Services Available Through WFN Providers
The Network, a collaboration of HIV/AIDS service providers and consumers, achieves its goals by providing a forum for exchanging information, receiving consumer feedback, and organizing politically when necessary. The Network fosters partnerships with community groups, community health organizations, government agencies, and other providers. Here are summaries of a few of those providers and the types of services they offer to women, youth, and families.
West Side Community Health Services (WSCHS)
One of the Network’s founding service providers, WSCHS, also runs a successful HIV Program that serves Latinos. WSCHS has provided HIV outreach, health education, counseling and testing services for Latinos since 1990. WSCHS served 415 clients in 2008. This includes 243 HIV-positive persons and exposed infants and 172 affected family members. Of the total, 95 are female, 101 are male, and 5 are transgender (male to female). Twenty two are under 2 years, 20 are between 13-24 years old, and 172 are persons of unknown/unreported age or gender. The following is the race/ethnicity breakdown: 42.7% were from communities of color, 25.5% were Hispanic/Latino and 51.3% were of unknown race and ethnicity. Of 133 persons receiving on-going services, 90.2% are people of color and 70.7% are Hispanic/Latino. Seventy-five percent of our total client base identified as Latino, and an additional 18% were born in Africa. Ten percent of clients live in unstable housing, but none identified as homeless in 2008. Outpatient intervention services provided by bilingual/bicultural staff in a community clinic include: HIV testing and counseling; pharmaceutical care; clinical trial assessments; nutrition services; health education; case management; diagnostics/lab; referrals for specialty care, dietary needs, and substance treatment; mental health services such as evaluations, consultation, referrals, and support; social services–assessment and referrals for food, housing, transportation, education, legal, childcare, and employment. For more information on the WSCHS HIV Program, please go to www.westsidechs.org and click on the Programs and Services link.
The Ilythia Project
The Ilythia Project provides doula services for pregnant women living with HIV. The Ilythia doulas are skilled in understanding the complexities a woman may face if she is pregnant and living with chronic illness, and provide sensitive and compassionate prenatal, birth and post-partum support. In addition to providing comprehensive perinatal care, doulas also help connect the expectant family with HIV specific community resources, and can help facilitate the working relationship between Obstetrical Care providers and Infectious Disease providers. For more information, please review the Ilythia Project summary here.