Early in the 1980s, AIDS was considered a “gay disease,” and a disease that only drug addicts got. This stance hindered the amount of interest in public funding of AIDS research and in public education. Today, AIDS is still a widely stigmatized disease, and this stigma hurts those who have to deal with both the illness and society’s reaction. Thanks to scientific advances, especially the development of effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), most people living with HIV can live full and productive lives. These developments have started to change how society views HIV infection.
For almost four decades, researchers have worked tirelessly to find a cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. There’s still more work to do, yet Fort Wayne’s Positive Resource Connection has continued, since 1985, to tirelessly and humanely work for the prevention of new cases of HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis, and STDs.
Making a Positive Difference
Jeff Markley, Executive Director, Positive Resource Connection, has devoted most of his career to addressing the needs and extinguishing the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Initially, Jeff‘s compassion led him to a career working with those infected with HIV. As a disease intervention specialist, he was dismayed by the callous way physicians communicated with clients and realized, given the opportunity, he would discuss options and treatment in a much more compassionate way.
“Our goal is to reach an HIV/AIDS-Free generation,” Jeff says. “I think we need to do our part here in Northeast Indiana by thinking globally and acting locally.”
Jeff Markley, Executive Director, Positive Resource Connection
Undetectable = Untransmittable
According to the National Institutes of Health, research has firmly established that people who take ART daily as prescribed, and who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood), cannot sexually transmit HIV to others. To put it simply: Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).
This U=U message was introduced in 2016 by the Prevention Access Campaign, an international health equity initiative that aims to help end the HIV epidemic and HIV-related social stigma. The major breakthrough in combination ART regimens, which successfully reduced viral loads for many HIV patients, came over 20 years ago. But their importance for HIV prevention has been slow to become apparent.
Doing Good in Northeast Indiana
Of course, the success of U=U depends on people with HIV having the needed access to health care and taking their medications every day of their lives, as prescribed. Having multiple resources, services, and staff in one location, PRC is able to develop and maintain a relationship with clients so that the continuity in care that leads to a healthier outcome can be achieved.
Through its mission, PRC provides programs and services that assist clients with access to health care, education and testing, substance use harm reduction, mental health counseling, and multiple other supportive services. The diverse population seeking assistance include people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, at-risk youth, refugees, incarcerated, homeless, and many people living in poverty.
To reduce new HIV infections among vulnerable populations, PRC provides targeted prevention education and outreach programs, free testing, harm reduction counseling and an on-site clinic. Through prevention education PRC educates individuals about HIV transmission, progression, treatment, and prevention.
2020 Challenges and Opportunities
COVID-19 has impacted Positive Resource Connection in multiple ways, including moving nearly all contact and communication to telehealth and virtual encounters. Jeff Markley, believes that the advances PRC made technologically, including replacing and providing new equipment, has pushed the organization forward, staging future growth and opportunity. The downside to contactless encounters this year has meant that PRC has not been able to deliver community-wide outreach programs which is an important part of the organization’s mission.
Volunteerism for the organization has also been hurt. The spring AIDS walk quickly transitioned to a virtual event in 2020 with nearly a 50% reduction in fundraising efforts. The annual dinner dance was also a virtual event in 2020, but PRC had longer lead time to prepare and the event was fairly successful.
A new opportunity that slowly became available in 2020 was the addition of a Hepatitis C health navigator. In the past, PRC provided Hepatitis C testing, but couldn’t offer assistance or connections beyond the initial diagnosis. Now, with a healthcare navigator devoted to the care of Hepatitis C positive clients, PRC is able to walk them through comprehensive care management for better health outcomes.
Contributing to a Worthy Cause
People with HIV in Northeast Indiana have a friend in Positive Resource Connection. All services are free and a simple phone call or visit to 525 Oxford Street, Fort Wayne, IN, can make a relatively quick and tangible impact on the outcome of illness. The PHP Foundation named Positive Resource Connection one of the 2020 Foundation Grant Award Winners. The mission of this organization is aligned with PHP’s mission in serving those populations most vulnerable and in greatest need. We hope that by contributing to the mission of Positive Resource Connection, we can help ease the burden on those in our community faced with an ongoing and life changing diagnoses.
