AIDS Community Research Initiative of America - ACRIA

Leading the way in the search for new HIV/AIDS treatments. Our research has resulted in many lifesaving drugs and our treatment educators help tens of thousands make informed healthcare decisions.

How do you help people in my community?

ACRIA?s treatment education program was borne of our commitment to reaching members of traditionally underserved and underrepresented groups, many of whom harbor deep-seated distrust of the healthcare system.  The program is designed to overcome that distrust and the cultural, linguistic, educational, and economic barriers that often impede access to quality care.

A hallmark of our treatment education services is that they are always provided in collaboration with community-based organizations serving HIV-positive individuals.  Our client workshops and one-on-one counseling are conducted at these organizations? service sites.  Not only is this convenient for the participants, who typically live nearby, but the familiar surroundings provide a level of comfort to individuals who might find more formal settings threatening.  Workshops and individual counseling are provided in English and Spanish, and they are conducted in a manner and using language that is easily understood by people without scientific training.

Our staff training and technical assistance services demonstrate our commitment to working with communities to bring treatment education into communities.  When conducting our four-day regional technical assistance program, for example, we first identify a lead collaborating organization in the area, then work with that group to identify other agencies who could benefit from the program.  Our core curriculum is refined in collaboration with participants, based on local needs, and we provide extensive follow-up services.  In addition to New York City, we have so far conducted technical assistance programs in San Diego, California; Madison, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; San Antonio, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; and Charlotte, South Carolina.

The Summer 2005 issue of ACRIA Update was distributed, free and in bulk, to 520 community-based organizations in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for use by their HIV-positive clients.  An additional 6,200 copies were sent to individuals across the country, most of them affiliated with agencies serving people with HIV.  Because of budget constraints, we are unable to meet the demand for this publication, and have had to limit bulk orders to 40 copies per agency.

Why do you need my support?

Almost a quarter century into the AIDS epidemic, we have made enormous strides in fighting this virus.  But as HIV becomes a less visible crisis, and as other demands are made on government and private funds, raising money to do what still needs to be done becomes increasingly difficult.

But ACRIA?s services are still vitally needed.  Despite the common misperception that AIDS has become ?manageable??or even that there is a cure!?there is an ongoing and urgent need for new drugs that are effective against the virus and that avoid the side effects that many people find so debilitating.  And every advance in HIV treatment increases the need for treatment education, so that people can make the best possible choices from the lengthening menu of treatment options.

Even the smallest donations can make a difference.  A round-trip New York City MetroCard, for example, costs only $4, but it can allow an individual to participate in a clinical trial and receive a potentially lifesaving drug.  A donation of as little as $10 from each paycheck, over the course of a year, will enable us to send educational booklets to 8,000 people with HIV and AIDS.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

ACRIA?s staff and Board of Directors are committed to ensuring that every penny that comes into our agency is well spent and accounted for.  We are audited annually by the independent firm of Lutz & Carr, and have had clean audits throughout our history.

Our administrative costs are 17 percent of total expenses, which means that 83 cents of every dollar we spend goes directly into AIDS research and treatment education activities.  This ratio of administrative to program costs is well within the guidelines of such standard-setting entities as the Better Business Bureau and the federal Office of Personnel Management, and is impressive according to our auditors.

Can I Volunteer? How?

ACRIA uses volunteers to perform a variety of tasks:  Volunteers fill orders from AIDS service organizations across the country for ACRIA-produced booklets and the quarterly ACRIA Update; obtain and maintain information on currently enrolling AIDS trials across the nation in TrialSearch@acria.org, ACRIA?s searchable online database; updating ACRIA?s client and donor mailing lists; assisting ACRIA doctors and researchers with patients participating in ACRIA studies; and help at ACRIA fundraising events