础办谤辞苍鈥檚 is expanding through a new partnership with Equitas Health.
At the current center 鈥� a large house on West Market Street 鈥� youth from ages 18 to 24 years old are invited to play pool, ping-pong and pinball machines. The Akron AIDS Collaborative, which hosts the Bayard Rustin Center, also does outreach to LGBTQ+ youth homeless youth, inviting them to take showers and supporting their search for permanent housing.
In the new center, Equitas Health 鈥� a statewide organization that supports LGBTQ+ healthcare 鈥� will focus on mental health, such as counseling and substance abuse services and HIV prevention. The Akron AIDS Collaborative will also offer case management, housing referrals, food and a clothing bank.
The new center will open Sept. 6 at the Five Points Shopping Center, which is at 636 W. Exchange St. in Akron.
鈥淚t鈥檚 to be a welcoming space where they won鈥檛 feel threatened, feel welcome and feel they can ask for help and maybe help define what kind of help they need,鈥� said Rev. Robert Dreese, senior pastor of First Grace United Church of Christ and the Bayard Rustin Center鈥檚 treasurer.
Equitas Health Center spokesperson Anthony Clemente said in an email that tens of thousands of low-income residents near the new health center are without a medical home.
鈥淏y opening our health center and co-locating with the Akron AIDS Collaborative, Equitas Health can help fill this gap by improving healthcare access for [LGBTQ+] Akron patients,鈥� Clemente said in an email.
To assist in getting people living with or at risk of HIV into care, Equitas Health develops connections with neighborhood organizations like the Akron AIDS Collaborative. Both organizations have long served people who are HIV-positive or at risk of catching the virus.
础办谤辞苍鈥檚 Bayard Rustin Center and Equitas Health saw the need to expand and outreach to this specific Akron area, predominantly to people of color.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a need [for the new services] in our community because there鈥檚 the lack of that,鈥� said Steve Arrington, executive director of the Akron AIDS Collaborative. 鈥淲hen I say our community, there鈥檚 a need in the minority LGBTQ community. We all don鈥檛 use mainstream systems that are in place that lack cultural competency for the target population of people of color that are in the LGBTQ community.鈥�
After discussions about expanding Equitas healthcare services in Akron started, the center began interacting with neighborhood partners to assess local needs.
鈥淏y working with the Akron AIDS Collaborative and other partners, Equitas Health aims to take a grassroots approach to reach the people who need our services most,鈥� Clemente said in an email.
This relationship will help remove typical obstacles to HIV care, partners say.
鈥淐lients of the Akron AIDS Collaborative will benefit most from this partnership,鈥� Clemente said in an email. 鈥淲ith a new, more direct path to care from AAC to Equitas Health, clients will now have improved access to the quality, affirming healthcare that we believe everyone deserves.鈥�
Patients can expect improved access to diagnostics, case management, referrals and food and clothing help, Clemente said in an email.
The new center will also focus on reaching out to people experiencing homelessness, especially LGBTQ+ people. Dresse said many of these young adults can鈥檛 define what they need because they are in survival mode, trying to figure out where they will get their next meal or where to stay the night and be safe.
鈥淭he new space will give us more breathing room and be able to have more physical resources available for people than right now,鈥� Dreese said.
The organizations may contribute to reducing the HIV epidemic in the Akron region by making preventative services more accessible.
The new site will replicate Equitas Health鈥檚 medical facilities in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus. Primary care, specialized HIV care, behavioral health, dental care and other treatments are all available at these health centers.
The Akron health center will initially provide pharmacy and medical services.
鈥淭hese services complement and enhance the offerings provided by the Akron AIDS Collaborative, a longstanding and trusted resource in Summit County,鈥� Clemente said in an email.
Dreese is optimistic that these services won鈥檛 be needed in 10 years, but says both organizations are committed to building the community.
鈥淚鈥檝e been around long enough to know that that doesn鈥檛 always come true,鈥� Dreese said. 鈥淲e look for allies as concerned as we are and willing to work with us to protect and serve.鈥�
This story was originally published by the , a collaborative newsroom staffed by Kent State students.