The Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS) is a coalition of community members and health departments from the seven local jurisdictions that are directly funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct HIV prevention programs (Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles County, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC). Collectively these metropolitan areas represent more than 1/3 of the nation’s cumulative AIDS cases and are the epicenters of the urban HIV epidemic.

UCHAPS seeks to bring enhanced and focused attention and resources to cities which have faced a disproportionate burden of infection throughout the history of the epidemic. The impact of HIV/AIDS in these cities has been compounded by the number of HIV infections among those citizens most disenfranchised from traditional systems of medical and health care. UCHAPS believes that by working together, members can enhance the federal and local responses to HIV and AIDS in urban environments. This mission can be accomplished by UCHAPS through individual and collaborative efforts to educate and inform elected and appointed leaders in all branches of the federal government. UCHAPS works to enhance efforts to stem the urban HIV epidemic through concerted advocacy activities, through jurisdictional technical assistance and technology transfer activities among member jurisdictions.

The specific purposes of UCHAPS include the following: