JHF Board Celebrates Over 30 Years of Leadership in HIV/AIDS

At its September 16 Board meeting, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) reflected on its decades-long commitment to addressing HIV/AIDS in southwestern Pennsylvania, marking more than 30 years of leadership in the fight against the epidemic.

“From its earliest days to the present, the JHF Board and staff have maintained their commitment to serving persons living with HIV/AIDS. In 1991, when AIDS was a death sentence, we focused on prevention and dying with dignity. Now, thanks to so much progress, we have the “luxury” of advancing education, housing, services and treatment,” said JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD. “Our HIV team makes us proud.”

To set the tone of the presentation, a recently released video from this year’s Too Hot for July (THFJ) event was shared, highlighting providers and community-based organizations who lauded AIDS Free Pittsburgh’s work and THFJ as a highly anticipated annual celebration promoting HIV testing, PrEP awareness, and the message of ending HIV stigma.

Described as a “think tank with an endowment,” JHF joined the national group Funders Concerned About AIDS, illustrating its leadership and dedication to AIDS activism since the early days of the epidemic. Since 1992, JHF has managed a wide range of government funding sources as the fiscal agent for southwestern Pennsylvania, supporting an array of community-based organizations and initiatives, including 15 Ryan White Part B service providers in southwestern Pennsylvania and 11 Minority AIDS Initiative provider agencies statewide. These grants aim to enhance HIV/AIDS care through quality improvement, technical assistance, capacity building, and various studies, such as a regional needs assessment and hospital readmission analysis.

JHF’s HIV/AIDS Team, composed of over 10 professionals including social workers, epidemiologists, public health experts, and community members, also oversees the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program in southwestern Pennsylvania. This subservice offers housing support, from permanent housing placement to short-term rental assistance, to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Additionally, the Foundation spearheads learning collaboratives both regionally and statewide, improving HIV prevention and care by facilitating the exchange of effective strategies and strengthening service coordination. Twice a year, JHF convenes agencies across Pennsylvania to share best practices in HIV treatment and prevention. It also manages a robust offline and online education and awareness campaigns of services available in 11 counties.

With a history of robust advocacy and support, JHF continues to be a cornerstone in regional and statewide efforts to address, prevent, and raise awareness of AIDS. For more information about the history of JHF’s AIDS work see our Roots publication The Fight Against AIDS 1981-2014: A Pittsburgh Story.