Partnerships for Healthy Living began as a program designed to provide supportive health education services to women, but has since expanded its outreach to men.
AmeriCorps*State member Latita Blount.
The goal of the program is to reach out to individuals in Passaic and Bergen Counties who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS so that they might improve their quality of life and reduce the spread of the disease. PHL provides HIV/AIDS testing and prevention education, rehabilitation, as well as emergency services-shelter, food, detoxification, and access to medical care. SPCDC maintains collaborative agreements with regional medical and counseling centers, as well as with the EMA's (Eligible Metropolitan Areas') medical care hospitals and clinics.
The PHL program targets women and men who are not currently receiving services from the mainstream network of care. Most clients served by the PHL program are homeless and isolated from their families. Nearly 70% of women clients are commercial sex workers and substance abusers. Many have lost custody of their children or are struggling to maintain their parental rights. Many of the men we serve are also homeless, have problems with substance abuse, and have some prior criminal record.
SPCDC uses a van and a mobile outreach approach to canvass "hot spots" twice daily in the cities of Paterson, Passaic, Hackensack, Englewood, and Teaneck. Through conversation we educate about HIV and AIDS and provide supportive literature and care packages. We maintain continuous relationships with our clients and encourage those who do not know their HIV status to get tested. We treat all clients with sensitivity, seriousness, and confidentiality, as outlined in our 'Clients Bill of Rights.'
We measure the program's success through qualitative assessment and quantitative data that corresponds with our goals and objectives. We track all the time we spend with each client use that information to evaluate the success rates of various efforts. We store all intake and service data in a network database.
In 2009, the Partnerships for Healthy Living Program (PHL), funded by the MAC*AIDS Foundation and Broadway Cares, provided services to 691 individuals (515 Men/176 Women). 233 referrals were made on behalf of said clients. Referrals were made to: Well of Hope Drop-In Center, Paterson; St. Clare�s Hospital, Booton, NJ; Bergen Regional Hospital, Paramus, NJ � Detoxification Center; St. James Hospital, Newark, NJ � Detoxification Center; Father English, Paterson; Straight & Narrow, Paterson � Detoxification Center; North Porch � support services.
Case Story: A Brighter Future
Program participant Gayle Brown was born and raised in Newark, NJ. In her early adolescence she began using marijuana and alcohol. In her early twenties she began abusing crack cocaine intravenously. For the next twenty five years or more she struggled with her addiction. For the next 10 years of her life she had short term periods of abstinence, unfortunately relapse was a part of her story. In early 1995, she was diagnosed HIV positive at UMDNJ. This discovery added stress to her already complicated existence; she began to abuse substances stronger than before. In September of 2007, she was referred to the PHL Program by some one who was a former program participant. By mid November 2007 she was ready to go long term in-patient. While she was at St. Paul’s we decide to call Refocus Outreach Ministry, Inc. which is located in Bridgeport Connecticut. We set-up the initial phone contact and referral to go along with her to take once she arrives there and give us a complete follow-up upon her arrival.
Today, with more than 4-1/2 months of sobriety, Ms. Brown has a part-time job with a local church as there secretary. Gayle has her own living quarters, attends regular Narcotic Anonymous Meetings and makes her day to day prayer services and bible study classes. Gayle also goes to the doctor regularly for her check-ups and she reported to me as recently as January 2008 she was undetectable, meaning her viral loads and T-cell counts are undetectable. Gayle said that one of the greatest gifts she received from the PHL Program was “hope for a brighter future for herself and her children.”
St. Paul's Community Development Corporation 451 Van Houten Street Paterson, NJ 07501
