The Rev. Eyleen Farmer reflects on her experience with her first AIDS Healing Service at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, TN.

Deep cuts in federal funding will force Massachusetts to immediately slash or eliminate many key HIV and AIDS prevention services, programs that were central to driving down the infection rates in the state by more than 50 percent over the past decade, according to a top Patrick administration official.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lakewood, OH celebrated 40 years of service provided by The Free Clinic. This important organization provides HIV services, medical, dental, substance abuse treatment, and mental health services to the medically underserved.

A qualitative study conducted with people who have tested HIV-positive but never had HIV medical care in the United States has found that many of these individuals had poor experiences with testing, counselling and referral services. Health professionals were not always perceived to be compassionate, helpful or available, researchers from the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) report in the June issue of AIDS Education and Prevention. Most of the participants were poor and often had no health insurance. Interviewees felt that the structural barriers to accessing healthcare were considerable.

HIV remains one of the most formidable challenges facing the human family and we ignore this challenge, literally, at our own peril. This is clear from the final declaration agreed by the U.N. General Assembly High Level Meeting on AIDS that met June 8-10 in New York. The cost in human suffering, lost opportunities and diversion of resources remains a challenge that no one can escape, but there is hope of better protection through increased access to anti-retroviral drugs, early testing, and recent medical breakthroughs.

“The world has watched as we forged a new declaration that will shape the endgame of the AIDS epidemic,” General Assembly President Joseph Deiss told the leaders, ministers and diplomats after banging his gavel to signify the declaration’s adoption by consensus. Funding to combat AIDS increased eight-fold, from $1.8 billion in 2001 to $16 billion in 2010, but the U.N. agency to combat AIDS says between $22 billion and $24 billion is needed to address the magnitude of the crisis and respond to global demands for prevention, treatment and fighting discrimination against HIV sufferers.

"Mostly what happened is there were people in the congregation who said their friends were sick and asked if I would go visit them," he said. "The hospitals would also call to say there was a gay man here who is Lutheran and very sick. That got me involved."

Three decades ago, the June 5, 1981, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reported on five previously healthy young gay men in Los Angeles diagnosed with pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), an infectious disease usually seen only in people with profoundly impaired immune function. As a specialist in infectious diseases and immunology, I had cared for several people with PCP whose immune systems had been weakened by cancer chemotherapy. I was puzzled about why otherwise healthy young men would acquire this infection. And why gay men? I was concerned, but mentally filed away the report as a curiosity.

A great example of how Episcopal churches can include HIV testing in their events: “FAMILIA, SALUD Y VIDA” HEALTH AND WELLNESS FESTIVAL St. Anna’s Episcopal Church and Oportunidades NOLA would like to invite the community to join us for our second annual bi-lingual “Familia, Salud y Vida” Health and Wellness Festival, to be held on Sunday, June 5, from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. Our Festival will promote healthy lifestyle choices and celebrate the culture and diversity of our city. Free services include blood pressure and diabetes screenings, HIV testing, acupuncture and massage, hurricane preparation, food stamps and Medicaid information and much much more!

Renewed Hope for an HIV Vaccine: As we approach National HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, learn why Dr. Anthony Fauci is optimistic that scientists one day will develop a vaccine to prevent HIV infection.

Patients with H.I.V. were 96 percent less likely to pass on the infection if they were taking antiretroviral drugs — a finding that is so overwhelming that it is likely to change the way American AIDS doctors treat patients and what treatment policies are adopted by the World Health Organization and other countries, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which paid for the trial.

While AIDS continues to infect and kill people -- the U.S. Centers for Disease Control report that more than 18,000 people with AIDS die annually in the United States and an estimated 56,300 Americans become infected with HIV each year -- perceptions, treatment and the demographics of the disease have changed since the 1980s. The church's awareness of and response to AIDS have changed along with them, with some Episcopal ministries growing and evolving, others dwindling. Yet the need remains, advocates say.

Thalia Ortiz walks into a classroom of ninth-graders on Denver’s west side hoping to harness some of the very cultural values that others commonly see as a barrier to safe sex practices in the Latino community. Ortiz, a social worker with Denver Area Youth Services (DAYS), is using ¡Cuídate!, a six-hour curriculum that is one of the only evidence-based HIV prevention programs available for use with Latino youth ages 13-18.

