By Gutierrez H.R. No. 750 74R10698 PFG-D R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Minority AIDS Education Program of Planned 1-2 Parenthood of Hidalgo County has been selected as one of the Best 1-3 of Texas programs for 1995 by the Corporate Fund for Children, and 1-4 this special recognition is indeed well deserved; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Each year the Corporate Fund for Children searches 1-6 communities throughout the state for innovative programs that are 1-7 improving the lives of children and their families; to qualify for 1-8 receipt of this prestigious honor, programs must offer unique 1-9 solutions to persistent social problems, assist traditionally 1-10 underserved populations, respect multiculturally diverse 1-11 populations, and be model programs that other communities can 1-12 emulate; and 1-13 WHEREAS, The Minority AIDS Education Program was launched by 1-14 Planned Parenthood of Hidalgo County in 1988 when the group secured 1-15 a grant to check the rapid spread of HIV infection in the local 1-16 minority population; now in its eighth year of service to Hidalgo 1-17 and Starr County residents, the program has educated almost 50,000 1-18 individuals on AIDS prevention and in recent years has expanded its 1-19 services to offer HIV-testing and counseling at five area clinics; 1-20 and 1-21 WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood's AIDS coordinators target those 1-22 individuals most at risk for contracting the disease in the 1-23 community, including teenagers, migrant workers, gang members, 1-24 women of child-bearing age, and gay men, and tailor presentations 2-1 on AIDS education and prevention to the unique perspective of each 2-2 client population; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Recognizing the vital stake families have in AIDS 2-4 prevention, the program encourages husbands and wives to talk 2-5 openly with each other about their sexual practices and to stress 2-6 to their children the risks of drug and alcohol abuse and giving in 2-7 to peer pressure, which can ultimately result in an HIV infection; 2-8 and 2-9 WHEREAS, The staff of Planned Parenthood have made 2-10 significant strides in reaching those most at risk for developing 2-11 an infection and have been asked to share their expertise in 2-12 identifying and targeting these populations with the Prevention 2-13 Planning Coalition of the Texas Department of Health; and 2-14 WHEREAS, To achieve its mission, Planned Parenthood has 2-15 collaborated with the Hidalgo County Health Department, The 2-16 University of Texas--Pan American, and the Midwest Migrant Health 2-17 Information Organization as well as a number of other groups 2-18 working in this area, and the organization has received essential 2-19 funding from the Texas Department of Health and the Levi Strauss 2-20 Foundation; and 2-21 WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood of Hidalgo County joins two other 2-22 groups in the Valley who have been designated Best of Texas 2-23 programs this year, Project ARISE and the Border Association for 2-24 Refugees from Central America (BARCA), a truly noteworthy 2-25 accomplishment that is directly attributable to local citizens' 2-26 sincere concern for the welfare of others; and 2-27 WHEREAS, The outstanding AIDS education efforts of Planned 3-1 Parenthood of Hidalgo County have made remarkable progress in 3-2 slowing the spread of this devastating illness in the Valley 3-3 community, and the many dedicated individuals who have made this 3-4 excellent program a success are truly deserving of our highest 3-5 praise and recognition at this time; now, therefore, be it 3-6 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-7 Legislature hereby congratulate Planned Parenthood of Hidalgo 3-8 County on their receipt of a Best of Texas designation for their 3-9 outstanding work in promoting greater AIDS awareness among local 3-10 citizens through the Minority AIDS Education Program; and, be it 3-11 further 3-12 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-13 prepared for Planned Parenthood of Hidalgo County as an expression 3-14 of highest regard by the Texas House of Representatives.