San Francisco, CA (EGCM) A hopeful image of the Earth resting in a radiant
gold setting was the icon for phase one of the "Be Here for the Cure"
campaign. The project was produced by campaign development coordinator Bill
Hayes. One of the first public education campaigns in the nation promoting
early HIV intervention, the campaign was composed of outdoor advertisements
(bus shelters and billboards) in English, Filipino, and Spanish; television
PSA's in the three languages; and an assortment of popular give-away items
(posters, T-shirts, stickers, and buttons).
 
The community-based campaign was designed to urge that people who are
HIV-positive take all necessary steps to stay healthy. Early treatment begins
with antibody testing, and continues with seeing an HIV-knowledgeable health
care provider, monitoring the immune system, and seeking drug treatment if
appropriate. It may include a wide range of other healthy approaches,
including sound nutrition, reduction in drug and alcohol use, rest and
exercise, and stress release.
 
Nearly thirty thousand San Francisco residents are estimated to be
HIV-positive. It is unknown exactly how many are not receiving care. With the
slogan, "Be Here for the Cure," the Foundation hopes to encourage HIV-positive
people to think about a future where HIV will be a manageable disease and to
take action now to be part of that future. With advancements in medicine,
support services, and a combination of therapies and approaches, people with
HIV have an increasingly better chance of maintaining their health and
extending their lives. Indeed, they have a chance to envision surviving this
pandemic.
 
A resident of Washington, D.C. writes: "Be Here for the Cure" is a message of
hope to all people with HIV, but a message that speaks loudest to people with
AIDS, who DD without that hope DD are consumed by death and dying. It doesn't
have to be that way. I am living (and I do mean living!) with AIDS. I am
hopeful. I have hope because this campaign has given me the courage to go on
living. No one had ever told me that. I take care of myself. I do the right
things. I believe what this campaign says: "I will be here for the cure."
 
The "globe" campaign was so successful in San Francisco that the Foundation
reprised it simultaneously DD on December 1, 1992, World AIDS Day DD in
Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.
 
For more information contact:  Joseph W. Fera, Director of Communications; San
Francisco AIDS Foundation; Post Office Box 426182; San Francisco, CA
94142-6182; Voice 415-864-5855-3030; Fax 415-487-3098.
 
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