GMHC Comes of Age in its 30th Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Krishna Stone | 212.367.1016

New York, NY — January 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of Gay Men's Health Crisis. Thirty years ago, the world was very different. Attending funerals of those who died of AIDS seemed endless. There were no AIDS-related medications. GMHC urgently took a leading role in educating gay and bisexual men, healthcare providers, and the general public, about AIDS and ways to prevent HIV.

Marjorie J. Hill, PhD, GMHC's CEO states, "As the years moved on, GMHC has continued to develop pioneering programs to meet the needs of people living longer with HIV and AIDS. We have increasingly turned our attention to educate diverse communities about preventing HIV, and advocate for policies that do not reinforce discrimination and undermine public health. Our website — gmhc.org — and other social media options have also proven to be powerful tools for these efforts."

As the fourth decade of this epidemic begins, GMHC remains devoted to providing care services to 11,000 men, women and their families affected by HIV and AIDS. A longstanding commitment to HIV testing is a critical component to the organization's prevention work. Unrelenting efforts to find the one in five HIV-positive New Yorkers that does not know their HIV status is a primary focus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the United States becomes infected with HIV. Even now with the array of HIV medications, AIDS has not gone away. The stigma and shame attached to HIV and AIDS have not gone away. And GMHC's dedication to fighting this epidemic must not go away.

At 30, GMHC has come of age.  And when individuals come of age, they often become "self-actualized" — a concept developed by Abraham Maslow, PhD in the 1940s. As Maslow stated, "...to become actualized...is to become everything that one is capable of becoming." "What a man can be, he must be."

GMHC becomes self-actualized by continuing to strive to reach a place where new infections are a rarity and those infected with HIV can live a long and healthy life. It is GMHC's charge to uphold its mission: To fight to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.
 
What GMHC can be, GMHC must be.

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About GMHC:  GMHC is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported, and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the fight against AIDS. We provide prevention and care services to men, women, and families that are living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS in New York City. We advocate for scientific, evidence-based public health solutions for hundreds of thousands worldwide.  Our mission:  GMHC fights to end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected.