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Our Mission

… turning hope into action

Project Inform has been at the frontlines in the fight against HIV/AIDS since 1985—when reliable information about the disease and its treatment was nearly impossible to obtain. Project Inform is a national, nonprofit, community-based organization working to end the AIDS epidemic. Our mission is to:

Inform people living with HIV, their caregivers, and their healthcare and service providers about the treatment and monitoring of HIV disease;

Advocate to facilitate research towards a cure and appropriate regulatory policies, legislation and funding for HIV research, treatment, and care; and

Inspire people to make informed choices, take effective action in the fight against HIV, and choose hope over despair.

A Legacy of Activism—A Vision of Hope

In 1985, a group of concerned community members joined together to start a short-term “project” at a time when reliable information about HIV/AIDS and its treatment was nearly impossible to obtain. Since then Project Inform has worked to accelerate and facilitate advances in treatment, recognizing that therapeutic breakthroughs are only effective if people living with HIV have access to them. The hope this philosophy inspires is the core of Project Inform’s integrated approach to treatment education and advocacy.

Today, Project Inform is a national, non-profit, community-based organization that remains true to its activist roots. Fiscal prudence, efficient use of resources, and dedicated staff and volunteers sustain a lean organization that cuts a wide swath with industry, government, researchers and clinicians to improve the lives of people living with HIV disease and their loved ones.

Looking ahead, Project Inform will continue to serve as a trusted ally and a beacon of hope for the tens of thousands of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS who rely on us for information about optimal treatment strategies, advocacy to expand access to treatment and care, and our commitment to move the research agenda forward in the quest for better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

“Project Inform’s advocacy work has kept the need for AIDS funding on the radar screen of our nation’s legislators. As the number of people living with HIV continues to grow, securing adequate funding for care and treatment depends on Project Inform’s leadership.”

Lei Chou, Director
The Access Project, AIDS Treatment Data Network

Information

Hotline program

Project Inform’s toll-free National HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Hotline provides HIV care and treatment information, free of charge, to people living with HIV, their healthcare and service providers, and family members. Staffed by highly trained volunteers, the hotline averages more than 1,500 calls each month and serves as a gateway to Project Inform publications and other services.

800-822-7422

Treatment and access publications

Project Inform produces and distributes a wide range of printed material on HIV disease and advances in treatment. All of our publications are available in English and Spanish, free of charge, by calling the hotline or by visiting the website.

Introductory Treatment Packet
Vital information for people newly diagnosed with HIV and for those exploring their treatment options.
Treatment Publications
Detailed information on specific treatments, common infections and strategies for maintaining health.
PI Perspective
Taking a consumer advocate’s approach to reporting on medical, governmental, and regulatory issues, this comprehensive treatment journal provides information from the most recent studies, plus perceptive analysis on current AIDS treatment and research.
Wise Words
A newsletter by and for women living with HIV/AIDS that focuses uniquely on women’s treatment and care issues, helping women to take charge of their health.

Outreach, education and capacity building

As the complexity and sheer amount of treatment information continues to grow, Project Inform’s outreach and education activities enable us to bring essential information directly to the people in communities most affected by HIV.

Town Meetings

Held throughout the US in collaboration with local organizations, advocacy groups and coalitions, these informative, supportive and action-oriented community education meetings provide an opportunity for people living with HIV to keep up with and make sense of the latest advances in HIV care and treatment.

Project Wise

This multi-faceted program focuses on the treatment information needs of HIV-positive women and engages in advocacy activities and educational programs on behalf of women with HIV.

Service Provider Education, Training and Capacity Building

Project Inform consults with health and AIDS service organizations nationwide to establish or strengthen HIV care and treatment education programs and initiatives. Activities include:

Education and Training Workshops

Capacity Building

e-Project Inform - www.projectinform.org

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, our comprehensive web site averages more than 250,000 page requests each month from individuals seeking up-to-date treatment information, action alerts and organizational facts about Project Inform. Literally hundreds of HIV/AIDS and health information web sites link to our web site, which also features a Spanish language section.

 

Advocacy

Public policy

Employing direct advocacy, coalition work and grassroots organizing, Project Inform’s public policy advocacy staff are leaders in the fight for adequate funding for programs that provide access to treatment and quality healthcare for people living with HIV.

Along with the legislative and administrative advocacy we engage in at the federal and state levels, we also bring a unique, constituent-based perspective to our policy work through our Treatment Action Network (TAN), a nationwide grassroots advocacy network comprised of nearly 2,000 individuals affected by HIV. Regular e-bulletins known as TAN Alerts provide helpful information and tips, encouraging TAN members to communicate with their elected officials at the state and federal levels about the need for enlightened policies and adequate funding for programs that improve the lives of people with HIV.

Though itself not a direct beneficiary of federal funding for AIDS, Project Inform plays a key role in organizing community support during the annual federal budget process. Whether it’s protecting Medicaid from harmful cuts and program changes or working to reduce the cost of prescription drugs to public programs like the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, our public policy staff is there to help represent the healthcare needs of people living with HIV.

Treatment and research advocacy

Ever mindful that the ultimate goal of our advocacy efforts is to facilitate research toward a cure for AIDS, Project Inform has led the way to a faster approval process for drugs to treat HIV and related conditions. We were a leading force in the development of regulatory changes, including the Accelerated Approval regulations of the Food and Drug Administration.

Project Inform continues to forge effective, principled relationships with regulatory agencies and researchers in government, academia, and industry to ensure that research meets community needs and is conducted in a timely and ethical manner. As a result, our staff has played a role in designing the studies of nearly every drug approved for HIV disease.

While striving to ensure that early access programs remain inclusive and fair, Project Inform also addresses the issues of drug pricing and the cost of drugs to healthcare programs. A key component of that has been the founding of the Fair Pricing Coalition, which plays a leading role in national efforts to contain drug prices.

A guiding principle in Project Inform’s advocacy efforts is focusing research attention on those most in need: people with advanced-stage AIDS who have the fewest treatment options. This principle inspired the founding of Project Immune Restoration in 1991, a project aimed at facilitating discovery of immune-based approaches for treating HIV disease. A component of this project, the Immune Restoration Think Tank: The Dobson Project, is an internationally acclaimed think tank focusing uniquely on inspiring therapeutic research addressing advanced-stage AIDS. This highly successful model of community interaction with HIV research has since been duplicated in our efforts to reform structures of research through the Future Directions in AIDS Research: The Madison Project meeting and other think tank-style meetings, including those focusing on Structured Treatment Interruptions.

Inspiration

“I have been diagnosed since 1989 and I have been reading your publication since the beginning. Please keep up the great work … information and knowledge is power. Thanks for caring!”

Patti

Make an impact

… we need your support!

All of Project Inform’s services are available nationwide, and free of charge. Your support makes it possible for us to maintain these programs and meet the information and advocacy needs of communities affected by HIV/AIDS. You can make a difference!

Donate! Contributions from individuals are the lifeblood of Project Inform. Nearly 97% of our budget is derived from private, non-governmental sources. Your support is always needed and deeply appreciated.

Volunteer! By initiating projects and supporting vital programs, volunteers are at the heart of our organization.

Special giving programs such as Partners in Hope, workplace giving, and gifts made in memory and in honor of friends and loved ones offer a range of ways to support Project Inform.

To volunteer, to pledge or make a donation, or to receive more information about ways to support Project Inform, please call 415-558-8669. Visit us at www.projectinform.org or email us at support@projectinform.org.

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