Our History | Boulder County AIDS Project

“And we have to leave a legacy to the generations of people who will come after us. Remember that some day the AIDS crisis will be over, and when that day has come and gone, there will be people alive on this earth – gay people and straight people, black people and white people, men and women who will hear the story that once there was a terrible disease and that a brave group of people stood up and fought, and in some cases died, so that others might live and be free.” - Peter Rousseau, AIDS Activist

1985

BCAP founded. 2 volunteers work 2 afternoons per week on a borrowed phone line. 49 people served.
Blood banks begin screening the country’s blood for HIV antibodies.
AIDS cases reported on every populated continent in the world.
20,470 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1986

37,061 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1987

BCAP has five volunteers and regular office hours.
The American Medical Association rules that doctors are obligated to provide treatment for people with AIDS.
President Reagan makes the first public address on AIDS.
59,572 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1988

BCAP has 25 volunteers and a new home at 934 Pearl Street. The food bank opens. 578 HIV cases in Boulder County.
Human trials of anti-HIV vaccine begin.
89,864 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1989

BCAP expands office hours. Nancy Brandauer becomes first paid staff.
The FDA authorizes pre-approval distribution of AZT for treatment of pediatric HIV cases.
115, 786 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1990

BCAP receives federal funding for case management services. BCAP finds a new home at 2118 14th Street. Condom Squad begins. AIDS Memorial Garden christened.
Ryan White succumbs to AIDS.
161,073 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1991

One case manager serves 90 clients. First prevention staff hired.
CDC cuts funding for 23 of 27 national programs of AIDS prevention in minority communities.
206,392 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1992

BCAP Interfaith AIDS Coalition begins. BCAP has 145 trained volunteers. KBCO begins donating portion of sales from their Studio C disc. Second case manager hired to serve 125 clients.
First clinical trial of multiple drug therapy is held.
242,000 AIDS cases are reported in the U.S.

1993

BCAP named Best Boulder Art Event for Art Auction by the Daily Camera. Bilingual case manager hired.
AIDS is the leading cause of death for young adults in 64 U.S. cities.
399,250 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1994

The polyurethane condom for men appears on the market.
Health and Human Services announces the eighteen members of the National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development.
441,528 AIDS cases have been reported in the U.S.

1995

BCAP Latino Outreach program launched. First Halloween Bash fundraiser. Beacon Clinic opens.
HIV is the leading cause of death of Americans 24 to 44 years of age. But the U.S. also experiences the first drop in the annual death rate since the beginning of the epidemic.
513,486 cases of AIDS reported in the U.S.

1996

The BCAP budget, which started at $13, 676 in 1985, now tops $.5 million.
The FDA approves the first HIV home testing that can be purchased over-the-counter.

1997

BCAP sells 450 boxes of holiday greeting cards. Latino outreach media campaign begins. BCAP house renovation begins. 200 clients are served.
AIDS deaths drop 19% in the U.S.

1998

BCAP receives donation of two-bedroom house from Rachel Walton in memory of James Curley.
Renovation of BCAP house complete.
An analysis of a blood sample preserved since 1959 shows that the first HIV infections occurred in the late 1940s or early 1950s.

1999

BCAP first annual Midsummer Night’s Walk.
The first large-scale study of HIV infection among gay men in New York City finds that large numbers have become infected with HIV in the last two years.

2000

Tile Memorial Wall is mounted in the BCAP house.
BCAP has 17 staff members, (13 full-time) and 300 trained volunteers. BCAP is open and staffed 50+ hours a week and serves 200 HIV+ individuals and their families.

2001

BCAP creates HIV in the Workplace Outreach Program.
A local philanthropist generously donates a lot on Elder Street in Boulder. BCAP begins work to build permanent affordable housing for HIV positive people.
BCAP donates 10% of the Midsummer Night’s Walk revenues to international AIDS relief efforts.

2002

Scavenger Hunt becomes BCAP’s first fundraiser to be held in Broomfield County.
Board, staff, volunteers and community members develop a Five Year Strategic Plan.
A new agency video and website are unveiled.
793,026 cases of AIDS reported in the U.S. It is estimated that 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS.
BCAP’s HIV Care Services programs serve 335 clients this year.

2003

BCAP provides office space for Boulder Pride and consolidates its operations under one roof at 2188 14th Street, moving the BCAP Market from the “Little House” at 2132 14th Street to the basement of the BCAP House.
Eaton House opens – a collaborative project between BCAP, Boulder County, City of Boulder, St. John’s, Gill Foundation, the Bamboo Fund and many others including the Youth Build Project of the Boulder Valley School District. This permanently affordable home houses 4 BCAP clients.
BCAP offers on-site OraSure HIV antibody testing in partnership with Boulder County Public Health.

