Colorado AIDS Project’s 25 years of progress

Before the first cases of what we now call AIDS were diagnosed in Colorado, a group of citizens concerned about the yet unnamed health threat met to formulate a local response. By 1983, with only 17 documented cases of the disease in Colorado, this group became Colorado AIDS Project. CAP’s history is one of tremendous community support, initiative and impact.

Initially, Colorado AIDS Project’s services consisted of a fledgling food pantry, a part-time case manager, and a volunteer “Buddy” program. At the time, CAP existed to provide support to those living with HIV, share any new information about HIV as it was being discovered and, often times, provide a place for clients to die with dignity.

In the late ’90s, the AIDS epidemic experienced a new kind of crisis. Drug advances helped decrease the number of AIDS-related deaths, but also caused a misconception that the disease was cured. Hope was confused with victory. In reality, infection rates continued to rise. As medical advancements helped the epidemic become more manageable, HIV/AIDS morphed into a chronic disease with a whole new set of challenges. In addition to the stigma surrounding HIV/ AIDS, many of the clients who walked through CAP’s door were from the neediest, poorest and most disenfranchised populations.

In response, Colorado AIDS Project adopted an innovative approach to chronic disease management that focused on creating healthy, self-sufficient lifestyles through an integrated evidence based program of individualized services and a continuum of care.  Today, CAP’s programs include case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling, an award winning food bank, transportation services, housing services, legal referrals, and an employment center. Additionally, CAP provides a wide array of prevention counseling, testing and education programs.

From its beginnings as a volunteer-staffed, grassroots response to HIV/AIDS, CAP has become the largest and most effective AIDS service organization in the Rocky Mountain Region. Since its inception, Colorado AIDS Project has directly served more than three quarters of the men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS in the state of Colorado. In 2009 alone, Colorado AIDS Project served more than 2,200 people living with HIV or AIDS. In addition, CAP’s education and prevention efforts have reached hundreds of thousands people with the message of how to make healthy choices to protect themselves and others from the disease.