Damien Center

Last updated
Damien Center
FormationJune 1987
Headquarters26 N. Arsenal Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
President and CEO
Alan Witchey
Website damien.org

The Damien Center is the largest care center (providing both health and counseling services) for people with HIV/AIDS in Indianapolis, Indiana. It has been open since 1987 and is the longest-sustained project of the Indy Bag Ladies. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Purpose and founding

The Damien Center was established in April 1987 by a team of community members including the Darrell Arthur of the Indy Bag Ladies, Monsignor Gettlefinger at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral representing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, and Earl Conner, an Episcopalian minister an AIDS activist representing the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. [3] The center is named after Father Damien, a Roman Catholic priest who dedicated his life to caring for individuals with leprosy in Hawaii in the late 1800s. In its early years, the center was almost exclusively staffed by volunteers and provided testing, offered a food pantry, coordinated care for people with HIV and AIDS, and other services for people with AIDS. [3] [2] When it opened in 1987, the Damien Center was located in the former Cathedral Grade School at 1350 N. Pennsylvania Street and housed four community groups, including the Buddy Support Program, Bag Ladies, Inc., People with AIDS Coalition Newsletter, and Marion County AIDS Taskforce. [3] The Damien Center also offered patient and family support groups and a library of educational materials. [3]

Buddy Support Program

The Buddy Support Program was founded by Darrell Arthur, and psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Hicks in Indianapolis. The program trained unlicensed caregivers to physically and emotionally assist people with AIDS. The program offered several days of training which included mental support for grief, the physical symptoms of AIDS, and more. Upon completion of the program, Buddies were then paired with a person with AIDS in the community who needed assistance. [4] The Buddy Program was adopted by the Damien Center when it opened. [3] [4]

Safe needle exchange

In partnership with the Marion County Public Health Department, the Damien Center operates a van that provides clean needles, naloxone, and care and other harm-reduction measures to drug users. [5]

Expansion

The Damien Center has expanded significantly since 2017/2018. In 2017, Marion County was identified as one of 50 areas that account for more than half of new HIV diagnoses in the United States. [6] With the push to end the HIV epidemic by the Department of Health and Human Services, the center has responded by expanding. The center has grown from 40 employees to more than 150, and with the campus expansion, will grow to over 200. [7]

The Damien Center is currently located in a former school at 26 N. Arsenal Avenue, where it has been for 15 years. In 2021, the Damien Center announced a $30 million expansion that will triple the size of its headquarters. [8] Groundbreaking for the construction began in March 2023 with plans for completion by late fall of 2024. The new headquarters will be located on the corner of E. Washington St. and Oriental Ave., near the current building. The center will expand into a building campus that will include an expanded Damien Cares clinic, the current building, and redevelopment of the building that formerly housed Zonie's Closet, an Indianapolis drag bar that closed in 2021. [9] [10] With the expansion, the Damien Center will be able to support expanded youth programming, therapy programs, housing, and prevention and harm reduction programs. The expanded Damien Cares Clinic will offer dental and vision clinics, multiple exam rooms, a lab, an expanded food pantry, a pharmacy, and an expanded HIV and sexually-transmitted infections testing service. [7] [8] The former Zonie's Closet building will have a coffee shop on the first floor, and the revenue will be used to support the job resource center that will be on the top floor. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan White</span> AIDS spokesperson and "poster boy" (1971–1990)

Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after his school barred him from attending classes following a diagnosis of AIDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GMHC</span> New York City–based non-profit AIDS service organization

The GMHC is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." Founded in 1982, it is often billed as the "world's oldest AIDS service organization," as well as the "nation's oldest HIV/AIDS service organization."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana University School of Medicine</span> Medical school of Indiana University

The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) is a major, multi-campus medical school located throughout the U.S. state of Indiana and is the graduate medical school of Indiana University. There are nine campuses throughout the state; the principal research, educational, and medical center is located on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis. With 1,461 MD students, 195 PhD students, and 1,442 residents and fellows in the 2023–24 academic year, IUSM is the largest medical school in the United States. The school offers many joint degree programs including an MD/PhD Medical Scientist Training Program. It has partnerships with Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, other Indiana University system schools, and various in-state external institutions. It is the medical school with the largest number of graduates licensed in the United States per a 2018 Federation of State Medical Boards survey with 11,828 licensed physicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AIDS Healthcare Foundation</span> Nonprofit organization in Los Angeles

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and advocacy services. As of 2022, it operates about 400 clinics, 69 outpatient healthcare centers, 62 pharmacies, and 22 Out of the Closet thrift stores across 15 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 45 countries, with more than 5,000 employees, and provides care to more than 1.8 million patients. The organization's aim is to end the AIDS epidemic by ensuring access to quality healthcare, including HIV and STD testing, prescription of medications like Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), and referrals to specialty pharmacies. AHF is the largest provider of PrEP in the United States, though its founder Michael Weinstein has received criticism for his past opposition to the drug.

The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, including the city of Houston. The entity's administrative offices are in Bellaire, Texas.

