Public Policy Advocacy & Research

Mobilize the MAC network of partner organizations and consumers to identify critical health policy issues that hinder access to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and engage constituents in advocacy efforts to affect policymaking.

An array of public policy issues can support or hinder our community's ability to stop the AIDS epidemic, including access to health care; policies impacting the quality of care and services; legal and regulatory issues regarding people with HIV; HIV funding; substance abuse public policies; prison public policies; and public policies affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. MAC will support a community process of defining shared priorities for advocacy and mobilizing the community to affect changes in relevant public policy.

MAC will also initiate community-based research to answer critical questions that could impact our response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Community-based research is research for, by and with the community that is the subject of the research. It involves a partnership between academic researchers and community practitioners, and is a highly participatory process. Research can strengthen MAC's ability to base its programs on methods that have been proven effective. Through this work, MAC hopes to contribute to demystifying the notion of scientific research in communities of color and to strengthening the network of people in our community who understand how to use scientific research to help us improve our work.

Develop a Shared Public Policy Agenda
Host a community planning process to define public policy priorities and shape advocacy strategies. Priority issues are those that can make a significant impact on:

• Decreasing the number of new infections.
• Increasing the number of people who know their HIV status.
• Increasing the number of people living with or at risk for HIV who are in care.
• Improving the quality of HIV prevention and treatment services.

Mobilize the Community
Within MAC's network of community organizations, create the infrastructure to mobilize community leaders and residents on key public policy issues.

Secure Private Funding
Secure private funding for MAC and its partner organization to engage in public policy advocacy.

Initiate Research on Priority Issues
Design and implement community-based research on key questions about HIV in communities of color, in partnership with appropriate researchers. Priorities research projects are those that can strengthen the design or impact of programs conducted by MAC and its partner organizations.

Maintain Research Criteria
Ensure that research projects meet the following criteria:

• MAC has an upfront and ongoing role in defining the research questions, designing, implementing, analyzing, reporting and publishing of the research results.
• Research is conducted and findings are reported back to the community in ways that are culturally appropriate and meaningful.
• Community members serve as advisers to researchers.
• Researchers are willing to come to the community, not expect participants to go to them.
• There is a fair allocation of research dollars to those doing the work in the community.