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Our Recuperative Care and Supportive Housing programs act as an in-house safety net for our clients: if a client in Supportive Housing is struggling with their health or their HIV treatment, they have access to Medical Case Management services; if they need more support, they can move to Recuperative Care – our return-to-care program — for closer monitoring and assistance. Moving in the other direction, Recuperative Care clients can move to an apartment in Supportive Housing once their health is stabilized, to work on longer-term issues.
In the past five years, an average of 16% of Recuperative clients have been newly diagnosed with HIV. That figure coincides with statewide data: 2020 Texas DHSH data indicates that 1,332 PLWH, or 16% in the Austin area, are undiagnosed.
These clients are starting at ground zero in establishing a medication regimen and understanding their diagnosis. They’re also extremely sick and frail, often suffering from illnesses like pneumonia or flu. Newly-diagnosed clients — who often have low levels of literacy and may not speak English — need extensive education in disease management and how to protect their partners. This is why MCM services are essential: While a client’s daily care is overseen by a Registered Nurse, the Medical Case Manager is working on the longer-term goals of treatment adherence and viral suppression.
The primary goal of our programs is to prepare every client to maintain their own HIV treatment independently. MCM directly serves that goal by educating and empowering clients to be their own coaches and advocates, by coordinating care and treatments across systems and agencies, and by helping the PLWH navigate and access these complex medical and benefit systems.