N.Y., L.A. AIDS organizations establish national Institute for Gay Men's Health

New York's Gay Men's Health Crisis and AIDS Project Los Angeles on Tuesday announced the formation of the Institute for Gay Men's Health, a national organization that will promote a health and wellness agenda for gay and bisexual men and advance HIV awareness and prevention efforts. The newly formed institute will focus on several key areas, including influencing social norms to reinforce positive health values; stimulating public policy; and advancing community research on HIV issues and the assessment of health trends among gay and bisexual men. GMHC and APLA, through the institute, will continue to maintain current, targeted HIV prevention programs in New York City and Los Angeles, while creating new prevention initiatives for those cities. The institute also will foster national and global relationships and initiate and define public dialogue on HIV prevention as well as other issues related to the health and well-being of gay and bisexual men. "The partnership of GMHC and APLA represents a unique opportunity to combine the energies, resources, and expertise of the organizations that provide HIV/AIDS services in the epicenters for AIDS cases in the United States (New York City and Los Angeles) to prevent and reduce HIV transmission on a broad scale," said Ana Oliveira, executive director of GMHC in a press statement announcing the launch of the institute. The Institute for Gay Men's Health will officially begin operations on July 1. It will be headed by George Ayala, a nationally recognized expert on HIV prevention and the current director of education at APLA. The institute will maintain offices at both GMHC and APLA and will be staffed by both AIDS organizations. "The Institute for Gay Men's Health will strengthen HIV prevention efforts on a local and national level and better position APLA and GMHC to meet the broadening scope of the AIDS epidemic," said Craig E. Thompson, executive director of APLA. "It will allow us to consider new strategies for HIV prevention in the overall context of the lives of gay men, an approach that is long overdue."