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Case
management team
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The Womens Collective Approach
Woman-focused:
The Womens Collective chose to focus its
resources on serving women because of a need to
fill a very wide gap in services. The Womens Collective
model takes in to account that the needs of women
may be different from those of other populations.
As women of color we are also sensitive to the various
cultural nuances of African-American, Caribbean,
Latina and African Women.
Peer-based:
All programs of The Womens Collective are
run by women who come from the same or similar backgrounds
as the women we serve. We are an all female staff,
some of whom are women living with HIV. In our experience
women at risk and women living with HIV are often
more comfortable receiving services from members
of their own group. Therefore our outreach specialists
who assist newly diagnosed women with obtaining
services are also women living with HIV, and peer
educators conducting outreach are women who have
been at risk or are living with HIV.
Family-centered:
In addition to being peer-based and woman-focused,
all Womens Collective programs including prevention
are family-centered. This means that child care
is available during all activities, groups and services.
Counseling and support for children and family members
of our clients is provided as necessary. Families
of the women we serve are also invited to participate
in special events sponsored by the collective, such
as the holiday party, and the annual African-American
Walk for Life fundraiser. We recognize that women
exist as part of a family unit that often needs
services and support as well. Supporting the family
is another way of supporting the woman.
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Outreach Specialists
Aleta,
Danielle and Kyra
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Local,
National & International Policy Advocacy
Staff and women of The Womens Collective
participate in numerous policy advocacy activities.
We participate in the Ryan White Title I Planning
Council, a key forum for decision making regarding
local AIDS funding and prioritizing. The Womens
Collective is also a member of the Ms. Foundations
Advisory Committee for Innovative Health Care Models
for Women with HIV/AIDS.
Friends
of The Womens Collective
Our volunteer network includes members
who have a broad range of expertise and includes
physicians, attorneys, computer analysts, and clinical
researchers, administrative assistants, writers,
homemakers, and women and girls living with and/or
at high risk for HIV/AIDS. The services provided
by members of Friends of The Womens Collective benefit
the organization in numerous ways. First, of course
is the donation of their time and services to help
the women that we serve. They also provide critical
support to the organization by lending their expertise
when we need assistance.
Training
and Technical Assistance
We provide training and technical assistance to
organizations and coalitions that want to develop
or enhance their services or programs to better
serve women and children. Over the last seven years,
the Collective has sponsored or co-sponsored training
activities for over 1,200 service providers and
women living with HIV/AIDS. We have also met with
dozens of AIDS service providers from the Ukraine,
Spain, Brazil, Guyana, Malawi and other countries
to provide them with insight and training on our
model of care and support.
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Family-Centered
Case Management
Our case management services are a part of a comprehensive
family-centered program that provides peer support, creates
connections between careseekers and caregivers, and promotes
the participation and empowerment of women, their families,
and members of their support network in developing care
plans based on their self-defined needs. We accept, as
well as provide, referrals for women, women and their
children, to/from other programs that provide local primary
medical care, support and mental health services for women
with HIV/AIDS either currently not in a system of care
or who need support to remain in a system of care. We
provide services for women and their families that assists
them in accessing respite care, childcare, housing, food,
transportation services, etc.,ūproviding women with opportunities
to take care of not only their own primary medical and
psychosocial needs but also the needs of their children
and other family members. This program currently serves
over 155 women and 286 of their family members
Early
Intervention Services
The Early Intervention Specialists, women living with
HIV/AIDS, assist recently diagnosed women and those not
receiving services to get into a formal system of care
and support. The partnership between Early Intervention
Specialists and the women we reach enables women to identify
the issues and behaviors that affect their health and
take the necessary steps to support and care for themselves.
The Early Intervention Specialists target women in some
of the poorest communities in the area and are a major
part of all of our programs and services. They not only
provide emotional support but they provide life-saving
information. They go with women to doctors appointments,
visit women at hospitals and provide support when women
disclose their status to family members. Early Intervention
Specialists understand the fear and negative attitudes
from providers that can make women feel ashamed. They
also understand the things that ultimately discourage
women from seeking the services that could save their
lives. This program has served over 1,200 women since
its inception.
Mental
Health Therapies
We
provide individual and group level mental health counseling
to support the mental health of women, their partner(s)
and family members. Our program is grounded in exploring
a woman's internal perceptions of her external life and
explores individual cultural roots.
Sister
Circle Treatment Education Program
The Sister Circle treatment education program facilitates
small group meetings, one-on-one counseling and training
workshops with local physicians and women with and/or
at high risk for HIV/AIDS to talk about AIDS treatment
strategies and other health issues such as substance abuse,
high blood pressure and cancer. This program has served
over 250 women.
Support
Services
We offer support services that include respite care; childcare
support and transportation services so that women can
attend doctors appointments, shop for food or attend to
other types of business. This type of support is critical
giving women an opportunity to take care of their (as
well as their children/family members) primary medical
and psychosocial needs.
Peer-based
Support Groups and Skills Building Groups
We sponsor peer-based support and skills building groups
and in the last year convened over twenty-five support
groups attended by over 300 women. We offer a general
Coffee House support group for women living with HIV/AIDS
and their children. Our support group model is built upon
shared peer leadership and mutual self-help. These services
have been available since the inception of the organization
in 1993. In 2000 we began providing skills building groups
with a focus on grief, empowerment and self-esteem building
for the women we serve.
Complementary
Therapies
We further supplement the self-identified needs of women
with the addition of accupuncture and massage therapy
(seated and full-body massage). Women can take full advantage
of these therapies on-site in a safe and nurturing environment.
These services help to supplement and support women in
addressing their health needs.
The
Tiffany Fund
Our emergency assistance fund helps women to access crisis
intervention services as well as financial assistance
to meet the emergency needs of women with HIV/AIDS and
their families. The Womens Collective helps women by processing
applications to get grants and also provides direct financial
assistance to cover medication, food, medical care, dental
care, reproductive health care, child care, housing (including
utilities) and transportation among others.
Drop-in
Resource Center, Community Kitchen & Pantry
Each day we provide in our office a safe space for women
to conduct research, read, relax, eat and commune with
other women and staff members. We have a TV/VCR with dozens
of videos to help women with issues of disclosure, substance
abuse, medications and other issues related to HIV/AIDS.
We have two computers with highspeed Internet connections,
a scanner and printer. The computers have programs that
can assist women with resume building, typing skills as
well as programs for the children who use our space while
their mothers meet with staff.
Our
community kitchen provides a snack or meals for women
who are often on fixed incomes or need food at specific
times during the day to assist with complicated drug regimes.
Our kitchen also has an emergency pantry for women and
families who are in immediate need of food assistance.
Sisters
in the Struggle Newsletter
Our organizational newsletter is disseminated to women
living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS across the metro area,
as well as nationwide. Each issue provides peer/role model
stories, where women share their life stories to help
others. Information also includes medical updates and
treatment information. We also identify referral resources
in the areas of domestic violence, legal and other health
care services. It is currently disseminated locally, nationally
and internationally to over 3,000 contacts. To join our
mailing list please go to our publications
page. Click here to read Pats article Beginnings
from our premiere issue in the Fall of 1998 or here to
read our July 2000 issue
in its entirety on the web.
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