Religious Leaders Join Forces with Physicians and Pharmaceutical Leader to Provide Care for HIV-infected Children in HIV/AIDS-devastated Sub-Saharan AFRICA

International Association.. of Physicians in AIDS Care
IOTA TS 33 North LaSalle Street. Suite 2600
CO GaCs.. Chicago,IL60602-2601 USA
Mike Glass Tel:[phone]. Fax: [phone]
International Association hrtp://www.iapac.org
of Physicians in AIDS Care battling compl a c e n c y
[phone] ad v a n c i ng commitment Jose M. Zuniga, Executive Director
[email protected]
Jane Kramer
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
[phone]
o o o 11111 I 111111111I III II1111111111
jane.kramer@ bms.com
5571095.0160.043
Lori Williams
Baylor College of Medicine
[phone]
[email protected]
Religious Leaders Join Forces
with Physicians and Pharmaceutical Leader
to Provide Care For HIV-infected Children
in HIV/AIDS-devastated Sub-Saharan AFRICA
CHICAGO, IL (MAY 18, 2000) - An unprecedented cross-section of Chicago's religious leaders will gather today at
an interfaith breakfast meeting to learn first-hand about the pediatric AIDS crisis in sub-Saharan Africa and how their
congregations may help children living with HIV/AIDS through a new international program, God Bless the Child.
Representatives of some 30 different theologies in the heartland of America will be asked to forge an historic partnership between communities of faith, HIV/AIDS-treating physicians, and a pharmaceutical industry leader to combat
the AIDS crisis by providing a model program for the care and support of HIV-infected children in Africa.
God Bless the Child is a new initiative launched by the Chicago-based International Association of Physicians in AIDS
Care (IAPAC) in partnership with communities of faith; health professionals at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas
Children's Hospital in Houston, Texas, and Princess Marina Hospital in Gaborone, Botswana; and Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company's Secure the Future' initiative.
Communities of Faith Join Forces with Physicians and Industry Leader
The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), the largest global organization of healthcare professionals specializing in HIV/AIDS, and The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), founded as
the National Conference of Christians and Jews, are the breakfast meeting's co-sponsors. Clergy members from 30
religious denominations are expected to attend the May 18 meeting (from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m., at the Palmer House
Hilton Hotel in Chicago's Loop).
"The National Conference for Community and Justice has long worked to bring together people from different faith
communities to address issues focusing on the common good. Today, we expand the universe of partnerships to
include our colleagues in the medical community and pharmaceutical industry. By co-sponsoring this important
event, the NCCJ is contributing toward a better life for countless children living with HIV/AIDS," said Rev. Stanley
L. Davis, NCCJ's Executive Director.
(over)

Fourth international Organizing Committee Conference Co-Chairs Committee Members Rafael Mazin Jaime Sepulveda
Conference on Healthcare Conference Chair aUeve Fransen Charles Gilks Washington, DC, USA Cuemrnavaca, Morelos, Mexico
Resource Allocation for Hoosen Coovadia Brussels, Belgium Liverpool, UKerriens brahim Shoaib
Jos Perriens Ibrahim Shoaib
HIV/AIDS and Other Durban, South Africa Joseph Saba Salim Habayeb Geneva, Switzerland Tanta, Egypt
Life-Threatening Illnesses Dublin, Ireland Washington, DC, USA
Praphan Phanuphak Eric van Praag
October 16-18, 2000 Jose M. Zuniga Helen Jackson Bangkok, Thailand Geneva. Switzerland
Cairo, Egypt Chicago, Illinois, USA Harare. Zimbabwe

To let oneself be bound by a duty from the moment you see it approaching is part of the integrity that alone justifies responsibility " - Dag Hammarks/o/d