Operating Support for House of Mercy: Low-Income AIDS Ministry

Coordinated HIV care is a central element of House of Mercy’s program of services. Our client-focused strategy for coordinating care includes 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. Components of coordinated care include resident admission and assessment, development of a care plan including long term needs, ongoing coordination of medical services, monitoring the resident's health, and discharge planning when needed. Grant funds would help pay for caregivers' salaries and program expenses (24 hour care, clinical treatments, supplemental services) at the House of Mercy residence.

Not only residents benefit from House of Mercy's services. We provide great comfort to friends and family members who are no longer able to provide care for their loved ones, especially elderly parents. 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. House of Mercy receives a steady flow of referrals from area hospitals, infectious disease specialists and social service agencies. Hospitals are a major source of referrals because they recognize the cost effectiveness of House of Mercy.

The growing population of persons living with HIV/AIDS has increased the need for AIDS-related housing, health and social services. Nearly all House of Mercy residents have become Medicaid-eligible because the expense of fighting their illness has exhausted their personal resources. Most residents have had low incomes and health insurance hasn’t been an option.

Up to 300,000 North Carolinians have no affordable options for regular healthcare (NC is one of 19 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage). Many of our residents' only healthcare has been Emergency Room visits and have not received regular care or HAART medications for HIV Disease.

The Centers for Disease Control reports about 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV at the end of 2012, the most recent year for which this information is available. Of those people, about 13% (156,000) did not know they were infected.*

The impact of HIV/AIDS in the South is a growing concern. Nearly half (49%) of all new HIV diagnoses occur in the South despite having only 37% of the total U.S. population. The CDC reports of the 6,955 deaths attributed directly to HIV or AIDS (2013), 52% were in the South, 21% were in the Northeast, 16% were in the West, and 11% were in the Midwest.

Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level particularly among certain groups. Black Americans face the most severe burden of HIV representing 64% of adult/adolescent infections. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) was the principal risk factor in 66% of total cases; heterosexual transmission risk in 29%; injection drug use (IDU) in 2%; and MSM/IDU in 3%.

As of December 31, 2015 there were 33,388 persons diagnosed and living with HIV infection in North Carolina and another 3873 estimated persons who are unaware they are infected. House of Mercy’s primary service area includes Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, Anson, Stanly, Rowan, Cabarrus, Iredell, Lincoln and Cleveland counties. As of 12.31.15 there are 8,552 persons diagnosed and living with HIV disease (including 2,709 living with AIDS) in House of Mercy’s primary 10-county service area.**

* Centers for Disease Control & Prevention **NC 2015 HIV/STD Surveillance Report