Howard Brown Health is a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider that was founded in 1974. It is based in Chicago and was named after Howard Junior Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Pride Festival</span> Annual LGBT festival in Indianapolis

Indy Pride Festival is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBT organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APLA Health</span>

APLA Health is a non-profit organization based in California, United States, focused on building healthcare capacity and promoting wellbeing for LGBT people and those living with HIV. It was founded as AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1983, and is now among the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitman-Walker Health</span> Non-profit community health center in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area

Whitman-Walker Health (WWH), formerly Whitman-Walker Clinic, is a non-profit community health center in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area with a special expertise in HIV/AIDS healthcare and LGBT healthcare. Chartered as an affirming health center for the gay and lesbian community in 1978, Whitman-Walker was one of the first responders to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in D.C. and became a leader in HIV/AIDS education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In recent years, Whitman-Walker has expanded its services to include primary healthcare services, a stronger focus on queer women's care and youth services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Pride</span> LGBTQ organization in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indy Pride is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a community-based, non-profit organization that seeks "to unite and serve its members and the LGBTQ community of Central Indiana through leadership development, educational and support programs, and community events that achieve inclusivity, equality, strong community connections, and awareness of LGBTQ issues." The organization started in 1995 as the coordinator of the city's annual gay pride parade and event—Indy Pride Festival—but later grew into an umbrella for multiple LGBT community entities, including the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, Indy Bag Ladies, and Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenway Health</span>

Fenway Health is an LGBT health care, research and advocacy organization founded by Northeastern University students and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alliance for Positive Change</span>

Alliance for Positive Change - formerly known as AIDS Service Center NYC (ASCNYC) - is a community organization that helps New Yorkers living with HIV and other chronic illnesses. Founded in 1990 by CEO Sharen Duke, Alliance provides direct services to over 1,800 New Yorkers per year, while its peer education programs and community outreach initiatives reach an additional 18,000. In 2017, the organization formally changed its name to The Alliance for Positive Change. This change came as the nonprofit expanded to help more New Yorkers with substance use and mental health issues, and program participants with chronic illnesses such as hepatitis, diabetes, and heart disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André Carson</span> American politician (born 1974)

André D. Carson is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Indiana's 7th congressional district since 2008. A member of the Democratic Party, his district includes the northern four-fifths of Indianapolis, including Downtown Indianapolis. He became the dean of Indiana's congressional delegation after Representative Pete Visclosky retired in 2021.

The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) is an academic medical partnership between leading North American academic health centers, primarily led by the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Moi University School of Medicine based in Eldoret, Kenya. It is the first integrated healthcare model to be established in Africa, encompassing both medical treatment and pharmaceutical provisions. The program aims to deliver comprehensive HIV care services and is guided by a three-fold mission: providing care, conducting research, and offering training opportunities. Currently, AMPATH serves a population of 3.5 million individuals, operating over 60 clinics in urban and rural areas of Western Kenya.

Healthy Way LA (HWLA) was a free public health care program available to underinsured or uninsured, low-income residents of Los Angeles County. The program, administered by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, was a Low Income Health Program (LIHP) approved under the 1115 Waiver. HWLA helped to narrow the large gap in access to health care among low-income populations by extending health care insurance to uninsured LA County residents living at 0 percent to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Individuals eligible for HWLA were assigned to a medical home within the LA County Department of Health Services (LADHS) or its partners, thus gaining access to continuous primary care, preventive and specialty services, mental health services, and other support systems. HWLA was one of the few sources of coordinated health care for disadvantaged adults without dependents in LA County. HWLA was succeeded by My Health LA, a no-cost health care program for low-income Los Angeles County residents launched on October 1, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey House (Toronto)</span> Hospital in Ontario, Canada

Casey House is a specialty hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that cares for people living with and at risk of HIV. Casey House provides inpatient and outpatient services and is located in the downtown area, at the corner of Jarvis and Isabella streets. Founded in 1988 by a group of volunteers, journalists, and activists, it was the first specialized facility of its kind in Canada. It is named after Casey Frayne, whose mother June Callwood was one of the principal volunteers whose efforts brought about the founding of the hospital.

The UCSF Alliance Health Project (AHP), formerly the AIDS Health Project, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides mental health and wellness services for the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities in San Francisco. It is part of the University of California, San Francisco Department of Psychiatry. In addition to direct service to individuals, it also undertakes HIV prevention and LGBTQ mental health research and educates mental health and health care providers about best practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whittier Street Health Center</span> Health center in Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Whittier Street Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care and support services to primarily low-income, racially and ethnically diverse populations mostly from the Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and the South End neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indy Bag Ladies</span> American activist organization

The Indy Bag Ladies is an activist organization that raises funds for care and treatment for individuals with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Along with fundraising, the Indy Bag Ladies raise awareness of safe sex practices to in order to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and increase visibility and promote equality for LGBTQ+ individuals in Indiana through education and advocacy. The Bag Ladies are mostly men whom dress in ostentatious outfits, also known as Drag queens, to provide entertainment while raising money for the Indianapolis LGBTQ+ community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Caine</span> American physician

Virginia A. Caine is an American physician who is the director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is a specialist in infectious diseases and is nationally recognized for her work with AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine for the Infectious Disease Division of the Indiana University School of Medicine and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Public Health.

References

  1. ↑ Thorp, Benjamin (2023-06-14). "Former LGBTQ nightclub will remain "safe place" for community after renovations". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  2. 1 2 Hillman, Meghan. "The Damien Center: AIDS In Indianapolis, 1981-?". Discover Indiana. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Damien Center". indyencyclopedia.org. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  4. 1 2 "Indy Bag Ladies – The Polis Center". polis.iupui.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  5. ↑ "Damien Center unveils van that will serve as home for safe needle exchange program". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  6. ↑ "Jurisdictions | Ending the HIV Epidemic | CDC". www.cdc.gov. 2022-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  7. 1 2 "Damien Center breaks ground on new 56,000-square-foot headquarters". wthr.com. March 8, 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  8. 1 2 "Why Damien Center will undergo $30 million expansion". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  9. ↑ Brown, Alex. "Damien Center launches capital campaign for new HQ". Inside INdiana Business. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  10. ↑ "'My neighborhood gay bar isn't going to be there': Zonie's Closet set to close". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  11. ↑ "The Indianapolis Star". www.indystar.com. Retrieved 2023-06-24.

39°46′04″N86°08′01″W / 39.7679°N 86.1337°W / 39.7679; -86.1337

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.