Mission Statement

T h e m i s s i o n o f H e l p i n g Communities in Crisis, Inc. is to help stop the stigmatization and discrimination surrounding HIV/ AIDS through awareness, education, prevention, and intervention in the Boston area. We are also striving to decrease the incidence rate of

Our Goal

To be a referral and resource contact for those in need.

To promote education of HIV/ AIDS in the community.

To host HIV/AIDS workshops.

To offer support to families and friends of persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Provide spiritual guidance and limited counseling services for those infected with HIV/AIDS.

infected with HIV/AIDS.

Mailing Address

David Hawkesworth

Helping Communities in Crisis

5 Howland Street Suite 1-L

Dorchester, MA 02121

Financial Contributions

Please make checks or money orders payable to Helping Communities in Crisis, Inc. and mail them to the address above. Also, you can donate through Paypal on our website at www.hccincboston.org

Tel: 617.759.2437

Fax: 617.445.5654

Email: hccinc2@aol.com

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A non-profit, faith-based, community-based HIV/AIDS organization

We are soldiers in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

About our

Organization

Helping Communities in Crisis, INC. is very visible and actively involved in several outreach efforts throughout the community. Some activities consist of Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets, seminars, conferences, workshops and other events. The organization started an AIDS Memorial Quilt in 2004.

We are also a participant in the Annual HIV/AIDS walk and the Black Churches’ Week of Prayer for the Healing of HIV/AIDS, in conjunction with the Who Touched Me Ministry of the Aids Action Committee and Multicultural AIDS Coalition.

FACTS AND MYTHS ABOUT HIV/AIDS

AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency (or Immunodeficiency) Syndrome. It results from infection with a virus called HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The virus infects key cells in the human body called CD4-positive (CD4+) T cells. These cells are part of the body's immune system, which fight infections and various cancers. HIV is spread through sexual intercourse, direct contact with infected blood, and from an infected mother to a newborn child.

There is no cure for AIDS, but medical treatments can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventing complications.

Not everyone who has HIV infection develops AIDS. Experts estimate that about half of the people with HIV will develop AIDS within 10 years after becoming infected. This time varies from person to person, however, and can depend on many factors, including a person’s health status and health-related behaviors.

Because many of the first cases of AIDS in the United States occurred in homosexual men and intravenous drug users, some people mistakenly believe that other groups of people are not at risk for HIV infection. However, anyone is capable of becoming HIV-infected, regardless of race, gender, age, or sexual orientation.

HOW TO PREVENT THE

SPREAD OF HIV/AIDS

Since no vaccine for HIV is available, the only way to prevent infection by the virus is to avoid behaviors that place a person at risk for infection, such as sharing needles and having unprotected sex.

Prevention is the key to personal protection against HIV and AIDS. Prevention involves safer sex practices *, saying no to drug use and limiting HIV exposure, and minimizing HIV exposure as a result of medical procedures.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends complete sexual abstinence as a foolproof way to prevent sexually transmitted HIV. A monogamous sexual relationship between two infected individuals also limits the risk of HIV exposure through sex-as long as both partners are completely faithful and avoid nonsexual exposure to HIV, such as through injection drugs.

* The Church encourages abstinence except for marital relationships

Information provided by YourMedicalSource.com