Amida Care

02/04/2026

Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, who died last month at 86, was arrested at age 15 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks became famous for doing the same.

In 1956, Colvin was a star witness in a landmark federal court case that ruled Montgomery’s segregated bus system was unconstitutional. The case, Browder v. Gayle, paved the way for the end of segregation on public transportation nationwide. Colvin later moved to New York City and worked as a nurse’s aide.

In 2019, Montgomery unveiled a marker commemorating Ms. Colvin and the other plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle. “History had me glued to the seat,” Colvin said in 2021. Read more: https://www.biography.com/activists/claudette-colvin

02/03/2026

Get the latest health and wellness info, including how to beat the winter blues, in our Winter Member Newsletter:
English: https://bit.ly/4sZ7IMI
Español: https://bit.ly/49yQTAq

02/02/2026

Happy Black History Month!
Each year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—the organization that founded Black History Month—provides a new theme for February. This year’s theme “A Century of Black History Commemoration,” marks 100 years of national celebrations of Black history.

The ASALH was founded in 1915 to study, teach and celebrate African American history. In 1926, the organization’s director, Carter G. Woodson, “the Father of Black History,” established what is now known as Black History Month. This year ASALH urges us to explore the impact and meaning of Black history and life commemorations in transforming the status of the world’s Black peoples.

In 2026, when we are also commemorating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, it is important to tell an accurate, inclusive history. We must fight attempts to use legislative means and book bans to erase Black history from America’s schools and public culture.

01/29/2026

«Quiero asegurarme de que personas como yo no tengan que sufrir ni sentirse solas o aisladas. Todo lo que hago es defender los derechos humanos y asegurar que dejemos el mundo un poco mejor».
—Diana Feliz Oliva, MSW (Ella/She), Fundadora y Directora Ejecutiva de Casita Feliz.

Durante más de 30 años, Diana Feliz Oliva ha trabajado por la justicia en salud para personas LGBTQ+ y comunidades impactadas por el VIH. Fue la primera persona abiertamente transgénero y VIH+ en graduarse de Columbia University, trabajar en Gilead Sciences y dirigir un centro LGBTQ+ en Fresno, California.

Como líder de Casita Feliz en Fresno y creadora de iniciativas como el Fondo de Impacto Comunitario TRANScend de Gilead Sciences, los espacios que construye amplían el acceso y fortalecen el apoyo para personas TGNB. Su liderazgo y cuidado han transformado comunidades a nivel local, nacional e internacional.

Junto a nuestras organizaciones aliadas Community Healthcare Network, Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, y Destination Tomorrow, celebramos . ¡Haz clic en el hashtag para seguirnos!

01/29/2026

“I want to make sure that people like me don’t have to suffer and feel alone and isolated. Everything I do is advocating for human rights and making sure we leave the world a little better." —Diana Feliz Oliva, MSW (She/Ella), Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Casita Feliz.

For over 30 years, Diana Feliz Oliva has worked towards health justice for LGBTQ+ people and communities impacted by HIV. She was the first openly transgender/HIV+ person to graduate from Columbia University, work at Gilead Sciences, and lead an LGBTQ+ center in Fresno, California. As the leader of Casita Feliz in Fresno and the creator of initiatives like Gilead Sciences' TRANScend Community Impact Fund, the spaces she builds expand access and increase support for TGNB people. Her leadership and care have transformed communities locally, nationally, and internationally.

Alongside our partners, Community Healthcare Network, Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, New York Transgender Advocacy Group, Destination Tomorrow, and The NEW Pride Agenda, we’re celebrating . Click the hashtag to follow along!

01/28/2026

In advance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Feb. 7), Gay City News published “Four decades in, Black communities are still paying the highest price from HIV — and inaction is not an option,” an op-ed co-authored by David Collymore, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Acacia Network and Amida Care Board Member; Kei Williams, Executive Director of The NEW Pride Agenda; and Shirley Torho, President & CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on Health. Read it here:

Forty years ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first sounded the alarm that Black and Latino communities were disproportionately

01/27/2026

NYS Department of Health’s UNFILTERED campaign features Black & Brown New Yorkers sharing honest conversations about PrEP & sexual health. No scripts. Just truth.

Find out more at UnfilteredNY.org and watch series trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFuTOXMA6-E

A campaign series featuring authentic stories and information about PrEP.

01/22/2026

Medicaid is the foundation of HIV care in New York.

Alongside 35 organizations across the state, Amida Care is calling on Senator Chuck Schumer to take immediate action to protect Medicaid and extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

Federal cuts to Medicaid and the expiration of ACA subsidies threaten coverage for millions, weaken our health care infrastructure, and put people living with HIV at risk.

Health care access can’t wait: we need bold leadership now.

Read our letter to Senator Schumer: https://tinyurl.com/fe6k37af

01/22/2026

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is the most effective way to protect yourself against HIV. Today, there are many different options: a daily pill, on demand medication, and long-acting shots.

Talk to your healthcare provider today about which option is best for you.

01/19/2026

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

At Amida Care, our mission and ongoing work––centering advocacy in health care––are deeply connected to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s activism. As health advocates, we understand that the well-being of our communities is intertwined with and equity.

More than 50 years after his death, ’s values and vision for the world continue to be a guiding light. Join us as we reflect on the powerful legacy of Dr. King, whose commitment to justice, equality, and dignity for all continues to inspire us.

01/16/2026

“Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

With the many challenges our country is currently facing, Dr. King’s message against racial discrimination, inequality, and economic injustice rings as true today as it did in his lifetime.

At Amida Care, our mission is to ensure that everyone––people impacted by /AIDS, , LGBQ+, and people––receives the care and respect they deserve so they can live their best lives. We’re revitalized and motivated by ’s words, and we recommit to fighting for our communities.

As we celebrate Dr. King’s legacy this holiday weekend, let’s take this moment to reflect on and be empowered by his teachings. Together, we can realize his vision of social, economic, racial, and health for all!

01/15/2026

Forty years ago, the CDC first reported that Black and Hispanic people were disproportionately affected by HIV. Four decades later, those disparities persist, and for Transgender, Gender-Nonconforming, and Nonbinary (TGNC/NB) communities, they have become even more profound.

Read the op-ed co-authored by Joe Pressley, Amida Care VP of Public Policy & Government Relations, published in New York Amsterdam News in advance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7):

We can commemorate National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, but we cannot afford to commemorate another decade of disparities.