ViiV Healthcare High-Fives Nashville CARES

Funds to Support IAMSTRONG Peer-based HIV Care/Treatment Adherence Program

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville CARES has been awarded a ViiV Healthcare Positive Action grant in the amount of $78,574 over the course of two years to enhance and expand Nashville CARES’ support services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Nashville.

[box_light]Awesome!!! Get you some of that! ViiV Healthcare supports those of us living in the hard-hit area of the South– relating to HIV. XO! – Josh Robbins[/box_light]

Specifically, the grant will support the integration of CARES’  IAMSTRONG peer-based HIV health and treatment adherence program into the agency’s entire services environment, through “cross-training” of staff and volunteers to provide IAMSTRONG education and support, and creation of CARES Cafe for clients to share strategies for successful management of HIV health needs.

[quote]“We greatly appreciate the continuing support of ViiV healthcare, whose initial funding helped us develop the IAMSTRONG program as part of HealthyU,” said Nashville CARES CEO Joseph Interrante.  “Its integration throughout our services environment will ease access for clients and enable us to provide this vital education and support along with the wide range of other supportive services. As the research shows, this will both improve clients’ health and reduce new HIV infections.”[/quote]

[toggle_box title=”ABOUT IAMSTRONG” width=”600″]

IAMSTRONG is designed ultimately to support clients identifying strengths and overcoming obstacles in getting and maintaining wellness; the emphasis for IAMSTRONG is wellness via adherence to meds. IAMSTRONG is an acronym:

I – Identify your personal reason for wanting to improve your health through adherence

A – Attend all your appointments with your HIV providers

M – Manage your medication

S – State your strengths which will help you succeed

T – Track your progress and talk with your provider to understand your treatment and care plan

R – Use Reminders for your appointments and medicine

O – Overcome challenges that may interfere with your adherence

N – Know your numbers

G – Get support from others; set realistic achievable short-term goals

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 [quote]”Through the Positive Action Southern Initiative, we’ve witnessed the power of innovative community programming as an effective way of providing strong HIV education, local hands-on support to the HIV community, and resources that greatly impact disease prevention in the Southern U.S.,” said Bill Collier, Senior Vice President and General Manager North America, ViiV Healthcare.[/quote]

[quote] Michael Joyner, Director, Positive Action and Patient Advocacy, ViiV Healthcare added, “We continue to be impressed by results from partners such as Nashville CARES, and look forward to seeing how the expansion of their peer-based treatment adherence program will help people successfully manage their HIV and reduce new infections.” [/quote]

This grant was made possible by ViiV’s Positive Action Southern Initiative.  According to their website, “The Positive Action Southern Initiative, focused on the Southern region of the United States, is a community–focused program designed to address gaps in services that support linkages to care and treatment adherence for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.”  Learn about this here.

 

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