San Francisco AIDS Foundation Releases New Strategic Plan
SAN FRANCISCO, September 8, 2019 — Today San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) announced a new five-year strategic plan that defines a new mission statement and four strategies priorities. Central to the plan are commitments to health justice, social justice, and racial justice, and to addressing all sexual health and substance use-related disparities experienced by people living with or at risk for HIV.
“The progress San Francisco has made towards ending the HIV epidemic is remarkable. But as a community organization, we must do more to address inequities that persist in the public health system,” said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. “We will never be able to end the HIV epidemic until we are able to address the systemic and structural causes of injustice. We are working for the day when ‘health justice’ is achieved for everyone.”
The plan defines health justice as the attainment of health equity, actualized when structural factors no longer determine health outcomes. Health justice is reached when all people possess the economic, social and political power and resources to make decisions about their bodies and health—regardless of identities and experiences. Health justice envisions a world free of stigma and places a value on our intrinsic uniqueness and resilience.
“The social and economic issues that we face as a community and as a broader country really limit, and in many cases prohibit, access to all the necessary care that we need,” said Mary Cha-Caswell, chair of the Board of Directors of San Francisco AIDS Foundation. ”Health justice is about achieving more than health equity. It is ensuring that everyone has the access and resources — economically, socially, politically — to achieve a high quality, healthy life regardless of HIV status, race, gender or economic status.”
The strategic planning process began in 2018 and included opportunities for input and feedback from community members, partners, foundation staff, and other stakeholders. The strategic plan was developed by Facente Consulting. The plan is available online at sfaf.org/strategic-plan.
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