8
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE FEBRUARY 19, 1999
COMMUNITY GROUPS
CATF awarded $1.35 million in federal funds
Columbus-The Columbus AIDS Task Force has been awarded $1.35 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide medical services for low-income Ohioans living with HIV.
The only AIDS service agency in Ohio to receive funding under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, CATF will receive $450,000 a year for three years.
CATF is one of only seven U.S. organizations selected to share nearly $6.6 million$2.19 million a year for three years-in federal Ryan White grants.
This is the second time CATF has received federal funding. In 1996, CATF was one of only four U.S. AIDS service agencies to receive a $50,000 Ryan White Title III(b) Planning Grant from the HHS department's Bureau of Primary Care.
CATF's Title III service area includes 25 rural counties of central and southeast Ohio with a total population of 1 million-along with under-served communities within Columbus.
The Ohio Department of Health reports that 2,155 cases of AIDS have been diagnosed in CATF's 25-county Title III service area since the epidemic began in 1981. As of June 1997, there were 600 people living
with AIDS in central and southeastern Ohio. It is estimated that there are up to 3,200 HIVpositive people in Columbus, and another 300-500 in the state's southeastern, Appalachian counties.
Ohio's Appalachian counties pose unique challenges.
"While strides have been made in the stigma against HIV/AIDS in rural areas, many HIV-positive persons still prefer to seek support in Columbus or go without," said CATF director of client services Lori Yosick. “Often in rural areas, privacy and risk of disclosing HIV status can deter people from seeking service and medical care. This grant will enable CATF to train and recruit providers, while offering a network of options to clients in the 25-county region."
The federal Ryan White grant will enable CATF to provide high-quality medical services for the people who are hardest to reach. Among CATF's Ryan Whitefunded initiatives: Providing primary
care services to the poor; providing greater access to care for at-risk populations; and improving access to mental health and substance abuse treatment for people with HIV.
Ryan White CARE grants provide medical services for low-income, uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV. Since its implementation in 1991, the Ryan White act has awarded nearly $6.4 billion to provide HIV care to medically under-served individuals. More than 400,000 people living with HIV or AIDS access Ryan White services each year.
As Ohio's leading AIDS service agency, CATF serves 900 clients annually with 500 volunteers and 29 employees. A United Way agency, CATF was founded to provide support, services, and education to persons with HIV and AIDS. ✔
Party raises $1,500 for AmFAR treatment directory
by Christopher J. Amato Cleveland-Great Lakes Productions, a non-profit group, was formed last spring with the intent to create worthwhile charity dance events, while also celebrating their community in a most positive and festive
manner.
Their "Home for the Holidays" event on December 5 focused its efforts to help AmFAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research. The dance benefit, held at Code Blue nightclub, raised $1,500.
A two hundred-fifty plus crowd came to dance to the sounds of Cleveland native DJ Susan Morabito, who was brought back home once again from New York
ARD
City to work the turntables.
Great Lakes looked to both individuals and businesses to help raise money. Local corporate sponsors such as Real Estate Mortgage Corp., Club Cleveland, Clifton Web, Body Language, the Whistle Stop Café, the Gay People's Chronicle, Exposé magazine, OutLines magazine, and the Distillata Company donated generously to the benefit. National corporate sponsors such as Wet Formulas International, Absolut Vodka, Bacardi Rum, and Continental Airlines also made significant contributions.
The money raised will be specifically earmarked for AmFAR's AIDS/HIV Treatment Directory. The directory is a comprehensive source of information on treatments
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both approved and in development, as well as a reference index to manufacturers of drugs, patient assistant programs, and more, reaching out to tens of thousands of patients either directly or through their health care provid-
ers.
Great Lakes has developed a solid working relationship with AmFAR which is quite exciting. "Erieparty '98" and "Home for the Holidays" generated a combined total do-
nation of $6,500 for AmFAR in 1998, very impressive for the Great Lakes' first year.
Look for the second annual "Erieparty "99" to be held on Saturday evening, July 17 which is the day before the AIDS Task Force of Cleveland's "Dancin' in the Streets" benefit.
Christopher J. Amato is chair of fundraising and donations for Great Lakes Productions.
Term limits in 2000 are a call to GLBT candidates
by Richard M. Oldrieve
Cleveland People always lament that politicians never listen to the little people, and that the only way to get politicians to listen is to wave money in their face.
Furthermore, the goings-on of the kangaroo court during the Senate impeachment trial of President Clinton continues to make public cynicism grow even more. Well, I'm here to report that the state of politics is only as dead as you think it is.
For example, on Thursday January 28, I attended the Cuyahoga Women's Political Caucus' Annual Reception for Elected
tude and say they don't have a chance, so why bother? Yup, as the old lottery jokes go, if you don't play you can't win. The 50 percent question is: Are more men, or more women, going to be running for those open Ohio House and Senate seats?
STONEWALL
The same could be asked of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Are 10 percent of the candidates going to be out activists taking a shot at winning an Ohio House or Senate seat? Or are any out activists going to build a résumé towards the next termlimit cycle by running for city council in 2000? At the very least, are more people in the community going to make an effort to help candidates friendly to our issues? Sure, money helps. Yes, Ken "The Body" Ventura won the governorship of Minnesota because he had name recognition from his wrestling days. But in local races working your tail off and convincing friends to become volunteers matters more. By getting involved, you get a chance to put in more than two cents worth-you have a seat at the table.
CLEVELAND
Women. The keynote A lesbian gay political organization of Northeastern Ohio speaker was Ohio House
Majority Leader Jo Ann Davidson. She gave a great speech about how the only roadblock to women winning more political seats is getting more women to have the courage to run in the first place.
Looking around the room, there were dozens of Democratic and Republican women city council members, school board members, legislators, and county commissioners nodding their head in agreement.
In follow-up comments, Cuyahoga County's Republican chair Jim Trakas acknowledged that 45 percent of all area Republican officeholders are women. Also, the National Women's Political Caucus has found that in contests between a man and woman where they are running for an open seat, the woman wins fifty percent of the time.
In two years, most of Ohio's legislators are going to be term-limited, and thus there will be plenty of open seats. As all insiders know, the serious contenders are beginning to jockey for position.
Women can sit back with a cynical atti-
Community Groups
Take the time to look through the Resource Directory in the back of this issue of the Chronicle, and find a listing for a political organization you think sounds interesting enough to work for. Volunteer to help. Or better yet, convince them you are worth supporting in your bid for office.
Stonewall Cleveland meets at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, 1418 West 29th St. at Detroit Ave., at 7 pm on the first Monday of the month. We also meet at the Red Star Café at West 116th St. and Detroit Ave, on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.
Richard M. Oldrieve is secretary of Stonewall Cleveland.
The "Community Groups" columns on this page are published by the Gay People's Chronicle free of charge, as a public service. They are written by members or officers of each non-profit organization, reflecting the views of their group.
If your organization would like to submit a column for this page, contact the Chronicle's managing editor, Doreen Cudnik, at 216-631-8646, toll-free 800 426-5947, or e-mail editor@chronohio.com.