Mission
Mission
History
We can change the course of HIV in the South.
We’ve done it before. When we started in 2001, the HIV epidemic in the South was largely ignored. In those early years, we were just a handful of extraordinary advocates working together to demand more resources to address the HIV and AIDS state of emergency in our states. We assembled a number of case studies and released the first-ever Southern States Manifesto in 2002. These case studies were presented nationwide, garnering national attention from the media, funders, and policymakers.
We then turned our attention to the Ryan White Program, determined to change the legislation to create more equitable funding for southern states. After three years of meetings, press conferences, and congressional hearings, H.R. 6143 was passed in 2006. The reauthorization included many significant changes including modifying the distribution formula from cumulative AIDS data to actual living HIV and AIDS cases, redirecting an approximate $30 million to the South.
Since this victory, SAC’s advocacy efforts around equitable and increased funding have continued laying the groundwork for the more recent announcement of the Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS) funding in 2012. This new funding initiative, dedicated to reducing HIV and AIDS related morbidity and mortality among racial and ethnic minorities living in the United States, was a result of the powerful, well-organized advocacy of SAC and our vital partners in the HIV-community, including the Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative (SASI), the 30 for 30 Campaign, the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), and many others.
Southern Vision
Southern Vision
Staff

Darnell Barrington
Director of Health Department Initiatives

Nichole Davis
Director of Finance

Torrie Shepard
Media Coordinator

Gina Brown, RSW
Community Engagement Manager

Mardrequs Harris
Director of Community Investments

Marcel Byrd
Capacity Building Associate

Justine Ingram
Capacity Building Assistance Specialist

Dafina Ward, JD
Executive Director
Board
Kathie Hiers – Chair
AIDS Alabama
Birmingham, AL
Shelley Lucas – Vice Chair
Texas Department of State Health Services
Austin, TX
Bambi Gaddist – Secretary
Joseph H. Neal Wellness Center
Columbia, SC
Claude Martin – Treasurer
Acadiana Cares
Lafayette, LA
Mary Elizabeth Marr – Development
Thrive Alabama
Huntsville, AL
Carolyn McAllaster
Southern HIV/AIDS Strategy Initiative
Durham, NC
Jay Adams
West Virginia Ryan White Part B
Wheeler, WV
Samuel Burgess
Louisiana Department of Health
New Orleans, LA
Joaquin Carcaño
Latino Commission on AIDS
Chapel Hill, NC
Lee Storrow — Public Policy
North Carolina AIDS Action Network
Raleigh, NC
Cathalene Teahan
Georgia AIDS Coalition
Snellville, GA
Reginald Vicks
CrescentCare
New Orleans, LA
Robin Webb
Mississippi Positive Network
Cleveland, MS
Members
Community
- Acadiana Cares – LA
- AID Upstate – SC
- AIDS Alabama – AL
- AIDS Foundation of Houston – TX
- ABASIC NWFL
- Careteam+ – SC
- Cempa Community Care
- Community Education Group – WV
- CrescentCare – LA
- Georgia AIDS Coalition – GA
- Georgia Equality – GA
- Latino Commission on AIDS – Regional
- Medical Advocacy and Outreach
- Mississippi Center for Justice – MS
- Mississippi Positive Network – MS
- Nashville CARES – TN
- NASTAD – National
- North Carolina AIDS Action Network – NC
- OASIS – FL
- Piedmont Care – SC
- Red Ribbon Charitable Foundation, Inc. – FL
- Rural Women’s Health Project – FL
- Southern Black Policy and Advocacy Network – Regional
- Thrive Alabama – AL
- Triangle Empowerment Center – NC
- Triad Health Project
- Unity Wellness Center (EAMC) – AL
- Us Helping Us, Inc. – Washington, DC
- Valley AIDS Council – TX
Business
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