Hiv Alliance

SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS AND PREVENTING NEW HIV INFECTIONS.

PREVENTION SERVICES:HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES HIV, OTHER INFECTIONS, AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION SERVICES IN LANE, DOUGLAS, MARION, JOSEPHINE, COOS, CURRY AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN LANE, DOUGLAS, AND MARION COUNTIES. THE PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED ARE SUPPORTED BY THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AND OTHER GOVERNMENT SOURCES, AND THEY ARE EFFECTIVE IN REACHING AND ENGAGING AT-RISK POPULATIONS. COMMUNITY PREVENTION PROGRAMS: HIV ALLIANCE REACHES OUT TO POPULATIONS AT HIGH-RISK FOR ACQUIRING HIV, INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS, UNHOUSED/LOW INCOME PEOPLE, BIPOC, AND LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITIES. OUTREACH IS CONDUCTED THROUGH SYRINGE EXCHANGE SITES, ONLINE DATING SITES, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND AT PLACES WHERE AT-RISK PEOPLE MEET, SUCH AS CLUBS AND OTHER VENUES. TESTS AVAILABLE ARE RAPID SYPHILIS, HIV, AND HEPATITIS C (HCV). STAFF AND NURSES ARE ALSO TRAINED ON HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TESTING TO THE PARTNERS OF HIV ALLIANCE CLIENTS LIVING WITH HIV THROUGHOUT OUR REGION. HIV ALLIANCE PARTNERS WITH A VARIETY OF ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE REGION TO REACH MARGINALIZED WHO LACK ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. ANNUALLY OUR STAFF DISTRIBUTE OVER 53,640 CONDOMS THROUGH THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH EFFORTS. OUR PREP NAVIGATION SERVICES INCLUDE A MULTI-COUNTY TEAM OF NAVIGATORS TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS IN ACCESSING PREP BY REMOVING BARRIERS SUCH AS LACK OF INSURANCE AND OFFERING REFERRALS AND INFORMATION.SYRINGE SERVICES PROGRAM: PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS ARE AT-RISK FOR CONTRACTING HIV AND HCV, AS WELL AS OTHER INJECTION RELATED HEALTH PROBLEMS SUCH AS OVERDOSE AND ABSCESSES, WHEN THEY REUSE OR SHARE SYRINGES AND INJECTION SUPPLIES. THE MOST EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF DISEASE IN THIS POPULATION IS TO PREVENT THE REUSE OF SYRINGES AND ENSURE INDIVIDUALS WHO USE DRUGS UNDERSTAND OVERDOSE RISKS AND REVERSAL TECHNIQUES AND HAVE NALOXONE ON HAND IN CASE OF AN OVERDOSE. HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES SYRINGE EXCHANGE AND OVERDOSE PREVENTION SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS IN COOS, CURRY, DOUGLAS, JOSEPHINE, LANE, MARION, AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. THESE SERVICES INCLUDE, SAFER INJECTION KITS, NALOXONE KITS, RISK REDUCTION INFORMATION, AND ADDICTION TREATMENT REFERRALS. THIS YEAR, WE EXCHANGED OVER 1,800,000 SYRINGES (COLLECTED AND PROPERLY DISPOSED OF 2,236,236 AND DISTRIBUTED 1,834,690, AND REVERSED A REPORTED 1,089 OPIOID OVERDOSES THROUGH THE DISTRIBUTION OF NALOXONE KITS.EDUCATION PROGRAM: HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES COMMUNITY EDUCATION AS WELL AS HIV AND HEPATITIS C RISK REDUCTION TO YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13-24. NATIONALLY, YOUTH BETWEEN THE AGES OF 13 AND 24 YEARS OF AGE HAVE ACCOUNTED FOR 21% OF ALL NEW HIV INFECTIONS. HIV ALLIANCE FOUND THIS STATISTIC DISTURBING AND ARE CONTINUOUSLY WORKING TO EXPAND EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO YOUTH. THIS PAST YEAR, HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDED EDUCATION IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN LANE, MARION, AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES. HIV ALLIANCE ALSO ENGAGED WITH LGBTQIA+ AND LATINX GROUPS, DETENTION FACILITIES, ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS, AND OTHER FACILITIES THAT DO NOT HAVE HIV EDUCATION READILY AVAILABLE. THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS REACHED THIS PAST YEAR HAS DECREASED FROM 3,979 IN FY22 TO 3,520 IN FY23 DUE TO CHANGES TO THE SCHOOL SCHEDULES DUE TO COVID, TEACHER TURNOVER, AND EDUCATION PROGRAM STAFF TURNOVER. VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT & TRAINING PROGRAM: VOLUNTEERS HAVE BEEN CRITICAL TO HIV ALLIANCE. NEW VOLUNTEERS WENT THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM TO ENABLE THEM TO EFFECTIVELY PARTICIPATE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS. VOLUNTEERS ACTIVELY HELPED US ACHIEVE OUR MISSION IN ALL MAJOR PROGRAM AREAS. THIS YEAR'S VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED 4,698 HOURS TO A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS, BUT MOST ESPECIALLY IN PREVENTION. BY EXPENDITURE, THESE HIV ALLIANCE PROGRAMS ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY 35% OF OUR PROGRAM EXPENDITURES AND 31% OF OUR OVERALL ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENDITURES.

