In the ongoing fight against HIV, community organizations play a vital role in education, care, support, and making resources accessible. In Central Florida, one organization has been supporting the community with compassion, advocacy, and medical care since 1988.
Hope & Help of Central Florida, initially established by a group of friends seeking to support a friend who had been diagnosed with AIDS, has grown into one of the state’s most comprehensive resources for information, support, and outreach, such as free HIV testing. Tirelessly working to stop the spread of HIV, which has hit the Central Florida area particularly hard, Hope & Help offers everything from support groups to mobile wellness programs to testing access, helping to lessen cases of HIV and build a brighter future for vulnerable populations.
Stopping the spread of HIV in FL: Get tested and access treatment
In 2022, Orlando was ranked among the top 5 cities in the nation for reported cases of HIV infections. Researchers noted that the rate of diagnoses in Central Florida was nearly double that of the national average. This overwhelming need for resources to stem the transmission of HIV in Central Florida makes what Hope & Help offers even more significant.
The organization’s mission is bold yet unwavering. Even as the focus on HIV and AIDS has lessened since the peak of the epidemic, Hope & Help’s mission to end HIV in the state of Florida has remained steadfast. Their team’s strategy stretches beyond medical care to include free rapid HIV testing, testing for other STIs, community education, access to preventative measures such as PrEP, and mobile outreach. Hope & Help’s central HIV clinic in the Orlando area serves as a hub for their services, providing thousands of people with access to care, support, and resources they may not have otherwise had.
Helping with a lack of access to STI testing and primary care providers
Hope & Help sets itself apart from other organizations with its wide range of free and low-cost services for the communities that need them the most. Many factors contribute to a lack of access, including housing insecurity, job loss, lack of family support, and mental health struggles. Hope & Help addresses these varied barriers to access by providing holistic, person-centered care that addresses emotional, physical, and social needs.
Central Florida’s flagship HIV clinic also offers access to counseling following HIV testing, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) services, rapid care following a positive HIV test, harm-reduction such as needle exchanges, case management for low-income members of the community, and ongoing community outreach.
