

The Southern AIDS Coalition Advocacy Action Center keeps you informed on important HIV/AIDS issues and gives you the tools you need to be a successful HIV advocate.

Public Policy Committee

    • Acadiana Cares (community)
    • AID Upstate (community)
    • AIDS Alabama (community)
    • AIDS Foundation of Houston (community)
    • Avita Pharmacy (business)
    • BASIC NWFL (community)
    • Careteam Plus (community)
    • Cempa Community Care (community)
    • Community Education Group (community)
    • CrescentCare (community)
    • Georgia AIDS Coalition (community)
    • Georgia Equality (community)
    • Janssen (business)
    • Latino Commission on AIDS (community)
    • Latinos Salud
    • Louisiana Office of Public Health HIV/AIDS Program (government)
    • Louisiana AIDS Advocacy Network
    • Medical Advocacy and Outreach (community)
    • Mississippi Center for Justice (community)
    • Mississippi Positive Network (community)
    • Nashville CARES (community)
    • National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) (community)
    • North Carolina AIDS Action Network (community)
    • OASIS (community)
    • Piedmont Care, Inc. (community)
    • Positive Women's Network (community)
    • Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation, Inc. (community)
    • Rural Women's Health Project (community)
    • SisterLove Inc. (community)
    • Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network (community)
    • Tennessee Department of Health/HIV/STD (government)
    • Texas Department of State Health Services (government)
    • The AIDS Institute Florida
    • Thrive Alabama (community)
    • Triad Health Project (community)
    • Triangle Empowerment Center (community)
    • Unity Wellness Center (community)
    • Us Helping Us, Inc. (community)
    • Valley AIDS Council (community)

Public
Policy
Priorities

Priority 1: Increasing awareness of the disproportionate impact of HIV on the South and the need for new, flexible resources that can be used to mount an effective response to the epidemic.

Priority 2: Protecting and promoting access to high-quality health care and essential support services, including the Ryan White Program, Medicaid, Medicare, the ACA, and private insurance.

Priority 3: Ensuring that Southerners living with HIV and other marginalized communities are free from stigma and discrimination.

Priority 4: Protecting and promoting access to a full range of prevention interventions and harm reduction services across the South.

"According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, The American South accounts for over one-third of the nation’s population. The South, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, includes 17 states, stretching from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas on the West to the Atlantic Ocean on the East, and northward to Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and West Virginia (Figure 1). As of 2014, more than 118 million individuals lived in the South accounting for more than one-third (37%) of the total U.S. population and the region is growing rapidly." Source

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  PO Box 2490, Powder Springs, GA 30127 • 205-745-2975 • admin@southernaidscoalition.org
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