HIV/AIDS SERVICES FOR WOMEN

While conducting street outreach, staff of PROTOTYPES' Women at Sexual Risk program met Tanisha, a 36-year-old African American woman. Tanisha disclosed that she was 6 months pregnant and needed housing for herself and her unborn child. After some hesitation, she told the community health educator that she had been in a domestic violence relationship and had fled from her home. The community health educator told Tanisha that PROTOTYPES could assist her with one-on-one counseling, risk assessment for HIV education and prevention, as well as referrals for transitional housing and medical care.

The next morning, Tanisha came to the PROTOTYPES Resource Center, where she received referrals for prenatal and housing services and attended her first counseling session. The community health educator who had gained Tanisha's trust was also able to assess Tanisha's level of readiness for drug treatment services.

With her continued support, Tanisha began a process of recovery and empowerment. She is receiving drug treatment services and regular prenatal care and is living in a domestic violence shelter while she looks for safe housing for herself and her baby.

PROTOTYPES staff has remained in contact with Tanisha and periodically meet with her to see if she needs additional services.

 

WomensLink

WomensLink was designed by and for women living with HIV/AIDS. WomensLink is a multi-service drop-in center for women and their families where they can receive guidance and counseling, paraprofessional and peer support services. Women entering the program receive an extensive and comprehensive intake and assessment to determine the client's individual mental health needs. WomensLink currently offers the following services at no charge: substance abuse treatment (including linkage to drug detoxification); psychiatric care (with a bilingual, bicultural female psychiatrist); food bank, HIV prevention education and risk reduction; individual and group psychotherapy; crisis intervention; family support services; individual and group peer support; and information and referrals. WomensLink has bilingual clinicians and other staff members on site.

For information on the WomensLink program, please contact the Program Director at 310- 419-8087.

WomensCare

PROTOTYPES' two WomensCare Centers are one-stop service centers for women with HIV/AIDS, many of whom have multiple vulnerabilities. The centers use a multidisciplinary team approach model to providing social services in a medical setting. WomensCare is unique among PROTOTYPES' programs because of its strong medical component. Each center is housed in or down the hall from the HIV/AIDS medical clinic, which provides a full range of primary and HIV medical service for the WomensCare clients. WomensCare also offers services to at-risk partners and family members if it is deemed beneficial for the client. Services offered by WomensCare include: case management; health education and risk reduction; mental health; housing assistance (HOPWA); medical advocacy; AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) benefit counseling; transportation; childcare; and information on and referrals to other programs. All WomensCare staff members are bilingual.

For information on the WomensCare program, please contact the Program Director at 323-662-7420.

The Bridge

The Bridge program is an Engagement and Treatment Readiness program for women living with HIV/AIDS who are experiencing a number of barriers to accessing services. Bridge staff conduct a comprehensive assessment to determine both the client's needs and her barriers to accessing treatment.

For information on PROTOTYPES' Bridge program, please contact the Program Director at 323-662-7420.

Adolescents/Women at Sexual Risk Project

The Adolescents/Women at Sexual Risk Project is an outreach program targeting women and youth who are at sexual risk for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) throughout the Los Angeles area. The project offers counseling to help women assess their own behaviors and plan individual behavior change. Experienced community health outreach workers facilitate linkages to medical and social services in community settings, such as substance abuse treatment programs, STD/TB clinics, and HIV/AIDS testing sites.

For information on PROTOTYPES' Adolescents/Women at Sexual Risk project, please contact the Project Director at 323-759-2466.