The Austin Area HIV Planning Council is accepting nominations for the 2023 Community STAR Awards honoring professionals and community volunteers whose work has significantly impacted the HIV/AIDS community in Austin and Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. The Austin Area HIV Planning Council wishes to bring public attention to the important work of these extraordinary individuals. 

Nominations should be submitted via Survey Monkey at qrco.de/StarAwards. The deadline for nominations is August 31, 2023. After the nominations close, voting for the Community STAR Award will be open to the community. The Professional STAR Award will be selected by the Austin Area HIV Planning Council. Award recipients will be honored on World AIDS Day December 1, 2023. 

About the STAR Awards: Austin Area HIV Planning Council is seeking nominations in two categories: the Community STAR Award and the Professional STAR Award. The Community STAR Achiever Award recognizes an outstanding volunteer serving the HIV/AIDS community in extraordinary and meaningful ways. The Professional Award recognizes professional providers serving the Austin and Central Texas HIV/AIDS populations. Professional disciplines include physicians, nurses, medical case managers, non-medical case managers, clinical researchers, mental health counselors, oral health clinicians, hospice caregivers, substance abuse counselors and other professionals. With a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the STAR Award’s nominees and recipients reflect the rich cultural diversity of the populations we proudly serve. 

About the Austin Area HIV Planning Council: The Austin Area HIV Planning Council’s mission is to optimize the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS in Central Texas. Serving the Austin five-county area for nearly 20 years, the Austin Area HIV Planning Council is a federally mandated planning body authorized under Part A of the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act to carry out duties that support the local Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.  

The Ryan White Part A Program is a federally funded public health program that works with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV-related services to more than half a million people each year. The program is for those who do not have sufficient health care coverage or financial resources for coping with HIV disease, filling gaps in care not covered by these other sources.  

The HIV Planning Council is the premier community-based entity dedicated solely to planning and resource allocations for HIV/AIDS care, treatment and support of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Transitional Grant Area (TGA) of Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties. Over $4 million annually are entrusted to the Austin Area HIV Planning Council’s authority.  

The Austin Area HIV Planning Council membership is comprised of community volunteers appointed by the Mayor of Austin. Each year, approximately one-half (1/2) of people living with HIV/AIDS in the TGA benefit from the Austin Area HIV Planning Council’s planning, policies, and decisions about resource allocations for the provision of HIV services. At the grassroots level, the HIV Planning Council’s decisions translate to an improved quality of life for these individuals.