Press room ... 1997 archive

Project Inform’s “Evening of Hope”
Fundraising dinner and program at Westin St. Francis Hotel, Friday, November 7

September 3, 1997

San Francisco, CA—Project Inform – since 1985 educating HIV-affected people and their health-care providers about AIDS treatment options – will hold their annual “Evening of Hope” benefit dinner and program on Friday, November 7 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel (Powell Street @ Union Square). Keynote speakers for the event will be Dr. Robert Gallo&##8212;Director of the Institute of Human Virology and a member of the Project Inform’s National Board of Governors—and former director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Dr. Sandra Hernandez.

“Project Inform was the first, and is now internationally-recognized as the voice of hope and education in the ongoing battle against AIDS and HIV,” said Project Inform Executive Director Annette Brands. “The monies raised at this event will not only help us continue disseminating vital treatment information, but also help us advocate on behalf of all our constituents living with AIDS and HIV.”

“While Project Inform remains the voice of hope, it is vital that we recognize that with hope comes danger”, said Martin Delaney, cofounder of Project Inform. “The last two years have brought about the most substantial advances yet seen in the fight against AIDS. But with this new wave of hope has come a dangerous complacency by government and individuals. At this year’s “Evening of Hope,” we celebrate our progress while recognizing the deadly fact that no current treatments offer a cure and that these treatments are likely to fail over time. To save lives and prevent new infections, the government and industry must increase not reduce their commitment to research, and individuals must rededicate themselves to the behaviors of safe sex.”

Robert C. Gallo, MD, Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, is widely recognized for his achievements in pioneering the field of human retrovirology. As head of the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology at the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Gallo spearheaded the research which demonstrated that HIV was the cause of AIDS and developed the first commercially available blood test to detect the virus. Today his new institute is working to develop safer, cheaper and easier-to-use treatments for worldwide distribution. During the last year, Gallo and his colleagues have discovered a new class of HIV inhibitors, the naturally occurring beta chemokines, opening up new areas of human virology. He continues to conduct research into new therapeutic approaches to HIV / AIDS. He has served on Project Inform’s National Board of Governors since its inception in 1984.

Sandra R. Hernandez, MD – Chief Executive Officer and Director of the San Francisco Foundation, served as the City’s Director of Public Health until August 1997. An Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, Hernandez is Chair of the San Francisco Health Authority, a member of the Board of Directors for the Corporation of Supportive Housing and serves on the United States FDA Anti-Infective Drugs and Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee. She is a member of the President’s Commission on consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry, and was the recipient of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco’s “Women Who Could Be President” Award. Hernandez has a B.A. from Yale University and a doctorate from the Tufts University School of Medicine. As Director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health and a leading AIDS clinician, Dr. Hernandez has helped guide the city’s response to the epidemic. During her tenure, she continually stood up to fight the most difficult challenges of the epidemic, including care for homeless, new approaches to prevention, and the consolidation of services.

In 1985, there was no national system for informing either patients or physicians about the options for therapy. Nor is there today. The first task initiated by Project Inform was to collect information on the effects of treatments in common use in the AIDS-impacted community. It was one of the nation’s first calls for community-based research, a process that sought to unite the patient community, researchers, and practicing physicians. Variations on the concept of community-based research were eventually taken up and successfully implemented by others beginning in 1987. Project Inform quickly expanded its efforts through the use of educational materials designed to meet the same goal of helping patients and physicians understand treatment issues. This expansion included the selection and creation of printed materials, periodical publications, a national toll-free treatment information Hotline service, public forums throughout the nation and now an internet site with the latest treatment information – www.projectinform.org.

In 1986, Project Inform became the first activist organization to initiate constructive relations with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over a wide variety of regulatory issues. Project Inform’s relationship with the FDA today ranges from that of educated critic to co-presenter at medical conferences. Over the years. Project Inform’s activist posture has expanded to include extensive work with the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Cancer Institute, the Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, The Office of AIDS Research, the Department of Health and Human Services, Congress, and private industry. Along with ACT UP/New York, Project Inform was one of the two key developers of the “Parallel Track” program and helped write and implement the regulations which today provide early access to experimental therapies for people in need. Project Inform also played a key role in developing policy recommendations for regulatory reform which the FDA implemented in 1992, including the expedited approval of drugs for the treatment of life-threatening illness. Today, Project Inform staff and volunteers serve on nearly every major government and industry panel influencing AIDS research.

Tickets for the Project Inform “An Evening of Hope” dinner and program are $125 per person and can be ordered by calling 415-558-8669. For more information on Project Inform and its programs or the “Evening of Hope” benefit, please call 415-558-8669, email support@projectinform.org or access the Project Inform website at www.projectinform.org. The Project Inform national hotline for AIDS treatment information is 800-822-7422.