Women Alive Mission

 

Women Alive is a coalition of, by and for women living with HIV/AIDS. We understand the pain and fear, how easy it is to hide, how difficult it can be to come to terms with this disease and reach out. Women Alive is the means we have created to help us connect with each other, bring others like us out of isolation, exchange information about HIV treatments, and take charge of our lives, our care, and our destiny.

Women Alive originally began in 1991 as a support group for positive women in the Los Angeles area. It has since grown to achieve national notoriety as the premier treatment focused organization for women in the country.

Formerly a part of Being Alive LA, Women Alive received non-profit status in 1997 and established a drop-in center in the mid-city area. From this small residential location, with a staff largely comprised of multi-cultural HIV+ women, Women Alive has built a strong network of support and information for women both locally and around the world.

Our publication "Knowledge, Action, Health…a Woman's Guide to HIV Treatments" (available in both Spanish and English versions) has been distributed across the United States and in over 30 countries worldwide. Our quarterly Women Alive Newsletter, has a circulation of over 11,000 nationwide, and provides a wide variety of news, articles, and stories that are of interest to positive women. In addition, Women Alive operates a national toll-free hotline, which is staffed by peer volunteers, and treatment advocates. Currently Women Alive offers a wide variety of bi-lingual (Spanish/English) programs for local women including: Medical Updates, Treatment Advocacy and Education, Support Groups, Social Events, Mental Health Counseling, Health Educator Trainings, HIV University for Women, Pregnancy Information, Arts & Crafts, and Peer Support. In addition Women Alive offers several programs for Heterosexual men including Prevention for Positives and our Heterosexual mixer support group.

Since its inception, Women Alive members and activists have been on the forefront of AIDS policy issues, some of which have included advocating for HIV clinical research specific to women, and fighting to ensure that women have equal access to high quality life-saving care and treatment.

Women Alive continues to work closely with our friends at Being Alive LA, Being Alive Long Beach, and other PWA organizations throughout the country to increase awareness of the disease and provide a sense of hope and community to all HIV positive persons.