House of Mercy Request for Operating Expense Support https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2010/house-of-mercy-request-for-operating-expense-support https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

House of Mercy Request for Operating Expense Support

Additional Information
Used for	Grant funds would help pay for caregivers' salaries and program expenses (24 hour care, clinical treatments, and supplemental services) at the House of Mercy residence. The core mission of House of Mercy is to provide compassionate care in a residential setting for persons living with AIDS who can no longer care for themselves and face homelessness. The Sisters of Mercy provide funds to cover all of our administrative expenses.
Benefits	House of Mercy provides palliative services for those near end of life; however, our objective is not only to ease patients’ pain, but also to help those patients who have a chance of getting better. When provided with good care and proper medication in a stable environment, some patients who are in advanced stages of AIDS can improve. During the past three years, 29% of residents discharged from House of Mercy returned to their home communities with improved health.
Proposal Description	Avg. House of Mercy Resident Demographics: 73% African-American, 26% Caucasian, 1% Hispanic/Native American, 72% Male, 28% Female, 8% Ages 20 – 29 years, 43% Ages 30 – 39 years, 35% Ages 40 – 49 years, 14% Ages 50 years and older, 100% Low-income. * Residents are welcomed to House of Mercy in an environment of unconditional love and acceptance. We serve men and women who are living with advanced AIDS without regard to race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. We acknowledge and foster respect for individual differences, ensuring that our residents are treated with dignity and compassion. We strive to create, through action and education, a more understanding society in relation to persons living with HIV/AIDS. * Fortunately, the development of anti-viral medications has significantly improved the ability of infected persons to live with AIDS. However, this has increased the need for housing for persons with AIDS. Nearly all House of Mercy residents have become Medicaid-eligible because the expense of fighting their illness has exhausted their personal resources and, for most, health insurance hasn’t been an option. * HIV Case Management is a central element of House of Mercy’s program of services. Case Management is a client-focused strategy for coordinating care – assessing a client’s need for specific health, psychological and social services; and assisting the client to access a wide range of services that will address those needs. There are eight core components of HIV case management – resident intake, assessment, care plan development, resource development, service coordination, monitoring, reassessment and discharge. * In an effort to avoid service duplication, House of Mercy works closely with many other providers in the community. House of Mercy receives a steady flow of referrals from area hospitals, infectious disease specialists and social service agencies. House of Mercy collaborates with regional hospitals, AIDS service agencies and other human service organizations to better meet the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS. Hospitals are a major source of referrals because they recognize the cost effectiveness of House of Mercy. * House of Mercy provides a service that is both labor and cost intensive. State reimbursement for our residential services totals $58 per residential day. Our cost of providing care per resident is $243 daily due to the required 24–hour staffing, medication cost and other expenses. Funds received from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation would be applied to these costs.