Rolling Full Steam into February

Wow! January stumped out with a Super Bowl Weekend and now its time to roll full steam ahead into February with a fireworks display of topics, issues, highlights, spotlights and our ever ready "hot light" on what's really going on. Time is fleeting and we are keeping it "100" as we continue to post as to "what's really going on," and so much more. We have stood firm on that promise since our 2004 beginning.

 

If you are not a subscriber, then opt-in subscribe, want to support this effort through our Circle of Friends," then by all means use our PayPal portal to do so. Got content, send it. Want to back talk us, do it. We are COP 24/7 the states only daily LGBTQ blog now running for 10 years. With all that said, now let's dive deep to begin this weeks offerings...

 

Awareness Day Funding MIA

Last week this forum outlined the case of around our discovery that 4 local non-profit organizations were denied 2014 HIV/AIDS Awareness Day funding from the Arkansas Department of Health's Hepatitis /HIV Section. In a quick recap, a funding announcement was forwarded by Program

Manager, C. Hampton., five groups submitted proposals for funding with only one getting a partial award. Subsequently, other entities were denied funding, not officially notified in writing and no further explanations to the decisions. To date, LinQ for Life, Incorporated was sent a "e-mail" after a informal and unscheduled in-person Q&A about the snub, which cited that "additional information as to the denial would be requested."

 

According to the agencies founder Mr. L. Brown, " this was all that we received from ADH. And the only reason that we were sent this, was most likely due to the brief meeting where I inquired as to the rationale behind the decision. He continued, " we met their time line, submitted as requested and then got nothing but silence until recently. Is this how this agency works with possible community partners trying to assist with what I thought was their business to do?" 

 

Apparently, this is business as usual as we continue to hear from other local entities who have all but decided to abandon working with this state agency in addressing health disparities. COP 24/7 actively sought out comments or observations from those who have encountered challenges and barriers working with this entity. As they continue to come in, we will post them, unedited and as examples to illustrate that these folks got some issues as well as explaining to do.

 

January 30, 2015

 

Hello Cornelius,

I wanted to chime in on your current situation with the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). As a person who came to the conclusion long ago that there was no intersection between the community, ADH and public health, I would like to thank you for calling it out.

 

In 2009 I read in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette that after opening an office for a year, employing 3 people and reaching over 1,500 high risk people with HIV awareness, testing and counseling on a $50,000 dollar budget, only to be told that I then owed the state $6,000 for not documenting expenses correctly and having $14,000 held up for almost a year by the governor at that time and to be sent an e-mail saying we found nothing wrong, this is par for the course because no good deed will go unpunished. 

 

Still believing that the good of the people was the mission of ADH, I still tried to operate within their guidelines which were never clear. In return we got audits and myopic scrutiny.  Policies were made up on the fly. The planning group was a dog and pony show that never was supposed to do anything except fulfill the obligation to have one.

 

Most of the programming was simply meant to check the box so that the funding could continue from the Center for Disease Control to fund salaries.  Volunteering for every single committee that I thought would help move HIV prevention into an era of better living for people living or affected with HIV/AIDS, I found that no one sincerely cared.

 

Some would act as if they cared but most just wanted their jobs. In essence, it has been a smooth operating farce.  A place where you could hide under the guise of fear from legislators, low capacity community organizations, and limited funding  without ever admitting that it all was an excuse not to do your job of preventing HIV and STD infections.

When there isn’t a single entity that has anything good to say about an institution like this, what conclusion can you come to? Is everyone wrong? No, the people are not wrong. There is a deadly virus feeding off the host of public health and it is the section in which you speak.

Good Luck with this

Diedra Levi, CEO/Exec. Dir

The Living Affected Corporation

www.livingaffected.org

diedra@livingaffected.org

Social Entrepreneurship Boot Camp Application Period Now Open

The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, the Clinton School of Public Service, the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub and the University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship are proud to announce a Social Entrepreneurship Boot Camp to be held July 17-19, 2015, at the Institute on Petit Jean Mountain. Applications for the boot camp will be accepted now through Jan. 31 and can be found at www.rockefellerinstitute.org/SEbootcamp.

The boot camp will provide training for new and aspiring social entrepreneurs, focusing on such topics as business skills, legal issues, scalability, measuring impact, ethics and benefit corporations. Participants will also receive one-on-one mentoring from established business leaders and social enterprise experts.Click here to read more...

 

 

Don't forget that February 15 is the last day of open enrollment for the ACA! Call 501-379-8203 for direct assistance and details.

Also Save the Date, February 12th if you need to access FREE HIV testing at 6401 west 12th Street, 10am -2 pm Call 501-349-7777

 for more information.