The right car for the right job...

For those unfamiliar with strategic planning a strong mission and vision are crucial to an organization's success. We can think of the strategic planning process as a road trip. On this trip:

• vision represents your destination - where you're going, what you want to achieve
• the plan is your road map - how you'll get there, exactly what you'll do to achieve your vision, what turns you'll take, how many miles you'll go
• the mission is your vehicle - what will actually get you there, a broad statement of your reason for existing

Basically, you need to make sure that your car is up for your journey.
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Since the Down East AIDS Network was founded in 1987 our mission has remained the same:

To support those affected by HIV and education and inform the public to prevent the spread of the disease.

To this day this mission remains at the core of what we do. Yet over the past 25 years times have changed. Battles have been fought and won, new medicines developed, new laws passed and new issues have emerged. Changing times require adaptation to continue to be a positive force, to continue to be relevant.

In light of the changing nature of funding for HIV services, advances in medicine, the Affordable Care Act and its effects, and ineffective prevention paradigms the Board and leadership of the Down East AIDS Network have been working to update DEAN's mission and lay out a vision for the world we want to create. This has involved a lot of review of what we do, discussion with experts and clients, and reflection on the path forward.

In this final phase of the visioning process we are seeking public input. Be a part of the new and shiny DEAN! Tell us your thoughts!

Potential themes from the new mission and vision may include:

• realizing health and social equity, in effect addressing the uneven distribution of HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and other health disparities
• promoting health and wellbeing among and empowering those marginalized communities that have been most impacted by HIV and Hepatitis C
• celebrating diversity and addressing stigma and discrimination, including the stigma leveled against people living with HIV and those communities most impacted by HIV
• ending AIDS-related deaths and arresting the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C and other health disparities that predominantly affect those marginalized communities most impacted by HIV

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Living this mission would involve working closely with those marginalized communities that have been hit hardest by HIV over the last 25 years including: people living with HIV; the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community; people who inject drugs; youth; and racial and ethnic minorities such as the Native American tribes.
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This mission further recognizes that health and public health outcomes are a combination of individual, community and social factors ranging from access to oppression, from poor choices to poor policies, and from risky behavior to mental health issues.  In recognizing this our work will adapt to reflect this understanding, working with communities at multiple levels to address the underpinnings of disproportionate rates of HIV, Hepatitis C, Substance Use and other health disparities. More often this will take the shape of providing community-level services, as opposed to one-on-one case management: facilitating collaboration education, advocacy and action to make a difference at the community level.

Moreover, we feel that this mission will enhance DEAN's sustainability. Where most AIDS Service Organizations have been absorbed into hospital networks or health centers, DEAN remains staunchly independent and focused on the needs of the community. In updating DEAN's mission we hope to be able to maintain that independent voice for a long time to come in order to continue to provide high quality, personalized services to people living with HIV and promote the health and wellbeing of those marginalized communities most impacted by the disease. By reframing our work the new mission may make us more attractive to financial supporters and further enable to submission of successful grant proposals to help make DEAN work.