This post first appeared last August. Unfortunately, nothing has changed. Community input is still shunned by the officers, directors and staff of AIDS Network:
In a 2007 article in the journal “Administration in Social Work” Cynthia Cannon Poindexter states that “There is no substitute for inviting the perspectives of those who are daily confronting the realities of HIV. HIV prevention and care programs should include stakeholders in the affected and infected communities from their inception, striving for cultural relevance, consumer preference, equity of access and resource availability, and shared priorities” (Poindexter, Cynthia Cannon(2007) ‘Management Successes and Struggles for AIDS Service Organizations’, Administration in Social Work,31:3,5 — 28
Poindexter also points out that “it is not useful to keep the conflicts unspoken or unaddressed within the agency. Because the organizational cultures are often crisis-oriented, ASO’s do not spend the time on intra-organizational reflection and debate. Creating a safe environment in which to engage in ongoing critical thinking and conversation and to acknowledge the interlocking oppressions and stigmas could lead to growth rather than atrophy. Managers can lead the agency through a meaningful process that can create cohesion, seeking commonalities without divesting people of their diversity. In this way the very real anger and frustration of the pandemic can perhaps be channeled into more productive responses.”
Including stakeholders in the affected and infected communities is a concept that AIDS Network has not embraced. The failure of the agency to formalize any processes for their clients and the broader HIV community to have input into the programs and services of the agency is a profound failure of the agency. Additionally, AIDS Network does not address the conflicts within the agency and refuses to create a safe environment that allows for discussion of the issues at hand. This is a failure of the management staff and the officers and directors of AIDS Network. The “bunker mentality” has not served AIDS Network well.
