The Hope Center is expanding their services
By Vanessa Alva
The Hope Center is opening their doors to the new addition to their facility on May 15. Compass will be a community pharmacy and innovation center that will provide services ranging from medications to a meeting space to further HIV/AIDS research.
The center provides HIV primary and special needs care to the 13 counties in the area. They are the only Ryan White center in the area, which is a federally-funded program that provides HIV-related health services. White became the face of public education for AIDS when he was diagnosed at was 13 after a blood transfusion.
“We are the only HIV-care provider that will provide care free of charge. While we take insurance and while there are other providers in the community that are great providers, you have to have insurance to go to them,” said Director of Hope Center Dale Wrigley.
The addition to the facility will provide medication to their current active clients, which is around 980 patients.
“The pharmacy will be available to our clients regardless of their ability to pay. That pharmacy will support us expanding our services. Any income generated from the pharmacy goes back to our services or back directly to help assist our clients so those that can’t or don’t have insurance, we actually pay for their labs,” Wrigley said.
The innovation part of the center will be open to both their active clients and the public.
“It’s a place where individuals working in field or actually using Hope Center can come together and do research around HIV. It’s a place that can also provide prevention services. We hope that our mini-clinic in there will offer vaccinations both to our clients and the community,” he said.
After decades of serving the community, the Hope Center expansion hopes to provide a holistic approach to helping people with HIV.
“Part of our expansion is to be a medical model home. If someone comes here they can get that mental health piece, they can get transportation, very soon they will be able to get dental services. They get it all on site,” Wrigley said.
The center provides services including housing assistance, mental health resources, transportation, HIV treatment, primary care services and financial assistance for medication. Wrigley said the variety of services offered is necessary.
“People come to use and some of them are homeless, some just have housing issues. Some already have mental health diagnoses that our case managers can help them get resources in the community,” Wrigley said.
Helping people get access to these resources has resulted in success stories for their clients.
“A client I had been interviewing for two months had other barriers. He didn’t have a job, he didn’t have a place to stay, and he was worried about food. But coming to his appointments with me, he now has a job, we were able to find housing, because we have a housing program here,” Hope Center peer advisor and motivational interviewer Gregory Harris said. “And now he’s virally suppressed.”