Retired Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, an outspoken activist for human rights and equality in Uganda, delivered a presentation at the United Nations in New York on April 8 calling for the global decriminalization of homosexuality as a way to make progress in the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Province IV Network of AIDS Ministries of the Episcopal Church exists to work collaboratively among member diocese to build opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS, their families, friends, caregivers, and people involved in AIDS ministries to come together for spiritual and emotional renewal, expressed within the traditions of the Episcopal Church. This manifests itself through the annual HIV/AIDS Retreat, held at the Kanuga Conference Center annually since 1992. The Network also builds bridges so that people involved in AIDS ministries can share information and support across diocesan lines, foster dialogue and share information that impacts the Church on the issues of HIV/AIDS.

Everyone has been touched by somebody who has been affected by HIV/AIDS. In fact, nearly 7,500 new cases of HIV infections are reported worldwide each day. In the United States alone, someone is infected with HIV every nine and a half minutes. A significant fundraiser since 1990, Dining Out for Life offers a meaningful way to support a worthy cause that suffers from lack of funding. On a single day, nearly $4 Million is raised in the struggle against HIV/AIDS.

While most adoptions present challenges, there's a distinctive set of them facing parents who decide to adopt children living with HIV. A twice-daily medication regimen, lingering prejudice and fear, uncertainty about the child's longevity and marriage prospects.

Yet the number of U.S. parents undertaking HIV adoptions, or seriously considering them, is surging — from a trickle five years ago to at least several hundred. Most involve orphans from foreign countries where they faced stigma, neglect and the risk of early death.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The health of more than 14,000 low-income Texans living with HIV and AIDS is at stake, as the Texas Senate Finance Committee takes up that section of the budget Thursday. This comes days after a Senate panel voted to spend an additional $4.5 billion on health services, not including the HIV program.

The NAACP issues a call to action to the faith community to champion the importance of HIV testing and prevention in their respective congregations and communities.

Father Andrew Green is stepping down from the Desert AIDS Project board of directors after 18 years of service.

The pastor of St. Paul in the Desert Episcopal Church in Palm Springs has participated in almost every AIDS Walk since its start in 1988. He joined the nonprofit organization’s board in 1993 and chaired the governance and client committees.

Inspiration House was one of four homes showcased during the 40th annual Cathedral Antiques Show & Tour of Homes from the Episcopal Church Women of the Cathedral of St. Philip. The show also included lectures and an antiques show. Money raised from the show was donated to H.E.R.O. for Children, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children infected with and affected by HIV-AIDS.

The San Francisco Business Times has published a series of articles on HIV/AIDS recently. This column highlights reasons for optimism in the fight against the disease.

What does love got to do with HIV/AIDS? Let's look at some common reasons why, supposedly in the name of love, we don't protect ourselves against HIV. Why don’t we ask our partners about their HIV status? ''Because I love him,'' or ''because she loves me,'' people often say. Why don’t we use condoms? ''Because I love him (or her).''

An important story about HIV in those over 50. The Washington area has the fourth-highest rate of AIDS cases among U.S. metropolitan areas, while Washington, D.C. itself has the highest rate among U.S. states and territories. Perhaps most surprisingly, in D.C., Maryland and Virginia the highest proportion of HIV and AIDS cases is found among residents in their 40s and 50s. For example, while 3.6 percent of those ages 30 to 39 in the District of Columbia are living with HIV or AIDS, that rate soars to 7.6 percent of those 40 to 49 and 5.9 percent of those 50 to 59.

When the Episcopal Diocese of L.A. first offered the service in 1985, the names of many claimed by the disease were recited. Today the focus is less on grieving the dead and more on helping the living.

CDC held a two-day meeting on “Faith and HIV Prevention” on February 13-14, 2006 in Atlanta, GA. The meeting was held to expand and strengthen CDC’s partnerships with faith communities. People who attended the meeting included faith leaders, people who provide HIV services, and public health workers. They discussed the role of faith-based organizations in helping prevent HIV/AIDS.