Consumer Council Co-Chair

Samuel Dien has lived in the Rochester area for over 14 years.  During this time, he has been an active member in both the deaf and HIV communities.

Sam has been actively involved in the Consumer Council (formerly the Patient and Client Advisory Committee) for some time now and was recently elected as Co-Chair of the Council.  His regular, participatory attendance at meetings, recruitment of new members, and community involvement are a few of the reasons he was selected by his peers for a leadership role in the Consumer Council.

Outside of his involvement with AIDS Care, Sam is also Vice President of Lilac Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf (LRAD), serves on the Executive Committee for the Finger Lakes HIV Care Network and Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS (RATFA), and is a Mentor for the New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute funded Self Management Mentoring Program.  Sam says being a mentor allows him to assist others living with HIV/AIDS to navigate health care and services issues. Recently, Sam received training through the AIDS Institute that will enable him to better assist with the recruitment of new members for the Ryan White Care Network and RATFA.  Additionally, he has been nominated to sit on the National Quality of Care Consumer Advisory Committee, which serves the Office of Medical Director, New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute.

Over the years, Sam has demonstrated a true commitment to the HIV positive deaf community as well as patients and clients at AIDS Care.

Members of the Consumer Council, AIDS Care staff, and the Board of Directors are pleased to welcome Sam as the new Co-Chair and look forward to working with him to pave the way for the highest quality of care and services at AIDS Care.