CLINICAL SERVICES:THE ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY WELLNESS'S LOW BARRIER MEDICAL CLINIC IN EUGENE OFFERS A RANGE OF BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND COMMUNITIES THAT ARE AT INCREASED RISK FOR HIV. OUR CLINICAL SERVICES INCLUDE STI TESTING AND TREATMENT (INCLUDING TREATMENT FOR HIV AND HEPATITIS C), MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER, PREP PRESCRIBING, HORMONE THERAPY FOR TRANS AND GENDER DIVERSE INDIVIDUALS, STREET MEDICINE, AND PRIMARY CARE. HEPATITIS C CLINIC CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES: IN LANE COUNTY, HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LIVING WITH HEPATITIS C. THE CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IS HEAVILY INTEGRATED WITH TREATMENT SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH THE EUGENE CLINIC, AND INCLUDES TREATMENT FACILITATION AND BARRIER-REDUCING SUPPORT SERVICES SUCH AS HOUSING ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES, AND INFORMATION/REFERRAL. HIV ALLIANCE'S GOAL WAS TO WORK WITH CLIENTS TO HELP THEM BE CURED OF HCV, AND THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE HIGH-RISK PATIENTS IT SERVES. THE MAJORITY OF THESE CLIENTS ARE STRUGGLING WITH CURRENT ADDICTION ISSUES, AND A HIGH PERCENTAGE ARE HOMELESS OR MARGINALLY HOUSED. HIV ALLIANCE ONLY HAS FUNDING TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE IN LANE COUNTY, AND ANY GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR THESE CLIENTS IS STILL VERY LIMITED.HEALTH FOCUSED STREET OUTREACH TEAM PROVIDES STREET OUTREACH, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH UNHOUSED POPULATIONS TO ACCESS MEDICAL CARE AND HOUSING RESOURCES. THE MEDICAL PROVIDERS ACCOMPANY THIS TEAM TO OFFER STREET BASED MEDICAL CARE IN ADDITION TO THE NAVIGATION SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE OUTREACH TEAM. THE OUTREACH WORKERS PROVIDE INSURANCE NAVIGATION, MEDICAL NAVIGATION, AND HOUSING NAVIGATION/ASSISTANCE. BY EXPENDITURE, OUR CLINICAL PROGRAMS ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY 11% OF OUR PROGRAM EXPENDITURES AND 9% OF ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENDITURES OVERALL.

