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Alamo Area Resource Center
527 N. Leona, Bldg A, 3rd Floor, San Antonio, TX 78207
(210) 358-9897 (Phone)
(210) 358-9953 (Fax)

The Alamo Area Resource Center, Inc. (AARC) has provided supportive services to the HIV/AIDS community for the past 19 years. AARC is the largest non-medical HIV/AIDS service organization in the Health Services Delivery Area, and it maximizes the quality of life for individuals facing disabling or life threatening diseases, by providing comprehensive, compassionate, and effective rehabilitative and social services.

Latino AIDS Advocacy Project of South Texas
$247,215
Howard Rogers
(210) 358-9897
howardr@aarcsa.com

Abstract

The purpose of the project is to coordinate discharge planning for HIV-positive inmates returning to Bexar and surrounding counties before their release. There are thousands of inmates living with HIV/AIDS in the San Antonio Transition Grant Area (SATGA), and AIDS prevalence in that area increased by 50 percent from 2000-2006. There are a lot of unmet needs in the SATGA, particularly among the targeted minority groups and their sub-populations. This project targets minority ex-offenders, re-entering society who have HIV/AIDS and are within the following subpopulations: substance abusers, men who have sex with men, and individuals impacted by mental health disorders. Most of the prevalent AIDS cases in the SATGA are male, Hispanic, and 35 years of age or older. AARC plans to coordinate care by scheduling an initial intake and assessment within 48 hours of release. The organization will provide a centralized assessment and reintegration team to establish primary medical treatment and supportive social services in a continuum of care, including direct access to housing, mental health and substance abuse services, emergency financial assistance, vocational-skills building and job referrals. The following outcomes are expected:

• An increase in the successful re-entry of ethnic/minority re-entering ex-offenders,
• An increase of the percentage of the population first diagnosed with HIV and/or substance- abusing racial/ethnic minority re-entering ex-offenders that live healthier lives through the improvement of access to health services and
• A decrease in substance abuse and HIV or AIDS.

Performance measures will evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions and their impact on clients in terms of decreased substance abuse and HIV or AIDS. To evaluate the program, the Alamo Area Resource Center will have a program evaluator collect data derived from surveys, interviews and focus groups. The evaluator will also analyze staff reports, client surveys and frequency data pertaining to client participation. Key data will also be collected through initial intake assessment form and a pre-release assessment instrument. In addition, an individualized service plan will be used to track ongoing needs to evaluate success of the intervention.

OMH objective(s) toward which the project’s results most contribute:

• Increased awareness, education, & outreach to address racial/ethnic minority health & health disparities problems
• Improved access to, and appropriate utilization of, health & other community-based services and systems through user-centered design for racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., health IT, culturally/ linguistically appropriate services, service provider education/ training, workforce diversity)