Who We Are
We are one of a few national HIV/AIDS non-profit, clinic-based organizations that provides on-site social service support to people with HIV/AIDS. We are co-located with and operate as the collaborating partner of Garden State Infectious Disease Associates, PA (GSIDA), the largest Early Intervention Program (EIP) and private provider of HIV/AIDS care in Southern New Jersey. GSIDA has provided nationally recognized HIV/AIDS medical care for over 20 years.
Our partnership is a new model.
Most HIV/AIDS support organizations are community based, often miles from the closest EIP. The Center for Disease Control recommends the “one stop” multidisciplinary model of the medical-social services partnership. By forming an on-site partnership of social services with the medical staff in a multidisciplinary approach, we receive immediate information and feedback about the total needs of a client. The on-site partnership eliminates the gap in service that often happens when future appointments must be made at other sites. Failure to follow through for essential services impedes health. We focus on the most marginalized clients.
Our diverse and skilled staff team understands the unique care needs presented by different ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, and education levels. We understand that quick action is needed when someone is homeless, or when the person is ready “now” for a substance abuse or mental health placement. These are the kind of client priorities that often impede treatment and must be solved immediately. Also, the physicians and social services staff report on the same chart for each client; thus, the information and dialogue between the two is a seamless partnership that benefits the client.
We use a culturally competent treatment approach emphasizing health literacy that places the client in the center of the partnership. Outcomes of each of our HIV/AIDS support programs demonstrate increases in adherence to medication and appointments, decreases in hospitalizations, increases in ongoing “check-up” visits, and--most importantly--increases in T-Cell count and decreases in viral loads, with an overall increase in wellness.
