The Kingston and St. Andrew Parish AIDS Committee

The KSA PAC's Mission Statement is:

Rev Patrick Cunningham

To educate the communities within Kingston and St Andrew about HIV / AIDS / STIs with a view to prevent and control the spread of HIV / AIDS / STIs. Create a supportive and caring environment for persons living with HIV / AIDS and their families.

This PAC meets every fourth Tuesday of the month, at the Jamaica Red Cross Society Headquarters, Arnold Road, Kingston.

The cumulative total of AIDS cases in Kingston and St Andrew to December 2001 was two thousand, five hundred and seventy six (2576). The rate of AIDS cases per 100,000 population in this Parish is three hundred and sixty-seven (367).

The main role of this PAC is to:

• Support and facilitate an adequate environment for interventions at the parish level
• Mobilize human and economic resources for HIV / AIDS
• Transform gaps and needs into specific activities
• Promote awareness in various sectors , especially the private sector and to obtain commitment and support for HIV / AIDS activities

KSA PAC members working hard to document their experiences

CELEBRITY LAPATHON: AIDS WALK

The 'celebrity lapathon' was held on Saturday July 14, 2001 at the Police Officers Club, Kingston and commenced at 8:00 am. The event was organized by the Fund-Raising Sub-committee of the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish AIDS Committee (KSA PAC) and has raised to date in excess of $50,000. This money will go towards assisting those persons affected and infected by HIV / AIDS as well as PAC activities in the Parish.
The KSA PAC expresses its sincere gratitude to all those persons that participated in or made a contribution on the day especially the 'celebrities'. These include: Mr. Bunny Goodison, Mrs. Hyacinth Bennett, Dr. Peter Figueroa, Mr. Neville "Bertis" Bell, Ms. Simone Clarke, and Mr. Dervan Malcolm.

Each 'celebrity' was given a souvenir T-shirt, with refreshments being provided by Carimed (Ross) and Mead Johnson Nutritionals. The event received wide media coverage, being featured live on TVJ's Prime Time News. What a GREAT Success!

Accomplishments:

• The PAA continues to provide medicine, food and school fees for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS. The KSA PAA are assisting a 15 year old male with medication
• Began an intervention this quarter at Lascelles Pharmaceuticals on HIV /AIDS
• Two retreats have been planned for executive members to improve their counseling skills and working knowledge of HIV /AIDS

Observance:

• The PAA continue to struggle with the manning of the PAA’s counselling room