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The Minority AIDS Awareness Council of Peoria
(MAAC) is a not-for-profit 501c3 minority-based organization
serving the Peoria, IL, communitysince 1993. This organization
started as concerned citizens gathered to address the HIV/AIDS
epidemic in communities of color, to educate, and to enlist
organizations and prominent citizens to address growing concerns
of HIV among African-Americans and Latinos. MAAC became incorporated
in the year 2000 and began working with the Illinois Department
of Public Health (IDPH) to provide HIV prevention services.
Our Community-based organization has an eleven-member
board of directors plus a youth advisory board members that
are made up of various community-members including African-Americans,
Caucasians, ministers, teachers, principals, heterosexuals,
and gay and lesbian individuals, along with community advocates
and healthcare professionals. Our board represents clergy,
educators, public servants, members of the Hispanic Outreach
Council, Family Coordinating Council of the Peoria Housing
Authority, and many others. The board is also representative
of various risk groups including, African-American men who
have sex with men (MSM), White MSM, African-American high-risk
heterosexuals and LGBT advocates. In addition, over 50% of
the MAAC Board of Directors is represented by minorities.
Services provided by MAAC include community
education, referrals, risk reduction counseling, HIV testing
and counseling, and group prevention and support. In addition,
MAAC works to provide public information and referrals, identify
communities of color to assist in HIV prevention and compassionate
care, and offers support and assistance to HIV positive individuals
to get into care and educate them about available services
in out community.
Additionally, under the umbrella of our organization,
MAAC collaborates with a not-for-profit entity in East St.
Louis, Illinois. Writers, Planners, Trainers, Inc. employs
a staff of four community members and several volunteers.
WPT, Inc. provides HIV prevention services, case management,
street outreach and testing in the greater St. Louis /E. St.
Louis area.
MAAC services include providing risk reduction
counseling, community education, counseling and testing with
referral services, as well as over eight years each as community
health educators with a vast list of community contacts and
relationships which enable them to provide services in traditional,
as well as non-traditional, venues to clients most at risk.
Both have been trained by Illinois Department of Public Health
to provide services and continue to educate themselves to
provide culturally competent attention to communities of color.
MAAC also has IDPH trained volunteers who have education and
community service backgrounds, who work with populations at-risk
and various youth programs throughout the city.
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