AIDS United Wants to "Make it Grow"

There are over one million people living with HIV/AIDS in this country and almost half of them do not have access to quality health care. To lessen this gap, AIDS United has launched Make it Grow, a campaign that aims to increase individual, corporate and private investments for AIDS United's Access to Care (A2C) programs.

In a press release, AIDS United wrote :

"In this thirtieth year of AIDS, our approach can no longer be business as usual. AIDS United is committed to developing solutions that address barriers to care, but we need to increase investments to implement sustainable programs that will continue to benefit low-income and communities of color," [Mark Ishaug, AIDS United President and CEO.]

AIDS United is a recipient of a grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) -- the federal program that targets millions of public-private dollars to expand effective solutions for the nation's most pressing challenges. AIDS United's A2C work is the only HIV-focused public health initiative in the current round of Social Innovation Fund grantees. AIDS United's Access to Care initiative was created to increase access to, and retention in, effective HIV care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS -- particularly those living in poverty who know their HIV status but are not receiving HIV-specific care.

"Access to Care programs are essentially a redesign of healthcare delivery systems to produce two key outcomes; general well-being and cost savings for people living with HIV/AIDS," Doug Wirth, President/CEO Amida Care, and a grantee of AIDS United's SIF-supported Access to Care initiative. "AIDS United's A2C programs are more critical than ever, and through Make it Grow, public-private partnerships will prove that they can create innovative, sustainable and scalable programs that improve the lives of all people living with the disease."

View the video for the campaign below:

Kellee Terrell is the former news editor for TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com.

Copyright © 2011 The HealthCentral Network, Inc. All rights reserved.