A look back at 2014 at The Damien Center

It's officially the last day of 2014, and we're officially running on adrenaline from all the exciting things that happened here over the past year! It was a busy one, and in the spirit of looking back in order to look forward, we put together this little Storify to help us out.

It's populated by photos from our Instagram, so if you like what you're seeing, hop on over and follow along for our 2015 adventures. Enjoy!

Are you a Damien Center client? Help us out!

Damien Center clients, we need your help. We're getting ready to overhaul our website and communications, and we want to get your feedback before we hit the ground running. What information do you look for on our website? Is it easy to navigate? What's missing?

Our survey is quick and painless, but it will help us build a website that provides what you're looking for in the easiest way possible.

Who qualifies as a Damien Center client? If you're accessing (or have accessed in the past) any of our services, that's you! We hope you'll take a few minutes to help us help you by giving your thoughts and feedback.

Take our client survey now!

A day at The Damien Center

Picture a day with us. Our lobby is packed. Both client computers are in use for job searches. A young woman is requesting an emergency appointment with housing, since her job ended unexpectedly. A gentleman has re-entered care and our staff is walking him through available services.

A woman has visited the food pantry and now waits for her appointment in the medical clinic. One patient is learning about health insurance options while the partner of an individual living with HIV is learning about preventive medications. The testing center is busy, helping clients learn their status and explore different prevention methods.

Then, an HIV+ patient, Michelle*, steps out of her care specialist's office, a mix of relief and pride on her face. In 2013, she re-entered care after having dropped out of care years before. Her viral load was dangerously high - over one million. Don't know much about HIV viral loads? The number represents the amount of HIV in the body, and Michelle was in risky territory.

Our intense personalized plan to support Michelle included daily phone calls to be sure she stuck to her strict medical regimen and weekly home visits. We walked alongside her, helping her eliminate the barriers to care that she was contending with.

That's how our approach works - every patient works with our staff to develop an individualized care plan that provides the specific support they need to get their health back on track. The end goal? To empower patients to get in care and stay in care.

It's been six months, and Michelle has just learned that she has achieved an undetectable viral load. The most amazing thing about Michelle's story? It's not unusual for our patients. The most effective way to prevent new HIV infections is to identify every individual living with HIV and provide them with the support they need to achieve undetectable viral loads. Our staff has helped Linkage to Care patients achieve an average viral load reduction of 93% within their first year in the program precisely through stories just like this one.

Our comprehensive approach changes lives, and remarkable outcomes like this are our norm. On our website, you can explore more about what we do to empower our patients as well as help us restore health to our patients and eliminate the threat of HIV for future generations. Help us make more incredible stories like Michelle's possible in 2015!

*Client's name has been changed.

Support Hoosiers living with HIV this weekend

This time of year, we're busy. Our 27th Annual Grande Masquerade is just around the corner on October 18, the United Way of Central Indiana is at full throttle with their wonderful fall giving campaign, fairs and festivals abound on weekends, and we're busier than ever supporting those living with HIV in our community with Care Coordination, counseling, housing support, and more.

But right now is precisely when we need to slow down and remember why we're doing what we're doing. Who are we serving, what is the difference that we're making? The Annual Indiana AIDS Walk is one of our favorite weekends of the year because it reminds us of the answers to these questions.

The Indiana AIDS Fund, a program of The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis, raises money through the annual Indiana AIDS Walk for the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance (DEFA) Fund. AIDS service organizations (like us) and other grantees of the Indiana AIDS Fund use DEFA funds to provide emergency financial assistance and direct care for Hoosiers affected by HIV/AIDS. DEFA helps pay for utility payments, rent and other housing costs, medical expenses, prescription drug costs, transportation expenses, and food, clothing and other basic needs.

The coolest thing about it? More than 1,000 people walk in the Indiana AIDS Walk every year, and last year, the event raised more than $235,000. Families, groups of friends, businesses, civic leaders, youth, fraternities, sororities, churches, educators, volunteers, corporations, children, pets, concerned citizens, clubs, and associations – anyone interested in helping Hoosiers with HIV in emergency situations can participate and make a difference.

You can join the walk as an individual, join an existing team (like ours, Team Damien), or make a financial contribution to the walk. Here are the important details:

2014 Indiana AIDS Walk
Saturday, September 27
Herron Morton Place Neighborhood
(At the corner of 22nd and Talbott Streets)
4 – 6 p.m., registration opens at 3:30 p.m.
The Walk steps off at 5 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Welcome, Damien Center AmeriCorps Volunteers!

This week, The Damien Center family welcomed three new members to our team to help us in prevention and testing, volunteer management, housing, and in our food pantry. Erin, Catherine, and Nahom are joining The Damien Center via the AIDS United AmeriCorps Program, a national AmeriCorps program focusing specifically on HIV prevention and care.