2004

The Beacon Clinic is re-established as a Ryan White Title III Early Intervention Services medical clinic in partnership with BCAP and Boulder Community Hospital. BCAP begins integrating case management services with the clinic, ensuring comprehensive service delivery.
A CDC analysis of new HIV infections in 29 states that have names-based HIV reporting – not including New York and California – finds that 35% of new HIV infections between 1999 and 2002 resulted from heterosexual sex; of these, 63% were women and 74% were African-American.
BCAP expands its HIV anitibody testing to include OraQuick – providing results within 20 minutes.
BCAP experiences its second year of cuts from its federal funding source – the Ryan White CARE Act – to the tune of 35%.

2005

BCAP case managers begin collaborating with case managers at the Northern Colorado AIDS Project to ensure equity in care as the Beacon Clinic begins to serve patients in northeast Colorado.
14% of individuals newly infected with HIV already exhibit resistence to at least one anti-HIV medication.
Ryan White CARE Act Reauthorization is underway, with major proposed changes in principles, funding guidelines, and implications for BCAP.
BCAP and Boulder County Public Health initiate offsite HIV testing and counseling at various community businesses and organizations.

2006

BCAP Longmont office moves into the Powell Service Center, sharing office space with Intercambio de Communidades and Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center.
A quarter century has passed since the first AIDS case was reported.
682 people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in Boulder County. Of those, 143 have died, and 539 are living with the disease.
BCAP and Boulder County Public Health collaborate on the first annual National HIV Testing Day community event.

2007

The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 565,000 people have died in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic.
BCAP launches Atlas, a peer based education, service learning, testing and support program for men who have sex with men with a mission to “build a world where HIV transmission is rare”.
BCAP pilots Hispanos Para la Salud serving Longmont’s Hispanic/Latino community.
Timothy Ray Brown, a 42-year old San Francisco man co-infected with leukemia and HIV, receives a stem cell transplant of rare, HIV-resistant cells in Germany and is declared HIV-free.

2008

Legislation ends the statutory HIV travel and immigration ban.
The 17th International AIDS Conference is held in Mexico City; the first to be held in Latin America.
The CDC releases new HIV incidence estimates, showing that the U.S. epidemic is worse than previously thought.
An estimated 4,555 individuals are living with AIDS in the state of Colorado.
BCAP offers Hepatitis C education and testing to at-risk populations.

2009

The Ryan White Care Act is reauthorized for a four year extension.
Results from the large-scale HIV Vaccine Trial in Thailand are published and were not as successful as scientists had hoped.
Congress eliminates long-standing statutory ban on the use of federal funding for needle exchange in the United States.
Washington, D.C. is announced as the host for the International AIDS Conference in July 2012, marking the first time this conference will be held in the US since 1980.
There are 421 reported new cases of HIV in Colorado in 2009 according to the CDC.

2010

BCAP serves 233 men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS and provides 959 rapid HIV testing and counseling sessions during the year.
The Obama Administration publishes the first ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States.
BCAP observes 25 years of service to Boulder County and surrounding communities.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is signed into United States law by President Barack Obama in March 2010.
BCAP sells the Powell Service Center to Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center and moves to 515 Kimbark Street, Suite 100 to provide centrally located bilingual services to persons who are living with HIV in the Longmont community.
Removal of the US HIV travel ban officially begins.

2011

June 5 marks the 30th anniversary since the first AIDS case was reported. The CDC estimates that more than one million people are living with HIV in the United States with one in five (21%) of those people living with HIV unaware of their infection. 56,300 Americans become infected with HIV each year. 18,000+ people with AIDS continue to die each year in the US.
Medical researchers identify HIV treatment as a form of prevention and prioritize a need to identify HIV infection earlier in infection with early entry into care as prevention strategies.
Timothy Ray Brown remains HIV-free three years after a stem cell transplant, raising hope that a future cure may be possible.
Syringe exchange is legalized in Colorado. Boulder County Public Health’s Works Program becomes the first legal syringe exchange in the state.

2012

BCAP serves 242 clients and administers 597 HIV tests.
In July, the United States hosts the International AIDS conference for the first time in Washington D.C.
The FDA advisory panel recommended approval of the daily pill Truvada for healthy people who are at high risk of contracting HIV, including gay and bisexual men and heterosexual couples with on HIV-positive partner.

2013

With funding from the Macy’s Passport Fund, new BCAP website is launched.

2005-2012 updated by BCAP staffers; national and international information is from CNN’s 30 Years of AIDS Timeline (http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/25/aids.timeline/index.html)