HIV/AIDS Clinic to Extend Minority Outreach

By Matt Garfield / mgarfield@heraldonline.com

Rock Hill’s HIV/AIDS clinic will broaden its outreach to minorities with a $60,000 infusion of money.

Two-thirds of Catawba Care Coalition’s clients are from racial and ethnic minority groups, said director Anita Case. That ratio mirrors national figures that show black Americans suffer disproportionately from HIV and AIDS.

The Southeast has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS cases in the country. For black women ages 25 to 44, HIV/AIDS has become the leading cause of death.

“The cost of care is rising, so every year just to provide the same services costs more,” Case said. “We’re really kind of raising the bar on the care we’re providing. This will help us be able to do that.”

The grant, which comes through a regional grant from Mecklenburg County, marks another shot of momentum for the growing nonprofit on Camden Avenue.

“The need is definitely there,” board member Bill McGinnis said. “Having that kind of money helps us meet it head-on.”

A developer stunned Catawba Care last year with a donation of 1.6 acres of vacant land near Piedmont Medical Center. The clinic hopes to build a bigger headquarters in the next two to three years. At Catawba Care’s bustling but cramped offices on Camden Avenue, staffers are running out of room.

Catawba Care provides services unlike any other clinic in the Charlotte region. South Carolina’s only other “one-stop” location with medical, counseling and prevention services is in Florence.

At Catawba Care’s Christopher Clinic, 408 patients were treated last year – up from 379 in 2006.

Matt Garfield 329-4063

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