PRESS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 18th, 2005
Contact: Joni Bishop - Director of Development and PR

BEBASHI Commemorates 20 years as the first minority based AIDS Service Organization in the United States

On November 22nd, 2005, BEBASHI will commemorate 20 years of service as the first AIDS service organization to target the African American community! Since its inception in 1985, BEBASHI has been dedicated to improving the health and quality of life for the community. BEBASHI”S mission is to provide culturally-sensitive health related information, consumer advocacy, technical assistance, research, and direct care services to the urban community.

BEBASHI was initially established as a volunteer effort in 1985 in response to the increasing incidence of HIV/AIDS in the African American community of Philadelphia. At the time, there were no HIV/AIDS educational programs or services targeting the African American or other communities of color. Understanding that the behaviors which contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS also cause the transmission of other sexually transmitted diseases, as well as unplanned pregnancies, BEBASHI launched a major community outreach education and service effort to combat the sexual health concerns of communities of color.

BEBASHI'S original educational efforts focused on street outreach to areas of the community most in need of prevention information and the least likely to receive it. In 1988 BEBASHI was awarded a five year grant from the Centers for Disease Control's National Minority Education Program (first of its kind) to provide technical assistance for community based organizations providing, or interested in providing HIV/AIDS prevention education to African American and Latino communities in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey Pennsylvania and Virginia. BEBASHI was instrumental in providing organizations throughout the five-state region with assistance in organizational and program development and training.

In 1990, BEBASHI expanded its services to the community by offering HIV counseling and antibody testing and case management services for people living with HIV disease. Today BEBASHI is a full-service agency offering a continuum of prevention and care services from outreach and education to HIV, STD and pregnancy counseling and testing, case management, support groups, a food bank, and housing counseling. BEBASHI was the first organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to administer a discharge planning program for newly HIV+ inmates returning to Philadelphia upon release. In addition, BEBASHI is part of a landmark incidence study in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York funded by the CDC. In Philadelphia, this study is administered by Philadelphia Health Management Corporation (PHMC) and subcontracts with BEBASHI to interpret the cultural, psychological, and environmental causes for the disproportionate HIV rate among black MSM (Men who have Sex with Men). The findings of this survey will be use to implement nationwide prevention programs. All services provided at BEBASHI are free of charge.

BEBASHI is Philadelphia's largest community-based minority provider of HIV/AIDS education and services for all people of African descent and a model for the provision of culturally specific education and services for other communities of color.

Gary Bell, Executive Director for BEBASHI says, “This is a bittersweet time for BEBASHI. At a time when we are honoring and commemorating the vital role that BEBASHI has played in preventing the spread of HIV, (especially in communities of color for the last 20 years), we also face the realization that our work is far from over – never has our existence been more critical.” Mr. Bell has been the Executive Director of BEBASHI for nine years.