For over 20 years, NCAP has been the community-based organization that has led the response to HIV and AIDS in Northern Colorado. The agency has evolved according to the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS, along with adapting to public policy and attitudes towards the disease.

NCAP is the only AIDS service organization in 16,000 square miles that provides comprehensive medical case management and prevention education/outreach services, including confidential HIV testing. We have developed an extensive network of collaborative and cooperative service providers throughout our vast geographic rural/frontier service area to ensure HIV/AIDS care and prevention remain in our local communities.

The amount of time between initial HIV infection to death from AIDS varies tremendously. A very small number of people (“nonprogressors”) who are HIV-positive never develop AIDS – it is suspected that these few people have certain genetic differences that discourage immune system damage⁴. For most HIV-positive people who do not receive any treatment for HIV, AIDS develops around 10 years after initial infection (sometimes years sooner, sometimes years later)⁵. Once a person has AIDS, it is difficult to say with certainty when that person’s health will ultimately fail. Intervention after a diagnosis of AIDS can help the immune system function longer.