ANNUAL REPORT 2010

On behalf of the board of AIDS West, I am pleased to present the Annual Report for 2010. This report is an opportunity to reflect upon the work undertaken by AIDS West over the past year. It also gives an overview of the services that the organisation continues to provide and develop, highlighting responses to changing needs.

As an organisation, we continue to be concerned by the numbers presenting with an HIV positive diagnosis in Ireland and particularly in the West of Ireland, which was reflected in the number of new clients presenting for support this year. The most recent figures published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) reveal almost 400 people were diagnosed in Ireland in 2009 and 168 in the first six months of 2010. Whilst there have been great advances made in medical treatments for HIV and thankfully people with HIV are living relatively normal lives, as a society we cannot afford to be complacent. HIV is a chronic condition, which requires lifetime medical treatment. The area of stigma and isolation remains a massive issue for those affected. There also continues to be dramatic increases in other sexually transmitted infections and an increase in the misuse of drugs and alcohol across all sectors of society, but especially among young and vulnerable groups, which has accelerated the growth in HIV/STIs.

Our Goal at AIDS West must be to continue to bring awareness about the issues around Sexual Transmitted Infections into the public domain. Our many achievements at AIDS West during 20010, as outlined in the manager’s summary, are a reflection of this goal and of the dedication and commitment of the organisation in the provision of the highest quality services to our clients.

We need the following:

· Commitment of our funders, in recognising the value of the work we do and continuing to support us to realise our goals

· Commitment of our staff and voluntary supporters, fundraisers, outreach workers and donors, to provide the ongoing provision of services at the centre

· Commitment of our Board of Management to provide leadership and direction for the organisation

· Commitment of our partner organisations, both statutory and voluntary, to enable us to work innovatively in partnership by pooling resources

On behalf of the Board I would like to thank you all for your support in the past year.

Keith Finnegan

Chairman

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