Women Alive

Index of articles from Women Alive

We are living to hear from you!

Thank you for your interest in Women Alive, the premier national treatment-focused, non-profit organization by and for women living with HIV/AIDS.

Our Mission

Women Alive is a coalition of, by and for women living with HIV/AIDS. We understand the pain and fear, how easy it is to hide, how difficult it can be to come to terms with this disease and reach out. Women Alive is the means we have created to help us connect with each other, bring others like us out of isolation, exchange information about HIV treatments, and take charge of our lives, our care, and our destiny.

Our History

Women Alive originally began in 1991 as a support group for positive women in the Los Angeles area. It has since grown to achieve national renown as the premier treatment focused organization for women in the country.

Formerly a part of Being Alive LA, Women Alive received non-profit status in 1997 and established a drop-in center in the mid-city area. From this small residential location, with a staff largely comprised of multi-cultural HIV-positive women, Women Alive has built a strong network of support and information for women both locally and around the world.

Our publication "Knowledge, Action, Health ... a Woman's Guide to HIV Treatments" (available in both Spanish and English versions) has been distributed across the United States and in over 30 countries worldwide. Our quarterly Women Alive Newsletter has a circulation of over 11,000 nationwide, and provides a wide variety of news, articles, and stories that are of interest to HIV-positive women. In addition, Women Alive operates a national, toll-free hotline, which is staffed by peer volunteers and treatment advocates. Currently Women Alive offers a wide variety of bilingual (Spanish/English) programs for local women, such as Medical Updates, Treatment Advocacy and Education, Support Groups, Social Events, Mental Health Counseling, Health Educator Trainings, HIV University for Women, Pregnancy Information, Arts & Crafts, and Peer Support. In addition, Women Alive offers several programs for heterosexual men, including Prevention for Positives and our heterosexual mixer support group.

Since its inception, Women Alive members and activists have been on the forefront of AIDS policy issues, some of which have included advocating for HIV clinical research specific to women, and fighting to ensure that women have equal access to high quality life-saving care and treatment.

Women Alive continues to work closely with our friends at Being Alive LA, Being Alive Long Beach, and other PWA organizations throughout the country to increase awareness of the disease and provide a sense of hope and community to all HIV-positive persons.

Our Vision

• Women Alive, setting the standard of quality care for women with HIV/AIDS.

• Women Alive challenges national policies on treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS thus affecting world policy.

• We provide community leadership and mentor other women to become effective advocates.

• Women Alive combats stigma and eliminates isolation.

• We will succeed in generating treatment research for women with HIV infection.

• Women Alive will make HIV information reachable and understandable to every woman throughout the world.

Our Services

• Women-Focused Medical Updates
  Women Alive hosts regularly scheduled medical updates with a focus on what's new for women with HIV/AIDS. Educational dinners are an excellent way to stay up to date with information on medications to treat HIV infection. To reserve your seat at the next update call Precious or Marina at 323.965.1564.

• Voices With a Message
  Peer support and treatment-information hotline operated by female volunteers who are themselves living with HIV/AIDS. Treatment information is available upon request and a peer Treatment Educator is ready to talk about your treatment concerns. Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11 am to 6 pm. 800.554.4876. Se habla Espa?ol. To volunteer, call Kathy 323.965.1564.

• Group Therapy
  Therapeutic support group for women with HIV/AIDS. Meets the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Group is professionally facilitated by a professional licensed therapist. Call 323.965.1564, ask for Rene or Precious.

• Latinas Activas
  Support group for monolingual HIV-positive women. Every Thursday at Women Alive. Call in advance to arrange transportation or child care. For more info, call Marina 323.965.1564.

• Nubian Sistas
  Support group for HIV-positive Afro-American women. Every first and third Thursday of the month at 6 pm at Women Alive. Call in advance to arrange transportation. For more information call Precious.

• Peer-to-Peer Advocacy
  Emotional support and treatment options for HIV-positive women of childbearing age and those currently pregnant in order to prevent perinatal transmission from mother to child. Call Tania. Se habla Espa?ol.

• Heterosexuals Too!
  Enjoy an evening with people who share common issues, fears, hopes and concerns in a safe and friendly atmosphere. A peer support group for HIV-positive heterosexual women and men. Intake is required, call Precious, 323.965.1564.

• Treatment Information and Advocacy Program
  If you have questions about your medical care, treatments and/or lab work, and/or if you need someone to go with you to your doctor's appointment: call Marina, Tania and/or Precious. Our Treatment Advocate Team can be reached either by calling the hotline number 800.554.4876 or the office number at 323.965.1564. (Bilingual Spanish speaking available.)

• Positive Images
  A Prevention with Positives program that provides self-esteem and disclosure workshops to women and men living with HIV/AIDS. The Healthy Living series consists of three workshops that help participants recognize and remember the good aspects of themselves and provide instruction on developing the good habits that improve overall health. The Disclosure Workshop is a single intervention that provides the necessary tools to make proper decisions about how, when, where and whom to disclose your positive status. Positive Images also hosts a chatroom at www.posimages.com on Mondays from 3 pm - 5 pm and Wednesdays from 1 pm - 4 pm. Contact Positive Images Coordinator, Leslie, at 323.965.1564 ext. 105 for more information.

• HIV/AIDS Library
  The Lori Levine Memorial Library has extensive HIV/AIDS information from over 200 sources.

• Mental Health Counseling
  Specialized counseling is available for the whole family. Whether it's mom, or the kids who are having a hard time coping with HIV, help is available. Therapy for those with HIV infection is offered. Call Women Alive.

• Become a Promotora
  If you are interested in becoming a community educator, sign up for the training. Learn HIV/AIDS prevention information and share it with others. Completion certificates are awarded at the end of the training. Agency requests are welcomed: Call Kathy at 1.323.965.1564.

• Peer Support Training
  Become a Trained Peer Supporter: The hotline/peer training is scheduled for September/October. Completion certificates are awarded. Provide peer-to-peer support on the national hotline/back to the workforce project: "Voices With a Message." To enroll in the training and participate as a peer, call Kathy at 1.800.554.4876.

• Positively Clean
  A 12-step Narcotics Anonymous meeting for women and men living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Every Wednesday at 6 pm. To join the group, please call Women Alive.

How to Reach Women Alive

1566 Burnside Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90019
Phone 323.965.1564, Fax 323.965.9886
Web site: www.women-alive.org
E-mail: info@women-alive.org
Office hours: M-F, 10 am to 6 pm

You can find encouragement and support from other HIV-positive women by calling our national, toll-free number (Spanish speaking operators available):
1.800.554.4876