For over thirty-five years, we've been bringing our communities back to health. In 1988, a group of advocates, providers, and consumers created the Staten Island AIDS Task Force in response to the health crisis of HIV and AIDS in our community. For many years, the Task Force was the only non-profit community-based organization whose primary mission embraced HIV prevention, education and direct services to HIV+ Staten Islanders, their families and people at risk of HIV infection. While HIV education, prevention and care remained our core mission, over time our services expanded in direct proportion and kind to the needs of our communities. A state licensed program to serve the larger community struggling with addiction, new initiatives to serve the LGBT community and community-based HIV and STD testing were some of the additions to the agency portfolio during this time. In 2004, the SIATF changed its name to Community Health Action of Staten Island, expanding its service scope even wider in response to the evolving needs of HIV + people, and the greater Staten Island community. In 2007, as we experienced significant growth in the areas of nutrition and benefits assistance for the poor, health services for youth at risk and increased programming for the LGBT community.
