HIV Response at a Turning Point

This World AIDS Day, we have much to reflect on about our current HIV response. In 2011, a groundbreaking study by the National Institute of Health revealed that HIV treatment called antiretroviral therapy is 96% effective in reducing HIV transmission in couples where one partner has HIV. However, this incredible news has not resulted in increased funding for critical HIV treatment and other services.  As the world looks towards the future of the AIDS response, there is a critical need to enable a new generation of advocacy, activism, and action that can contribute to changing the unacceptable reality of a world in which some people get sick and die, while others access medicine and live.

Tides ECO Initiative Awards $850K to New Voices in Chemicals Policy

More than 80,000 chemicals are in use in the United States today.  Since 1976, when the federal Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) became law, 20,000 chemicals have been introduced into our lives without any testing or safety measures.  We are happy to announce that the Tides ECO Initiative has awarded  $850,000 to 24 groups for its New Voices in Chemicals Policy program, which aims to support organizations that bring new voices into toxic chemicals policy at the local, state, and national levels.

Join Melissa at the Slow Money National Gathering (October 12-14)

Tides is pleased to announce that our CEO Melissa L. Bradley will be a featured speaker at this year's Slow Money National Gathering, held in San Francisco from October 12 - 14.  Melissa will be joining other esteemed leaders from the nonprofit and philanthropic sector, including Vandana Shiva, Wes Jackson, Matt Flannery, Winona LaDuke, and others interested in new ways of thinking about the relationship between food, money, and social change.

One Heart World-Wide Battles Maternal Mortality

Earlier this month, Arlene Samen and Carlos Tapadera Concheño of One Heart World-Wide visited the Tides Learning Community in San Francisco to speak about their excellent work in teaching good birth practices and preventing maternal mortality in Tibet, Mexico, and Nepal.  Samen originally launched the One Heart program in Tibet, and over ten years, the number of women who died in childbirth annually dropped from 33 to zero.

In Sickness and Health: Visitation Rights a Step Towards LGBT Equality

While many in the LGBT community wait for President Obama to exert greater leadership on the issue of marriage equality, others in his administration have already taken significant steps towards recognizing the rights of LGBT couples.  Last week, the Department of Health & Human Services issued a press release titled “Medicare steps up enforcement of equal visitation and representation rights in hospitals… including same-sex partners.”  Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is quoted as saying, “Couples take a vow to be with each other in sickness and in health and it is unacceptable that, in the past, some same-sex partners were denied the right to visit their loved ones in times of need.”  This is welcome news.

30 Years of Fighting HIV/AIDS

As many LGBT Pride celebrations take place around this summer, people around the globe also marked the 30^th anniversary of the first diagnoses of HIV/AIDS—a milestone that serves as a reminder not only of the millions of lives lost, but also the powerful communities that are still standing up to fight HIV and support people living with AIDS.  As a platform for social change, Tides is proud to wear many different hats in addressing this multifaceted and still urgent epidemic, especially as research changes and new demographics become more at-risk.  By providing grantmaking and fiscal sponsorship services to a range of projects, and through the independent efforts of its staff and greater community, Tides contributes to critical work in the field including prevention, support and treatment, and global advocacy.

A Pathway Home for Veterans

We're thrilled to share two recent news stories about one of our 200+ projects, The Pathway Home, a unique program that supports veterans as they return home to their families and communities.  Studies show that 1 in 7 soldiers returning from war will experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can manifest in alcoholism, violence, or even suicide.  To combat the long-lasting effects of the trauma of war, The Pathway Home has helped more than 200 veterans from all over the United States through a blend of clinical therapies, physical and mental health wellness programs, educational and volunteer opportunities, and community-based support.  As one participant shares, The Pathway Home literally helped "save his life."

Zero Mercury Campaign Uses Mercury Monitoring Device to Promote Grassroots Actions, Strong Global Treaty

Mercury Policy Project (a project of Tides) and Garfield Foundation recently co-authored this article about MPP’s grassroots efforts to promote a strong mercury treaty: “Zero Mercury Campaign Uses Mercury Monitoring Device to Promote Grassroots Actions, Strong Global Treaty.”

IPAS Celebrates International Women's Day

I had the privilege of celebrating International Women’s Day yesterday with some colleagues over at the Public Health Institute in Oakland. One of Tides grantees, Ipas (www.ipas.org) showed their film, Not Yet Rain http://www.notyetrain.org/.

Not Yet Rain explores abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have faced the challenge of finding safe care. Through their stories, we see the important role that safe abortion care plays in the overall health of women and their families.

Every year,...

Oil and Anguish: Alaska, Nigeria, and the Gulf Coast

Today, Prince William Sound appears "normal" to the naked eye. However, if you look below the surface, oil continues to contaminate beaches, national parks, and designated wilderness areas.