CAEAR Coalition, a national non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of HIV/AIDS service programs that receive funding through the Ryan White CARE Act, recently held its 6th Annual Partnership Awards Dinner at The Palms South Beach in Miami Beach. With local partners Miami Beach Community Health Center and Care Resource, the event honored committed individuals and organizations who are leaders in the fight against AIDS, including U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; Marvin OQuinn, President of the Public Health Trust and CEO of Jackson Health System; WSVN news anchor Craig Stevens; and the law firm Akerman Senterfitt..
Throughout her legislative career, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen has been a strong advocate for individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS. She has worked to increase funding for the Ryan White CARE Act and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program; partnered with gay health organizations in pressuring the Bush administration to keep GLBT health issues in the Healthy People 2010 initiative; and has been a strong supporter of the Ethical Treatment of HIV Act, which is currently pending in Congress. She is the lead co-sponsor of the Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005, which was signed into law in November 2005. This legislation seeks to help children orphaned by AIDS. Ros-Lehtinen was also outspoken in her support for Miami-Dade’s gay rights ordinance when right-wing groups sought to repeal it in 2002. She also supports repealing the “Dont Ask, Dont Tell” policy which prevents homosexuals from openly serving in the military. She has been honored by the National Coalition for LGBT Health and by numerous other AIDS and gay advocacy organizations. “Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has been a tireless supporter of increasing federal funds for the fight against AIDS and she has been vocal in her support for the rights of people living with HIV and AIDS,” said CAEAR Coalition board member and Care Resource executive director Rick Siclari. Marvin OQuinn, as President of the Public Health Trust and CEO of Jackson Health System, is responsible for a countywide network of healthcare services that consists of neighborhood primary care centers, hospitals, mobile units, school-based health clinics and more. Since July 2003, he has worked tirelessly to ensure that Miami-Dade residents, including those living with HIV/AIDS, have access to quality healthcare. Under his leadership, he has supported AIDS prevention education and other initiatives that assist the population affected by HIV/AIDS. WSVN news anchor Craig Stevens has been an avid supporter of AIDS Walk Miami for the past four years. His participation has been a part of the successful walk, which draws more than 15,000 participants and raises a significant amount of funds for local AIDS care programs. Following his lead, WSVN became the official media sponsor of AIDS Walk Miami in 2005. Stevens will also be recognized for his commitment to reporting on HIV/AIDS issues and for his support of the Stonewall Street Festival and Parade in Wilton Manors. For more than a decade, Akerman Senterfitt and attorney Richard Milstein have been the top corporate and individual fundraisers for AIDS Walk Miami. Milstein has served as event chair for the AIDS Walk and he founded a volunteer lawyer program for individuals with HIV/AIDS, as part of a joint pro bono project of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and the Dade County Bar Association. In addition, Akerman Senterfitt has done pro bono work for Shelbourne House, a non-profit agency that provides housing and social services to HIV positive individuals, and for the AIDS Ministry.
