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Though HIV today is treatable and people can live long, full lives with an HIV diagnosis, some people with HIV also face barriers to accessing healthcare, navigating legal or insurance issues, food insecurity and more.
At Allies for Health + Wellbeing, people living with HIV can get assistance to overcome these challenges and accomplish their goals through case management.
Case management at Allies is designed to support and empower people by improving medical outcomes and increasing clients’ access to needed services. Case management can include treatment adherence counseling, coordination of medical appointments and follow-ups, obtaining appropriate medical benefits, supportive services, advocacy, and providing resource and referrals to medical, financial, community, legal, social, and other resources.
“If you’re someone who has barriers, social or medical, that are going to impact your ability to continue engaging in care to take care of your HIV,” said Michael Latady, MSW, MPH, client services manager – retention in care specialist for Allies, then case management may be right for you. “They specifically need our services to be able to navigate stigma, to navigate care, to navigate HIV and to remove barriers that may not necessarily be related to HIV but may impact their health.”
To receive case management at Allies, potential clients must first speak with the intake coordinator, who will collect documents needed to confirm a person’s eligibility for case management. People must be a resident of one of the 11 counties of southwest Pennsylvania, have a diagnosis of HIV or AIDS, and have an income less than or equal to 500 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible.
“During intake, you’re going to have a thorough assessment of physical health, mental health, legal history, your resources, your support systems, what other agencies you’re engaging with, substance use – all of the things, so we can start there and make a service plan,” Latady said.
Once a person has completed the intake process, they will be assigned to an Allies case manager. At a client’s first appointment with their case manager, the client and case manager will collaborate to design a service plan that meets the client’s needs.
“We do a more thorough job of really assessing what people’s needs are,” Latady said. “It’s more of, ‘What are your long-term goals?’”
When the service plan is complete, the case manager can then begin helping the client address any barriers to care or immediate needs.
Allies case managers can connect clients to resources for housing, transportation, nutrition assistance, emergency financial assistance, pharmacy assistance, support groups and more. While some services are offered through Allies – clients can visit Allies’ food pantry as needed, for example – many times case managers will connect their clients to organizations and services outside the scope of Allies’ work.
“A lot of what we do are referrals,” Latady said. “They’re not things we directly do.”
The end goal is to get the client to a place where they no longer need support from a case manager.
“We’re trying to graduate people,” Latady said. “What would your life need to look like for us to discharge you?”
Though case management can be very helpful for people who need assistance navigating their HIV diagnosis and treatment, it’s not necessary for everyone living with HIV. Depending on a person’s individual circumstances, the assistance that a case manager provides can be helpful or not.
“For a very long time, since [The Ryan White CARE Act] inception, in 1991, it probably made sense for pretty much anyone under that to get case managed,” Latady said. “People didn’t know how to navigate care by themselves. It’s a legacy of the way things used to be, when case management was just ‘fix everything.’”
Latady stresses that seeking case management is not a reflection of a person’s worth or abilities.
“There isn’t a typical client,” they said. “Needing case management doesn’t mean anything about someone, that they’re dumb or dependent or rich or smart. Sometimes people will be like, ‘Oh, I don’t need help.’ I’m not saying that you’re not capable, but you might need some support.”
Case management also is a partnership between the case manager and client, and clients are free to stop at any time.
“Our main goal is for people to stay in care, and if they don’t want care, and if they don’t want case management, that doesn’t hurt our feelings,” Latady said. “At any time, you can say, ‘I don’t want this anymore.’”
Ultimately, case management is a tool that people can use to live their fullest and healthiest lives with HIV.
“The assumption is, you’ve come here for some help navigating some things,” Latady said. “What can we do over the next year or so to get you where you want to be?”
If you are living with HIV and are interested in case management services from Allies, call the intake coordinator at 412-252-1553. If Allies is unable to take you on as a client for any reason, we can refer you to alternate case management services. For more information about Allies for Health + Wellbeing and its services, visit AlliesPGH.org.
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