Give the Gift of Compassion

$50 - Help provide transportation for HIV/AIDS patients needing to travel to an El Rio clinic for regular care.

$300 - Sponsor an educational luncheon and monthly support group "Club Medbox", which helps people living with HIV/AIDS.

$1,200 - Pay for one month of life-saving medications for one uninsured patient with HIV/AIDS.

$35,000 - Underwrite the services of a "Continuity of Care Counselor" for people living with HIV/AIDS. Continuity of Care Counselors ensure people do not fall through the cracks of the system. They help with eligibility assistance, coordinating with other service organizations, delivering medication boxes, and assisting with food, housing, and transportation. They also provide health education to support proper use of medications and prevention of secondary HIV infections.

El Rio's Special Immunology Associates (SIA) provides primary care to approximately 1,500 persons living with HIV infection throughout Southern Arizona. As the largest provider of care to HIV-infected patients in the Tucson area, the goals of SIA are to provide:

• Accessible, affordable health care to HIV-infected patients;
• Community education and information regarding new treatments and therapies to improve the quality of life of those living with HIV/AIDS;
• Counseling to support the emotional needs of affected persons.

SIA has an integrated system of care, wherein medical care, mental health, substance abuse, case management, and advocacy are provided.

Compassion Across Borders: Working with our neighbors to combat HIV/AIDS at the US-Mexico Border

The Arizona Border HIV/AIDS Care Project improves the capacity of community agencies, county health departments, and community health centers to provide targeted outreach and counseling to at-risk border populations, resulting in increased testing, identification, and service provision to those infected with HIV. The project works to develop a level of comfort and acceptance of HIV/AIDS in rural health centers so that they will provide health care that is perceived as supportive and non-threatening.