HIV CARE COORDINATION AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES:HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES CARE COORDINATION, NURSING CASE MANAGEMENT, AND PHARMACEUTICAL SUPPORT TO OVER 1,230 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN 15 COUNTIES STRETCHED ACROSS SOUTHERN OREGON, THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, AND THE COAST. THESE FIFTEEN COUNTIES INCLUDE: LANE, DOUGLAS, LINN, BENTON, JOSEPHINE, LAKE, KLAMATH, JACKSON, COOS, CURRY, LINCOLN, CLATSOP, POLK, MARION, AND TILLAMOOK. INITIALLY, HIV ALLIANCE WAS FOCUSED ON PROVIDING THESE CARE COORDINATION SERVICES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN LANE COUNTY, HOWEVER, SINCE 2007 OUR SERVICES FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV HAVE GROWN TREMENDOUSLY. THE GOAL OF THESE SERVICES WAS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV BY INCREASING THEIR ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE AND SUPPORT SERVICES. OVER 90% OF HIV ALLIANCE'S CLIENTS LIVE ON A LOW-INCOME, AND MANY WHO LIVE IN RURAL REGIONS OF OREGON HAVE SHARED EXPERIENCES WITH HIV-RELATED STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION. HIV ALLIANCE HAS CARE COORDINATORS THAT ASSIST CLIENTS IN ACCESSING INSURANCE, HOUSING, PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS, AS WELL AS MEETING THEIR BASIC NEEDS. PRIVATE FUNDS ARE RAISED TO PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH NON-MEDICAL TRANSPORTATIONS SUPPORT (FOR THINGS SUCH AS JOB INTERVIEWS, GROCERY SHOPPING, ETC.), SOCIAL SUPPORT GROUPS, SPECIAL SEASONAL EVENTS, AS WELL AS TRAINING AND OTHER WELLNESS SERVICES. HIV ALLIANCE HAS THREE AIDS-CERTIFIED NURSES AND THREE NON-AIDS CERTIFIED NURSES THAT ASSIST CLIENTS WITH CRITICAL HIV/AIDS-RELATED HEALTH ISSUES.HIV ALLIANCE PHARMACISTS WORKED WITH CLIENTS IN THE REGION ON MEDICAL ADHERENCE. THIS YEAR, HIV ALLIANCE HAD 100 CLIENTS SERVED THROUGH THE PHARMACY ADHERENCE PROGRAM. CLIENTS ARE ALSO OFFERED ASSISTANCE WITH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT AND DENTAL SERVICES IN COLLABORATION WITH LANE COMMUNITY COLLEGE. HIV ALLIANCE NOW OFFERS A SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV WHO EXPERIENCE HOUSING INSTABILITY AND HAVE A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CONDITION. THE PROGRAM OFFERS RENT AND UTILITY ASSISTANCE WHILE PROVIDING A TEAM OF SUPPORT STAFF INCLUDING A NAVIGATOR, PEER, NURSE, AND MENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST. BY EXPENDITURE, THESE HIV ALLIANCE PROGRAMS ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY 38% OF PROGRAM EXPENDITURES AND 33% OF ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENDITURES OVERALL.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES:HIV ALLIANCE PROVIDES LOW-BARRIER, TRAUMA-INFORMED MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND EVALUATION SERVICES, AS WELL AS REFERRALS FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THEIR UNIQUE SUBSTANCE MISUSE/ABUSE ISSUES. ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY WELLNESS: THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM PROVIDES INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING TO PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND COMMUNITIES AT INCREASED RISK FOR HIV, WITH A FOCUS ON LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITIES. THIS PAST YEAR, HIV ALLIANCE WAS ABLE TO ASSIST 120 INDIVIDUALS WITH COUNSELING.THE ALLIANCE FOR COMMUNITY WELLNESS ALSO UTILIZES RECOVERY PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS WHO WORK IN SEVEN OREGON COUNTIES. THESE PEERS WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT HIGH RISK FOR HIV AND HCV DUE TO ADDICTION AND OTHER FACTORS. LAST FY THEY PROVIDED REFERRAL, NAVIGATION, COACHING AND MENTORING TO 272 INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THE PEER ASSISTED TELE-HEALTH (PATH) PROGRAM PROVIDES PEERS IN SOUTHERN OREGON COUNTIES TO INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT RISK FOR HEPATITIS C AND OTHER INFECTIONS AND SUPPORTS INDIVIDUALS IN ACCESSING TELEHEALTH HEPATITIS C TREATMENT.BY EXPENDITURE, OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAMS ACCOUNTED FOR ROUGHLY 17% OF OUR PROGRAM EXPENDITURES AND 15% OF ORGANIZATIONAL EXPENDITURES OVERALL.