AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod:
serving Cape Cod & the Islands

The AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod covers over 500 square miles and serves over 100,000 people a year through prevention & education, counseling & testing, needle exchange and direct service to individuals and families infected and affected by AIDS.

In 1984—three years into the U.S. HIV epidemic—elected officials on Capitol Hill were inactive and silent as the epidemic’s impact grew from affecting gay men in New York and San Francisco to affecting every population and community in the United States.

In response to the federal government’s seeming indifference, groups of volunteers organized at the local level to educate their communities on HIV prevention, to care for those living with the virus, and to grieve for those lost to AIDS-defining conditions.

At the forefront was Provincetown, where hundreds of people living with AIDS arrived seeking acceptance and compassionate care. The AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (previously the Provincetown AIDS Support Group) was one of the country’s first response teams. Our doors opened in 1983.

Organizational History and Growth

Founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1986, the Provincetown AIDS Support Group (PASG) began as a grass-roots, volunteer-based response to the AIDS epidemic in Provincetown. At that point in the epidemic, Provincetown was at the epicenter of the AIDS crisis and hundreds of sick gay men moved here to avoid stigma and to find a welcoming and caring community. Our organization has continued to respond to the needs of men and women living with HIV/AIDS, changing our services and service area to accommodate those infected and affected by HIV.

In 1995, the ASGCC began construction on the Cape's first housing facility for people with AIDS. The program was named Foley House after the PASG’s founding executive director, Alice Foley. This year Foley House is celebrating its 10th year of service.

Also in 1995, the Support Group started two major initiatives: The Gay Men’s AIDS Prevention Project and the Provincetown Needle Exchange. Both programs—what we now refer to as Harm Reduction Services—were innovative efforts to reduce the spread of HIV in our community. The Gay Men’s AIDS Prevention Project, now referred to as our Men’s Health Project, reaches tens of thousands of individuals each summer with education and prevention tools. Our needle exchange program remains one of only 4 Department of Public Health sanctioned needle exchange programs in the Commonwealth.

In 1996, the PASG expanded across the Cape, opening up two satellite offices to provide services to people with HIV. These affiliate offices operated under the PASG as the Upper Cape AIDS Network in Falmouth, and Cape AIDS Resource Exchange and Services in Yarmouth.

In 2002, the Boards of Directors of the CARES and UCAN offices voted to merge, officially becoming part of the Provincetown AIDS Support Group. The organization's name was changed from Provincetown AIDS Support Group to the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod (ASGCC) to more accurately reflect the services provided by the agency to people with HIV/AIDS living on Cape Cod.

In 2005, the ASGCC again expanded its service area to provide direct services to individuals living with HIV on Martha’s Vineyard and subcontracting with the Nantucket AIDS Network to provide services on that island. Today, the ASGCC remains one of the oldest continuously-operating AIDS service organizations in the country.

We continue to re-examine our services and roles and will be undertaking a strategic planning process during the 2008 fiscal year to ensure that we are offering appropriate, effective and cost-effective services to our Cape and Islands communities.

The total operating budget of the ASGCC is approximately $1,600,000. Of that, approximately $1,071,000 is in the form of contracts and grants with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, $32,000 is from Cape communities and the remainder is from private fundraising efforts.

Our Community. Our Commitment.

© 2008 AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod