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!
Showing posts with label Linkage to Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Linkage to Care. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Top Posts of 2013
We've had a fun year with you, blog-readers. We've chatted about what pizza has to do with our food pantry, the 44 amazing restaurants that gave back through Dining Out for Life, and our insanely awesome volunteers, who keep things chugging along. Plus, we got excited about chili and tried to convince you to volunteer once. Okay, maybe twice. We also touched on some really serious and important topics, like what one incredible young woman is doing to fight HIV stigma in our community, how we're working to support high-risk groups, and what our strategy is for successfully preventing the spread of HIV and empowering those affected by it.
So, we thought it'd be fun to look back and see what your favorite posts were this year. Take a read through these top posts, and then tell us what you'd like to read about in 2014. Enjoy!
Top Posts of 2013
5. Forty Five Degrees, Yogulatte owner long-time Damien supporter - April 23, 2013
4. Go see Naked Boys Singing and support The Damien Center! - February 8, 2013
3. Costume Ideas: The Disco Ball Edition - September 24, 2013
2. Why Santorini Greek Kitchen gives back - April 5, 2013
1. Do you need to get linked? - May 30, 2013
So, we thought it'd be fun to look back and see what your favorite posts were this year. Take a read through these top posts, and then tell us what you'd like to read about in 2014. Enjoy!
Top Posts of 2013
5. Forty Five Degrees, Yogulatte owner long-time Damien supporter - April 23, 2013
4. Go see Naked Boys Singing and support The Damien Center! - February 8, 2013
3. Costume Ideas: The Disco Ball Edition - September 24, 2013
2. Why Santorini Greek Kitchen gives back - April 5, 2013
1. Do you need to get linked? - May 30, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Allegra Printing selects Damien Center for FootPRINT Fund
Today, we're excited to announce that Allegra has selected The Damien Center as a $1,000 grantee for their FootPRINT Fund! We're targeting our Linkage to Care program for this grant, meaning that we'll be using the funds to support this new program and get more HIV+ people in our community connected with care, support, and services to help them live long, healthy lives. You can read more about our Linkage to Care program in this post. With support from Allegra, we'll be able to do a better job getting the word out about L2C, which directly improves the health of our community.
While you'll have to stay tuned for details about what projects we'll be undertaking with Allegra's support, we want to say a big thank you to Allegra for selecting us a grantee! We're looking forward to a great partnership!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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!
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!
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Do you need to get linked?
Are you HIV+ and haven't seen your HIV doctor in a year or more? Or maybe you know someone who is HIV+ who hasn't seen their HIV doctor in a year or more? A new program at The Damien Center is here to help.
The Linkage to Care (L2C) Program is designed to reconnect HIV+ individuals with the care they need to get and stay healthy as they manage their disease. The program also targets newly diagnosed HIV+ individuals who need support as they navigate their new experience. The goal of L2C? We're working to eliminate barriers to care and support, get more HIV+ individuals into care, and reduce our community viral load as a result. The overall outcome is a healthier community!
L2C staff can help with:
Visit damien.org/linkage or contact:
Abbe Shapiro, Linkage to Care Program Manager
ashapiro@damien.org or 317.632.0123 ext. 263
Call or text 317.296.3687
The Linkage to Care (L2C) Program is designed to reconnect HIV+ individuals with the care they need to get and stay healthy as they manage their disease. The program also targets newly diagnosed HIV+ individuals who need support as they navigate their new experience. The goal of L2C? We're working to eliminate barriers to care and support, get more HIV+ individuals into care, and reduce our community viral load as a result. The overall outcome is a healthier community!
L2C staff can help with:
- Gathering documents needed to get free or reduced-price insurance coverage. Need help getting your INET statement? A new state ID?
- Providing transportation to appointments
- Attending doctor's appointments with you
- Understanding your doctor's recommendations
- Childcare during appointments
- Understanding your medication and how to take it
- Reminder calls to take your medication
- Accessing community resources (food, housing, utility assistance, etc.)
- Understanding your HIV diagnosis
Visit damien.org/linkage or contact:
Abbe Shapiro, Linkage to Care Program Manager
ashapiro@damien.org or 317.632.0123 ext. 263
Call or text 317.296.3687
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)