The Pacific Island Jurisdictions AIDS Action Group (PIJAAG) was formed in 2001.  A group of concerned individuals, AIDS professionals, consumers and local and federal partners and various health department representatives joined to form a progressive process and start plans to advance the state of HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care in the Pacific.
As a result, work began to engage these plans into action.  The community and the health departments of the jurisdictions are now in a process to redefine community planning to make the work of addressing HIV/AIDS in the Pacific more effective and meaningful while maximizing shared resources and exploring new collaborations and partnerships.

PIJAAG MISSION STATEMENT
PIJAAG is comprised of representatives of the United States affiliated Pacific Island Jurisdiction standing united to speak in one voice around the shared issues of HIV/AIDS in our island communities. PIJAAG’s purpose is to do the following:

 PIJAAG strongly advocates for changes in the response to the AIDS epidemic in the pacific region, both internally as a region and externally from federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
PIJAAG sees the need to develop a regional model of HIV prevention and services and feels strongly that twenty years into the epidemic with no relief in sight; several changes need to be made to respond to the AIDS epidemic in the Pacific region.

Director’s Notes:  The Normal Heart
“The human contribution is the essential ingredient.  It is only the giving of oneself to others that we truly live.”  These are the words of Ethel Perry Andrus.  Words that truly represent the work you are about to witness tonight.  The Normal Heart was just another job I auditioned for as a professional actor.  I played the role of Mickey Marcus.  But I did not realize the impact and the importance of this work as a theatre piece and a message piece.  We learn a great deal about each other based on our histories and actions.  This play is a history on the plague we know as AIDS and is one of most important examples of getting to know what we are up against as activists and people living in the age of this disease. 

The presentation of this play is not as unorthodox as you might think.  Plays go through processes of evolution known as staged readings.  The directors, producers, and playwrights need to see the play “on its feet” and more importantly the actors giving the characters a voice.  We as actors kindly and graciously give you this work as an expression of our dedication to educating the public about AIDS and the prejudice that surrounds it.  The work itself is presented in the simplest form possible – bare stage, uniformed costumes, and basic lighting.  It is now your job to use your imagination to create the scenarios and situations.  We hope to help you in the images you create. 

Now we ask you to contribute and to give of yourself for this cause we feel so strongly. 

Ricky Vergara, Director, The Normal Heart (Read More)