World AIDS Day, Dec. 1, 2020

Abounding Prosperity Inc.
(above) Abounding Prosperity Inc. celebrated National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Feb. 7 with the grand opening of the HOPE Health and Wellness Center at 1619 Martin Luther King Blvd. Then in August, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson announced that Abounding Prosperity had received a total of $565,000 through two federal grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of the Special Projects of National Significance Program — to increase rapid access to lifesaving HIV medications for HIV-positive populations and to expand the delivery and utilization of comprehensive care and treatment services for Black women with HIV in Dallas County. (Pictured: Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Adam Medrano, API CEO Kirk Myers and API COO Tamera Stephney at the February grand opening)

 

AIN
AIN (AIDS Interfaith Network, dba Access and Information Network) offers case management services — including intake and enrollment, non-medical case management and medical case management — for people with HIV/AIDS. They also offer medical transportation and linguistic services, as well as the Daire Center with day care and meals for people with HIV/AIDS. AIN also provides outreach initiatives, health education and HIV prevention programs. In the most recent year with data available, AIN distributed 190,000 DART bus passes; provided 90,000 hours of day center services; served 25,000 meals; contacted 12,000 persons through outreach and prevention services; provided 9,000 van rides; provided 7,000 sessions of Spanish language interpretation and translation, and coordinated care through case management for 2,000 clients. (Pictured: Harvey Meissner with the Hidden Door presents a donation to staff at AIN, including President and CEO Steven Pace)

 

AIDS Services of Dallas
In August, an empty building at 511 N. Lancaster Ave. owned by AIDS Services of Dallas caught fire and burned to the ground. ASD was about to renovate the property to create additional housing units. ASD still plans to build on the property to provide additional housing for its residents.

 

AIDS Outreach Center
After the death of Shannon Hilgart, executive director of AIDS Outreach Center, Patrice Williams was named the new E.D. of, Tarrant County’s largest HIV service organization. Williams took the helm in July.

 

CAN Community Health – Arlington
CAN Community Health (CAN) added a new health clinic in Arlington to deliver premier HIV medical care and services to patients regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. CAN first opened a clinic in Florida in 1991 and now has 36 locations nationwide serving those with HIV, Hepatitis C, STDs and more. (Pictured: The staff at CAN in Arlington)

 

HELP Center for LGBT Health and Wellness
The HELP Center for LGBT Health and Wellness in Arlington and Fort Worth offers PrEP at no cost through TelePrEP. Executive Director DeeJay Johannessen explained TeleHealth has become the new standard of care during the pandemic. Through TelePrEP, a new patient can go online, request an appointment and receive paperwork electronically. All TelePrEP services are free.

 

Resource Center
For World AIDS Day, Resource Center hosts the Red Ribbon Tree Lighting, which will stream virtually on Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 6:30-7 p.m. with a candlelight vigil and entertainment from the Turtle Creek Chorale. The event will be streamed via Resource Center’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. Afterwards, from 7-7:30 p.m., the community is invited to the Center’s Community Center located at 5750 Cedar Springs Road for a drive-thru experience to view festive holiday lights and enjoy hot cocoa compliments of Starbuck’s. (Pictured: The HIV/AIDS mural on the side of Resource Center’s Nelson Tebedo Clinic)

 

Legacy Counseling Center
Legacy Counseling Center Executive Director Melissa Grove will discuss HIV, the early AIDS crisis, and what similarities she sees in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in a virtual presentation for Dallas College students on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. The event will stream only at https://bit.ly/WorldAIDSDay2020-DallasCollege.

 

Prism Health North Texas
Prism Health North Texas provides primary care for people living with HIV at three clinics — in South Dallas, Oak Cliff and Oak Lawn, pictured, with a variety of services plus PrEP for HIV prevention and STI testing and treatment and a pharmacy.

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HIV and the trans community
HIV statistics among the transgender community:
• Transgender persons accounted for approximately 2 percent of diagnoses of HIV infections in the U.S. or about 760 newly diagnosed infections.
• Of the diagnoses for transgender people, 92 percentwere among MTF.
• The number of diagnoses of HIV infection among transgender adults and adolescents in the Northeast and West increased while the numbers for transgender adults and adolescents in the Midwest and South remained stable.

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HIV/AIDS Statistics
HIV and AIDS remain a persistent problem for the United States and countries around the world, the CDC writes on its website. While great progress has been made in preventing and treating HIV, there is still much to do.
These statistics are for 2018, the most recent year for which AIDS information is available:
• 37,968 people received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S. and six dependent areas.
• Men accounted for 30,691 or 81 percent of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses.
• Black/African American gay and bisexual men accounted for 9,712 or 26 percent of new HIV diagnoses.
• The annual number of new diagnoses decreased 7 percent from 2014 to 2018.
• An estimated 1.2 million people in the U.S. had HIV at the end of 2018.
• Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men accountedfor 69 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. and dependent areas. Heterosexuals madeup 24 percent of all HIV diagnoses.
• There were 15,820 deaths among adults and adolescents with diagnosed HIV in the U.S. and dependent areas.
• Of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses, 51 percent were in the South.

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An HIV/AIDS Directory for North Texas
• Abounding Prosperity Inc.; AboundingProsperity.org
• AIDS Healthcare Foundation; AIDSHealth.org (AHF)
• AIDS Interfaith Network dba Access and Information Network; AINDallas.org
• AIDS Outreach Center, Tarrant County; AOC.org
• AIDS Services of Dallas; AIDSDallas.org
• AIDS Walk of South Dallas;  AIDSWalkSouthDallas.com
• CAN Community Health-Arlington; CanCommunityHealth.org
• Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund; GDMAF.org
• HELP Center for LGBT Health and Wellness; HelpCenterTX.org
• Legacy Counseling Center and Hope Founders Cottage; LegacyCares.org
• Legal Hospice of Texas; LegalHospice.org
• Prism Health North Texas; PHNTX.org
• Resource Center; myresourcecenter.org
• Tuckers Gift; Facebook.com/TuckersGift