Southern States Manifesto

For copy of pdf version of Southern States Manifesto "The Southern States Manifesto" is the result of input based on the collective expertise and experience of each of the HIV/AIDS/STD directors in fourteen southern states and the District of Columbia along with input from community partners. The southern state AIDS/STD directors met in Nashville, Tennessee in June 2002 to discuss the unique and critical challenges shared among the southern states and to develop a corrective action plan.

For link to Kaiser Family Foundation The Southern State AIDS/STD Directors Work Group, NASTAD and the Kaiser Family Foundation held "A Southern States Summit on HIV/AIDS and STDs: A Call to Action" in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 13-15, 2002. The Summit brought together community members, state legislators and health department employees to review the HIV/AIDS and STD crisis in the South and refine discussions of future strategies. Summit participants also reviewed a draft of the Southern States Manifesto and made recommendations for improvement. The members embraced the Manifesto and provided valuable input into the further development of the document.

For link to Florida AIDS Action The Manifesto was then utilized as the foundation for discussions during the Southern AIDS Conference convened by Florida AIDS Action in Tampa, Florida, December 3-4, 2002. That conference brought together over 100 community and governmental leaders from 13 southern states and the District of Columbia representing Ryan White CARE Act Titles I, II (including AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPS), III, and IV; AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETCs); prevention; housing; and Medicaid. The participants of this meeting endorsed the Manifesto and developed a Southern AIDS Coalition to advocate for the needs presented by the epidemics of HIV/AIDS and STDs in the Southern United States.

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