The Damien Center is one of seven cities across the United States where AIDS United AmeriCorps Volunteers work to fight HIV/AIDS, save lives, deliver resources, and support a range of HIV/AIDS service organizations. The program focuses on supporting these organizations while training the next generation of AIDS leaders. The Damien Center is one of several sites across Indianapolis where AIDS United AmeriCorps Volunteers are placed.

Erin Orme, hailing from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and, more recently, Loyola University in Chicago, is joining The Damien Center's Development Department to manage the volunteers that keep the Center ticking. Catherine Malin is from Illinois and is a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary in beautiful Williamsburg, Virginia. She will be working in The Damien Center's Testing and Prevention Department. Nahom Tecle, an Ohio native and Indiana University graduate, will be working in our Housing Assistance Program as well as our Food Pantry. 

We are thrilled to have these three incredible volunteers on our team! We look forward to seeing them grow as leaders while helping Damien Center continue as a leader in HIV prevention and care. Welcome, Erin, Catherine, and Nahom!

Walk around the block with us

We know it's hard to imagine at the moment, when the air is heavy and the sun beats down relentlessly, but fall is on its way. And so many wonderful things come when fall comes. Curling up in a blanket around a blazing bonfire, dreaming up your best Halloween costume yet, indulging in a caramel apple or a mug of fresh apple cider—and our favorite, taking a walk around the block to fight AIDS in our community!

This year's Indiana AIDS Walk, A Walk Around the Block, is going to be the perfect gateway to fall for all you lovers of autumn colors and cool, crisp nights. A departure from its previous incarnation as an early-morning walk through Downtown Indianapolis, A Walk Around the Block features a leisurely stroll through the beautiful, historic Herron Morton Place Neighborhood on Saturday, September 28, from 4pm to 6pm. Last year, more than 1,000 people walked for the cause and raised $225,000 to fight HIV and AIDS right here in Indianapolis.

What else is there to do, you ask? We'll have entertainment, a wellness fair, a pet pit stop, awards and prizes, and of course, fun for the whole family. All proceeds benefit the Gregory R. Powers Direct Emergency Financial Assistance (DEFA) Fund. Grantees of the Indiana AIDS Fund, including us here at The Damien Center, use DEFA funds to provide emergency financial assistance and direct care for those throughout Indiana impacted by HIV/AIDS. Here at the Center, we use these dollars to provide bus passes, food for the pantry, medication assistance, client events, and mortgage/rent/utility/incidental assistance.

Want to take a walk around the block with us? It's easy peasy. You can join Team Damien, sign up as an individual, or make your own team by recruiting friends and family to walk with you. Can't be there on September 28? No problem. Make a donation to the event and know you're making an difference for the health of your city.


Check out all the event details here!

Celebrating Successes: Our 2012 Annual Report

When we sat down and started to brainstorm what our 2012 Annual Report would look like, we envisioned something different - something that would capture our innovative programming, showcase our commitment to fighting HIV, and help our donors and supporters better understand what really happens at The Damien Center on a daily basis.

Enter Jane and John. These two fictional clients take readers on a journey from getting tested for HIV to finding stable housing and getting connected with health care, and everything in the middle. As Jane and John access a range of Damien Center services, they are able to stay healthy even as they are infected or affected by HIV. Jane and John represent the thousands of individuals we reach every year through HIV testing, Care Coordination, counseling, housing, and many other programs.

Our 25th year of service - 2012 - was truly our best yet. As a leader in HIV prevention and care, The Damien Center sits at the forefront of a national movement toward Linkage to Care, which is just one key piece of the ever-growing puzzle to eradicate HIV. Each of our programs is carefully designed to tackle different aspects of this complex issue.

We hope you'll take a read through our 2012 Annual Report and explore what it's like to be a client at The Damien Center by following along with Jane and John. It's because of supporters like you that we can continue to offer our services completely free of charge to those in need in our community. Thank you, and enjoy!

25 Stories: The Next 25

25 years. 25 stories. Throughout 2012, our 25th year of service to Central Indiana, we turned our blog into a virtual melting pot of stories about HIV. We told you about Rob, who worked tirelessly to help people with HIV get the medical care they needed, and Evelyn, who was there with Earl Conner when he decided to dive head first into the AIDS epidemic by opening The Damien Center. You read about Mark, one of The Damien Center's original buddies and a lifelong HIV advocate, and Dr. Woody Myers, who stood by Ryan White's side and fought the stigma associated with HIV in the mid-1980s right here in our community. We shared stories from Charles, Elizabeth, Robert, David, and a dozen more people who, in some way or another, have been affected by HIV.

