About AID Atlanta

AID Atlanta, Inc. has been saving and transforming lives since its inception in 1982. The agency was founded as a grass-roots response to the devastating and fatal impact HIV/AIDS was having on the Atlanta community. AID Atlanta quickly began expanding to offer a broader range of services, and has since grown to be the largest and most comprehensive AIDS Service Organization in the Southeast United States.

The mission of AID Atlanta is to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life of its members and the community by breaking barriers and building community.  AID Atlanta has proven itself a leader in the fight against the AIDS epidemic in Atlanta.

AID Atlanta has a total of 99 employees, 83 % of which provide direct HIV services. The main office, located at 1605 Peachtree Street in Atlanta, houses the Department of Client Services, the Department of Education and Volunteer Services, HIV testing and counseling and the Joye Bradley Health Services Unit. Client Services has a staff of 57 employees and provides wide-ranging HIV services at the main site as well as at off-site locations including:

• Grady Infectious Disease Program (IDP)
• Fulton, DeKalb, and Atlanta City Jails
• St. Joseph’s Mercy Mobile HIV Clinic
• Veterans Administration Hospital
• Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, and Clayton County Health Departments AID Atlanta Client Services Department provides a broad spectrum of services for HIV positive individuals including:
  • Intensive case management and social services in addition to access and referrals to medical care, medication and counseling, insurance assistance; housing mental health/substance abuse services; rental, mortgage & utility assistance; clothing, transportation assistance; peer counseling; family support; vocational rehab; food; support groups; clinical trials; and legal assistance.
  • Expanded access for women and children via collaborative inter-agency partnerships.
  • Primary healthcare for eligible HIV positive clients.
  • Mental Health assessments and individual counseling services.
  • Discharge planning and post-release case management for HIV positive inmates is provided at the Atlanta City Jail and Detention Center, Fulton County Jail, and DeKalb County Jail. The Department of Education and Volunteer Services has a staff of 26 employees and provides HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs targeted to high-risk HIV negative, Latino/a, African-American, gay/bisexual, and adolescent communities, as well as secondary prevention education. More than 80,000 prevention education contacts were made in 2007. The Testing and Counseling Program of AID Atlanta conducted over 4,000 HIV tests in 2007, with a positive result rate of 3-4%, demonstrating the ability to reach those most in need of services. All HIV tests are conducted using OraQuick Advance, allowing almost immediate delivery of test results and all newly diagnosed positive clients are provided information and referrals for obtaining appropriate care and assistance to begin understanding and managing their illness.

The Joye Bradley Health Services Unit provides HIV wellness primary care services, referrals to HIV dental care, and access to AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta (ARCA) and other clinical trials to HIV positive individuals with CD4 counts over 200. The Joye Bradley Health Services Unit provided care to 371 clients in 2007.

AID Atlanta's client population is representative of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Atlanta. The majority of those served by the agency are African American (75%); 18% are White, 6% Hispanic, and 1% other. Men account for 78% of those served, 20% are females, and 1% transgendered. The table below indicates the racial breakdown among males and females. 55% of clients are ages 25-44, 40% are ages 45-64, while 4% are ages 13-24. Approximately 69% of clients are males who report sex with another male as mode of HIV transmission, 24% report heterosexual contact and 6% reported injection drug use. Ninety-nine percent of clients are at or below 300% of federal poverty level; 70% are at or below the federal poverty level. Forty-seven percent of those served have no public or private health insurance.