This week I felt it would be very important for me to post some information about some local HIV support groups. I feel as though it is very important that we get the information out in regards to different aid and assistance that is available to individuals who have the HIV virus. In doing some research I found there are many support groups within the Orlando area. I'm not sure if many individuals are aware that these groups are available to the public, but I feel it is my duty to provide the information here in my blog this week.
Some of the support groups that I have found online are: Hope and Help of Central Florida are located in the Winter Park area. Hope and Help work daily to "save lives by eliminating the spread of HIV/AIDS, and to provide support, education and care for individuals living with the disease in the Central Florida community (Hope and Help, 2009). Living and Thriving HIV/AIDS Support Group are located in Orlando area. This group works targets the Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered & Bi-Sexual community. Their goals is to educate the gay community, family and friends on HIV and once they have educated their community, then they can spread the information abroad. Joy MCC HIV/AIDS Ministry is another organization that is working together with other local organizations to get the most accurate and current information about HIV out to the public. All of these groups are located within the Orlando area and have weeking meetings where they discuss different topics about HIV to help individual suffering with the virus have a smoother journey. They teach the individuals how to deal with the pain and suffering most individuals acquire once diagnosed with the virus.
Did you know...
In the Orlando area there are only a few known organizations and support groups that target the African American women community. I believe more African American women need to step up to the plate and get involved in the movement. If we become more involved, we can educate others and ourselves as well and get the statistics down.
Support Group Pages:
Hope and Help of Central Florida, Inc.
Marilyn Carifi1935 Woodcrest Dr.Winter Park, FL 32792Tel:407-645-2577
Marilyn Carifi1935 Woodcrest Dr.Winter Park, FL 32792Tel:407-645-2577
Living and Thriving: HIV/AIDS Support Group
Front DeskGLBCC - 946 N. Mills Ave.Orlando, FL 32803Tel:407-228-8272
Joy MCC HIV/AiDs Ministry
Patrick Caraher2351 S. FerncreekOrlando, FL 32806
Tel:407-894-1081 Ext 18
There are many other groups within the Orlando area fight for the cause. We have to stick together if we want to defeat HIV/AIDS.
I have very mixed feelings about the AIDS resource centers at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. I tested positive in 1985 in Kansas City, and began attending support groups there in 1986.
ReplyDeleteBack then is was still considered “a gay disease” and most of the HIV/AIDS resources were grass roots, home grown centers. Many of them across the country were started by MCC (Metropolitan Community Churches), which ministers primarily to the LGBT communities.
I moved to Orlando in 1991, and found Hope and Help Center. It met in the Unitarian Church building on Robinson Street, and was very grass roots. There was a feeling of community and family back then. I wasn’t able to find a support group on their website now. The closest thing I found was a peer support program, which is a one on one program.
One of the other HIV/AIDS organizations in town was CENTAUR, also very grass roots in services and attitudes. They provide a food pantry, counseling, and testing. They used to have a support group, but no longer do, for white gay men anyway. They have been taken over by The Center for Drug-Free Living. That completely ruined CENTAUR in my mind. It became just another corporation, with no feeling of community whatsoever.
There was also ARA (AIDS Resource Alliance), which provided case management and housing I believe. It’s been gone for some time now.
In the late 90s I saw various groups wanting groups for themselves exclusively. The Hispanics wanted their own place to go, African-Americans wanted their own place to go, etc.. The result was that the funding pie started to be cut into too many pieces resulting in most organizations being under funded. This was another factor which led to the takeover of CENTAUR.
There are some other personal resentments, like the fact that the only people actually doing anything about HIV/AIDS in the 80s were gay people and celebrities. The government was delighted that AIDS was killing off all the “right” people. We gays organized services, networks and charities. Then when as was warned, the pandemic began to spread into the general population, others stepped in and took over what we labored so hard to establish.
On a more positive note, I feel that support groups are very important for two important reasons; one, it is very important to not feel alone in a difficult situation, and nobody has an idea about what it’s like to be HIV+ than others that are also HIV+. Secondly, there is much information to pool. Since members see different doctors, and many also do their own research, there is much information to be shared.
I continue to attend support group meetings, and they are a significant part of my social life as well.
Nice addition to your blog, Allison, but where is your growth part? I want to see how the class is impacting you each week. Your Module 3 had a list of places you could go to get an HIV test. Many of them are ASOs [AIDS Support Organizations].
ReplyDeleteI was one the first President of ARA and I worked on the board of CENTAUR way back in the mid to late 80s. Things have changed and I don't do much with the community because of the changes. It has become a dog eat dog world out there among these organizations and I believe that some have forgotten why they were started in the first place.
This is good information and I never knew that there were so little support groups for African American women. I wonder why that is? Moreover, the aspect of the support group is great and I think that by putting this in your blog it gathers up a few sites and support groups that can be beneficial to other individuals.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that there are so many support groups available in the Central Florida area. I think support systems may be one of the most important and needed resources for individuals dealing with this disease. I know pre- and post-test counseling is available for those going in for testing but I would think many people would still need help throughout their lives with HIV. So many issues come into play when dealing with family, friends, meds, work, school, etc. I would assume having a counselor to talk to about their problems.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to a support group for HIV women and men.ive lived with it for 25 yrs and don't really know anyone who has it.i feel so alone and lost.pleasecontact me at sharonbarker46@gmail.com
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