Well friends, we've got a confession to make. We only shared 24 stories with you. No, we didn't get lazy or forget. We were saving it. For you. For all of us. Number 25 is something more - something collective and holistic. It's about what we're doing now that's moving us into the future, toward an AIDS-free generation and toward healthier, happier lives for those already living with HIV.

Our grande finale, story 25, is about linking people to the care they need, like mental health and substance abuse counseling, housing assistance, a food pantry, free HIV testing, and Care Coordination—services that actually help lower the HIV viral load of our clients, improve their health, and make them less likely to transmit HIV to others. We think that's a story worth telling.

It's 2013 now, and we don't know about you, but we're chomping at the bit to see what the next 25 years will hold. We're ready to dream big, work hard, and make more history. Our 25th story is only just getting started. Will you join us?

25 Stories: Peter

Peter was released from prison late last year. When he first came to The Damien Center to access transportation assistance, 33-year-old HIV+ Peter was living with his sister in Marion County. He was employed but struggled daily to get to work on time. Not only did Peter lack reliable transportation, but he also often came to his appointments in over-sized clothing with holes in his shirts and shoes. The problem? Peter worked in a hot factory, where baggy, torn clothing was both unsafe and uncomfortable. Peter often worked six days each week, frequently neglecting his health and missing medical appointments because he was trying so hard to make an honest living.

Peter's Damien Center Care Coordinator knew Peter just wanted to be healthy and self-sufficient, no matter how hard it would be. Together, they took additional time to work on transportation security and help Peter obtain appropriate and safe clothing for work and other events. They also developed a contract that Peter signed agreeing to attend all his medical appointments as scheduled to help him maintain his health. Peter was referred to Wishard for immediate medication and other medical services, including applying for additional health insurance through Wishard Advantage.

Today, Peter is on the road to success. Since he first came to The Damien Center, Peter has further utilized the agency to obtain new housing through the HOPWA (Housing Assistance for People With AIDS) program. Peter has been in the HOPWA program for nearly a year and continues to work hard and meet the responsibilities of the program, steadily moving toward self-sufficiency and a positive, healthy lifestyle. Peter has not only continuously expressed his gratitude for the services and help he has received, he has expressed an interest in contributing his time one day to similar work. Peter hopes he can one day give back to help those who are in the position he once was in. 

Peter is one of thousands of individuals The Damien Center empowers each year to move forward with dignity in face of HIV. Read more stories like Peter's and give today so more success stories are possible. 

25 Stories: Celeste

When Celeste, a 30-year-old Hispanic woman, moved to Indiana from another state, she had planned to support herself through her profession as a nail stylist. What she didn't know was that Indiana requires a license to do nails, meaning that she would have to go back to school to continue supporting herself, despite her experience and track record as a nail stylist. Celeste, who is HIV+, was unable to pay her rent and utilities, and quickly became depressed about her inability to support herself.

According to a case manager at The Damien Center, she was moving into a "very dark place." Celeste was encouraged to apply for and was accepted to the HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS) program, a long-term housing assistance program for people who are HIV+. This housing assistance allowed her the freedom to return to school to obtain the necessary license, enabling her to once again begin earning an income. Celeste is now in the process of transitioning off of the HOPWA program and even recently won a competition for nail design. None of this would have been possible without the assistance provided by The Damien Center. Today, Celeste has emerged from her depression and is proud of where her life is headed as a strong, HIV+ woman.

Celeste's story is one of hundreds like it: she was in a desperate place in her life,The Damien Center empowered her to find assistance in turning her life around, and now she's stronger and healthier because of it. Celeste's story is also part of our 25th anniversary year-end giving campaign. You can read more impact stories like hers and make a donation on our website. Make more success stories possible!

25 Stories: Housing is healthcare

Robert, a 51-year-old HIV+ African American man, was living with an abusive roommate when he decided to seeking housing services from The Damien Center. Robert's roommate locked him out of his home, ate his food, took his belongings, and on the way to a doctor appointment, kicked him out of the car on the interstate and made him walk the rest of the way. Robert's physical and mental health began to deteriorate as a result of this highly stressful situation, and he needed housing assistance to escape this situation.

Robert, who had no income, no family in Indiana, and debilitating back issues that keep him from working, was referred to The Damien Center through the Department of Corrections. Robert had been released from prison in the past year and was already enrolled in vocational rehabilitation and classes for nursing licensure. He was doing everything he needed to in order to get back on his feet - he just needed out of that house.

Robert meets with his Care Coordinator at The Damien Center two to four times a month. Through these meetings, Robert was able to apply for and was granted HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS) assistance. He now has his own apartment and his mental and physical health have improved dramatically. Because he has no income, he also accesses The Damien Center food pantry and Ryan White nutrition assistance, as well as Ryan White transportation assistance so he can attend his many doctor appointments.

