AIDS Action in Mississippi
AIDS Action In Mississippi (AAIM) was created in June 2005 to advocate for the rights of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in Mississippi. Among U.S. states, Mississippi’s overall health care systems ranks last.
AAIM has become a constant presence at the state capitol in Jackson, holding press conferences and lobbying legislators about housing, health care and the need for comprehensive sex education.
The AAIM office is run by Mississippi native James Bender who is working to mobilize grassroots organizations around HIV/AIDS issues throughout the Southeast.
Other AAIM accomplishments and campaigns:
- Battling in court (Denning v. Barbour) to end a cruel drug cap that allowed Mississippians on Medicaid to have only two name brand drugs a month (a potentially deadly situation for people with chronic illnesses, including HIV/AIDS)
- Negotiating with the Mississippi Department of Health to provide supportive housing for people with AIDS, which would be the first of its kind in the state
- Hosting its annual “AAIM for Life” summit, a pioneering forum convening Mississippians living with HIV
- Organizing the Walk Against AIDS, part of the Stand Against AIDS, a campaign aimed at getting Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama to commit to creating a National AIDS Strategy. Participants in the Walk marched from Jackson to Oxford to meet up with other activists from around the country at the first 2008 presidential debate.
Mississippi AIDS Statistics
(All information from the Mississippi Department of Health)
- There are 600 new reported HIV cases in Mississippi each year, a number that hasn’t gone down in nearly a decade.
- 8,540 Mississippians were living with HIV and AIDS in 2006.
- 76 percent of new HIV cases in Mississippi are among African-Americans.
What can you do?
- Support our advocacy work by becoming a Housing Works member
- Subscribe to our AIDS Issues Update e-newsletter to stay current on the issues and receive action alerts
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Published every two weeks, the AIDS Issues Update is your inside source for in-depth activism news. Includes the best of the AIDS Issues Update blog.
Contact
The AIDS Issues Update is written by Diana Scholl. Send thoughts and story tips to Diana at d.scholl@housingworks.org.
