It’s been nine years since UMA was founded in Morrow County. What a few years it has been from a kitchen table to a 501C3 organization fighting for fairness and equality. So the question has been where is UMA in the past couple months, well here is our answer. We have been to Minnesota, many [...]

It’s not to late to DONATE! UMA in the past year has spread it’s wings pushing our own marriage equality brochures, providing HIV rapid testing, a syringe exchange program. Still being the only openly gay run 501c3 organization working in Eastern Oregon. We have provided education to organizations in the form of speakers to local [...]

By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian   The twenty-something woman approached the van looking jittery and conflicted. Seeing that the back of the delivery-style truck was open, she meandered there. The boxy truck, with Umatilla-Morrow Alternatives Health Van written on the side panels, sat on Southwest 4th Street next to Pendleton’s Stillman Park. “Is this where [...]

Please Call Your Senator Today to Save Federal Funding For Syringe Exchange  Efforts Underway to Ban Funding for this important tool to reduce new HIV infection! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Efforts are underway to ban federal funding for syringe exchange programs.  Access to clean needles has proven to be extremely effective in reducing new HIV infections among intravenous [...]

Darrell and I are back from the “BOLD” gathering in freezing  Minneapolis Minnesota. This was a gathering of Queer and Trans People of color run organizations and for people of color from all around the country. We were hosted by local people of color groups like the local Two-spirit society and were given a choice [...]

UMA has been on duty to staff  the warming station in Pendleton, Oregon since November 7,2011. It has taken months of planning and we faced opposition and uncertainty about its’ opening, but on November 15, 2011,  for the first time a warming shelter has opened to assist the homeless. The  temperature that evening reached 23 degrees and the warming shelter provided a place [...]

I don’t have issues with lock down, civil disobedience, or speaking my mind and fortunately, this is not one of those situtations. Where in the NW is UMA next?  We are now back  at home attending more workshops to increase our knowledge and try to improve our skills with what we do in our service work. Our educational mission includes exploring and exposing prejudices [...]

Umatilla Morrow Alternatives has been working on a young adult led group and for the past 6 months. We have been honored to be working with several young Latino girls ranging from 15 to 18. The young girls came to us wanting to be involved and with a surprisingly energetic drive around wanting to help [...]

President Obama launches new National HIV/Aids Strategy The new NIH/CDC National HIV/AIDS strategy  focuses on urban populations and condom distribution. This strategy has been our main mission at UMA for some time and the announcement is not really a change for us. The Oregon State HIV/AIDS  prevention budget has been cut by 1/3.  Funding for  rural [...]