A two-year old nonprofit organization, Dudley’s Place, seeks to provide aid to those with HIV or AIDS throughout North Carolina. Headquartered at Rosedale Health and Wellness in Huntersville (103 Commerce Center Drive, #103, Charlotte Metro area), Dudley’s Place specializes in education, as well as prevention of HIV.
The services currently offered by the nonprofit are nutrition/food assistance, support groups for HIV-positive individuals, transportation and provision of available resources. Dudley’s Place also acts as a partner to Getting to Zero Mecklenburg; an initiative that aims to limit the spread of HIV.
Getting to Zero Mecklenburg’s mission statement reads, “We need community members to share ideas on how to best partner with their specific population to increase HIV/STI awareness and help reduce new cases. Our goal is to reduce the number of new HIV infections, in Mecklenburg County, by 75 percent in five years, and 90 percent in 10 years.” Grants such as the one provided to Dudley’s Place have been designed to do just that.
Dale Pierce, the Executive Director of Dudley’s Place says, “This CDC grant through Mecklenburg County will save lives in our community. Dudley’s Place [is] looking for clients to participate in our PrEP program, which is free to community members who are uninsured or underinsured. Our program will cover all medical expenses and medication.”
The primary candidates for this PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) program are those who do not have HIV but are at a very high risk of contracting it. The Dudley’s Place press release explains, “Studies have shown that PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent when taken daily. Among people who inject drugs, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV by at least 74 percent when taken daily. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.”
The nonprofit organization promises judgement-free care for those whose partners are HIV positive or who may be high risk for HIV because of a lack of insurance or access to medical care. Clients in the program will have access to onsite laboratory and pharmacy, mental health, nutrition, PrEP Navigator, benefit advocate and case management services.
For those interested in participating, call 704-977-2972 or email Dudley@myrosedalehealth.com.
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