Robert's quality of life and sense of independence have dramatically improved. According to Robert's Care Coordinator, the support and resources he was connected to through The Damien Center have reignited Robert's spark for life. "The first time I met this client, he was crying out of desperation for his situation and out of exhaustion for the status of his life," she said. "Now when I see him, every fiber of his being is smiling. He is very grateful for our services and very excited about the path his life is now on."

Happy birthday to (all of) us!

Birthdays are good for celebrating, laughing, imbibing, indulging. You know the drill: cake, cocktails, loved ones, favorite places and spaces. But they're also good for looking back. Reflecting. Thinking about how far you've come and what you've been doing that matters to you and your values.

Today, I - Kimberly, your faithful Damien Center blogger and marketing coordinator - have been doing just that as I celebrate my 27th birthday. I've been asking myself, what have I been doing these last few weeks, months, and years that enriches my life and others', that makes my community a better place?

Here at The Damien Center, we've also been celebrating our birthday - all year long. It's our 25th year serving those affected by HIV in Central Indiana, and we're so proud of the legacy we have as Indiana's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization. What we do and how we do it didn't start last year or last month. It started in 1987, when a caring, progressive group of people got together to support a community in crisis.

Birthday reflections, for us, have us looking at who we served, how we served them, and where our (your) funding dollars went. So, what have we been doing that matters to us, our values, and our community? In 2011, we:

• performed 2,315 free HIV tests
• reached 796 youth through prevention education
• served 1,126 clients through Care Coordination
• helped 96 families find housing
• fed 616 clients through our food pantry
• assisted 124 clients in receiving emergency financial assistance

And this is just the beginning. Birthdays are also for looking ahead to the coming year(s), planning for a strong future, setting goals, and living life. So as I and The Damien Center look ahead to our next 25 years, we hope you'll help us celebrate both where we came from and where we're going.

Looking for ways to honor our 25 year legacy? Make a donation, volunteer, walk with us in the 2012 Indiana AIDS Walk, or snag a ticket for swankiest gala in town, the 25th Annual Grande Masquerade.  

The Damien Center Honored with Grant Awards

The Damien Center relies on funding from many sources to provide the high quality programs and services that help us meet our mission.  In recent months we have received several grants from private foundations that will help us continue to improve our services and meet the needs of our clients. We have recently received notification of funding awards for three now positions that will expand our services to our HIV clients:

• Marion County Public Health Department has awarded The Damien Center through Ryan White funding a full-time Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counselor as well as a full-time Medical Case Manager.
• MAC AIDS Fund has awarded The Damien Center with a part-time Housing Case-manager.

In addition to these exciting new positions, The Damien Center was recently awarded the following grants:

• The Indianapolis Foundation, a CICF affiliate:  $40,000 for general operating support
• Christ Church Cathedral:  $10,000 for general operating support
• The Realtor Foundation – $3,500 to provide one transitional housing unit for the transgender population
• Canfield Memorial Trust - $1,500 to support Kids Club programming

We are grateful to these funders for recognizing the importance of supporting HIV/AIDS programs in our community and for their confidence in The Damien Center’s ability to provide these services.  

The Season of Giving

Did you know that we're the largest and oldest HIV/AIDS service organization in Indiana? Here are ten reasons to give a little extra this holiday season:

YOU can help make a difference!
Make a donation at www.damien.org/donate

#10: You can help serve the most people infected and affected by HIV in Indiana. Last year, we helped 1,230 people with HIV/AIDS; this holiday season, we expect to serve nearly twice as many people in December as we did last year.

#9: You can help end hunger. People living with HIV need nutritious meals to help their immune system fight the disease. We gave out over 150,000 pounds of food through our pantry this year.

#8: You can help shelter people with HIV. Stable, affordable housing helps people with HIV stay on medication. We helped house 70 families in 2011.

#7: You can help prevent the spread of HIV. We provided more than 2,000 free and confidential HIV tests so far this year - up from last year's total of 1,533.

#6: You can help keep young people safe from the disease; individuals 20-24 account for the highest rates of new infections. We reached more than 700 young people with information on how HIV is transmitted and how to keep themselves safe this year, and we expect that number to double in 2012.

#5: You can help end stigma and discrimination. We provide legal services for people infected or affected by HIV with discrimination issues, living and legal wills, and various other civil legal matters.

#4: You can help people with HIV get jobs. As medications get better, more people with HIV are living healthy lives they didn’t expect to have; we teach skills that help them reenter the workforce.

#3: You can help formerly incarcerated individuals receive interventions that reduce substance abuse and other risky behaviors. We help these individuals keep themselves and others safe from HIV.

#2: You can help link people with HIV to health insurance that makes life-saving medication affordable.

#1: You can help us end HIV. We distribute more than 5,000 condoms every year; without a cure, condoms are one of the only sure-fire ways we can stop the spread of HIV.