Mesh Tandon
Maripoza Foundation helps HIV-positive patients with substance abuse treatment
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
“The disease of addiction is rooted in shame,” said Mesh Tandon, executive director of the Maripoza Foundation. The new Dallas-based Maripoza Foundation offers substance abuse and chemical sex treatment, intervention and prevention services to those who are HIV-positive.
More than half of new HIV transmission takes place when people are under the influence, Tandon explained. Injection drug use is a contributing factor in 20 percent of all HIV cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Alcohol and drugs affect affect a person’s judgement and increase the risk of contracting HIV.
A quarter of people with HIV are in need of substance abuse treatment. But receiving treatment for chemical dependency is out of reach for many.
Maripoza provides the financial assistance necessary to help those in need of residential treatment. Although locally based, the organization serves people nationally.
Tandon explained that his organization isn’t trying to reinvent drug treatment. Other organizations provide the actual services; Maripoza just helps individuals access those services. For out-patient treatment, his organization works with Legacy Counseling Center and with Resource Center.
In the U.S., there are no in-patient chemical dependency facilities for people with HIV. But Maripoza has screened facilities that have experience working with people who are HIV-positive and that understand the LGBTQ community and will focus on the particular issues that concern people with HIV and LGBTQ people.
After a patient applies for assistance through the organization’s website and is accepted, the clinical director devises a plan for the patient. The in-patient curriculum includes a discussion of LGBTQ issues such as coming out, acceptance and sexual behaviors.
“The goal is to identify bottom-line behaviors, build self-worth and identify what safe behaviors are,” Tandon said. The plan might include abstinence for a short period. If a couple is going through treatment, separate treatment plans are created.
During the pandemic and this period of isolation, more people are reaching out for help with addiction, Tandon said. While people are out of work is a good time for them to seek treatment. If entering a facility is part of the treatment, an employer is less likely to know that employee was seeking treatment.
“A wandering mind is a dangerous mind,” Tandon suggested. With a lot of time on everyone’s hands while waiting out lockdowns and periods of isolation, substance abuse is apparently increasing, and the need for treatment among people in the community has increased.
“More people are reaching out,” Tandon said. “And recovery meetings are not available.”
Through the pandemic, elective procedures have been curtailed. Even dental practices have been closed. But treatment centers are operating.
Working with counselors helps patients in recovery.
“There is relapse,” Tandon said. “That’s part of many people’s stories. Sometimes you need to have a breakdown to have a breakthrough.”
Tandon said that for many people to have that breakthrough, something needs to happen to make them realize how much they can lose very quickly. That may include “loss of a job, a partner or an arrest — an array of consequences.”
That’s when Maripoza is most effective, helping a client get into treatment and create a plan that extends beyond a year. In-patient treatment is followed by counseling that is monitored by one of Maripoza’s case managers.
Substance abuse disorders affect more than 20 percent of the LGBTQ population compared to about 9 percent of the population in general. Fortunately, the LGBTQ population tends to seek treatment at a higher rate than the general population. And LGBTQ people respond to treatment sensitive to their needs.
Assistance from Maripoza is granted based on an individual’s needs and the foundation’s available funds. To apply for assistance or to donate to help others seek treatment, visit Maripoza.org.
