Collaboration Among Community Agencies Plays Key Role in the Fight against AIDS

Collaborations with other local AIDS service organizations is critical to serving the needs of our clients and to our success in fighting the AIDS epidemic. Through these joint partnerships, we can streamline the process of accessing services and information for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and improve our quality of service. As one of our new clients says, it "means less running around--sort of like going to Target or a mall."

Sue Gallego, SFAF's Director of Client Services adds, "Sharing resources and working jointly seems especially important now, in these times of budget cuts and growing numbers of people living with HIV/AIDS."

One of our community's oldest and most successful partnerships started in 1994. At that time, three of the city's largest HIV agencies--the AIDS Health Project (AHP), Shanti, and SFAF-- received a grant from the city to develop and implement a collaborative initiative. The results were immediate and made it much easier for clients to access services and enhanced the ability of all of the agencies to share and maximize resources.

How specifically does this partnership affect our clients? Recently, a longtime SFAF client informed his client advocate that he needed assistance from a Shanti volunteer with household tasks and grocery shopping. The client wasn't sure when or if a volunteer had been assigned. Through collaborative information-sharing networks, the SFAF client advocate was able to immediately confirm that a volunteer had been assigned and would be calling within the next few days.

When the same client informed the client advocate that he had been feeling depressed lately, she recommended that he consider seeing a counselor or joining a support group at AHP. Because of our partnership with AHP, the SFAF client advocate was well-informed about what mental health options were available at AHP. The advocate could easily share information about the client with AHP, if the client decided to take advantage of their services.

A new type of collaboration came about this past October when, for the first time, the Tenderloin AIDS Resource Center (TARC) invited Tenderloin-based service organizations to participate in its strategic planning retreat. This process brought together a variety of agencies, including the Tom Waddel Clinic, the St. Anthony Foundation, Glide, Quan Yin Healing Arts, and SFAF, to discuss their organization's future plans, as well as their perspectives about TARC.

So, what changed as a result of this retreat? Outcomes include improved communication, plans for new partnerships, and an enhanced belief that we are all, indeed, working toward the same goals, and we began to identify additional ways we can maximize our joint impact on the community.

Tracy Brown, the Executive Director of TARC, noted: "This was an incredible opportunity for decision makers at all of these agencies to develop stronger partnerships and better systems to improve HIV services and prevention efforts in our community, while prioritizing precious resources."

Providers working specifically with the Latino population have also been seeking improved ways to collaborate. SFAF's Latino Support Group, which just celebrated its "quinceñera" (15th birthday), worked with other community agencies to plan a "fiesta" with the goal of forging new alliances. This event was inspired by clients who told various agencies how difficult it was to connect with Spanish speaking staff and learn about the different services available. Held on November 4, 2003, over 70 people attended and more than 30 different agencies were represented, including Clinica Esperanza, Aguilas, TARC, Continuum, the Iris Center, Shanti, the Homeless Prenatal Clinic, and the Mexican Consulate.

The event was a resounding success, with clients and staff interacting during a delightful evening of food, music, and information. Dr. Ricardo Alvarez with the Mission Neighborhood Health Center gave an inspiring talk about the strength we gain through partnerships in our communities. "The event was very powerful and really helped providers and clients get a much stronger sense of the services and needs in the community," said Jorge Zepeda, a Client Advocate and co-facilitator of the Latino Support Group.

This was only the first step in a joint process to enhance collaboration among these clients and service providers. A follow-up meeting with the community agencies, client planners, and supporters was held in late January at SFAF, to determine how to build on this success.

SFAF continues to establish partnerships and to seek out innovative ways to work with other community groups to have the greatest positive impact on our clients. We have long known that collaborating with other HIV/AIDS service organizations in the Bay Area is crucial to our efforts to best serve the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS.