AIDS Services Foundation Orange County evolves to become Radiant Health Centers
IRVINE, Calif; Dec. 4, 2017 –AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, a local organization that has helped people living with HIV disease and those at risk for over 32 years, has adopted a new name, Radiant Health Centers. The change takes effect immediately and was shared with clients and supporters on Dec. 1 in honor of World AIDS Day.
“While our name has changed, our caring and compassion has not,” said Phil Yaeger, CEO of Radiant Health Centers.
The new name was inspired by the organization’s role as a hub that connects people to care and by the optimism inherent in the word radiance, which signifies the quality or state of having or giving off light. The new logo mark captures that radiance in a subtle rainbow of colors and a door shape which ties into its welcoming new tagline: Compassionate care for all.
While HIV disease has become manageable, more people than ever are living with HIV in Orange County and must take costly medications every day for the rest of their lives while still facing great stigma. These medications can suppress the virus to a level that is undetectable and, therefore, no longer transmissible to an HIV-negative partner. Despite these exciting medical advances, six people test positive for HIV disease every week in Orange County.
“Our goal is zero new tranmissions as well as zero stigma. To get us there, we are doing everything we can to close the healthcare gap that these people are slipping through,” Yaeger said. “Adopting a new name that speaks more broadly to HIV disease as a healthcare and health equity issue is an important first step toward our goal.”
Another goal of Radiant Health Centers’ has been ensuring 90 percent of those living with HIV disease in Orange County know their HIV status.
Through its tireless prevention efforts and free and confidential testing at two locations in Irvine and Santa Ana, Radiant Health Centers has achieved that goal. However, it means that there are still about 600 to 700 people living with HIV disease who don’t know it, aren’t taking medications and are able to unknowingly pass it on to others.
“Knowing your status is key to prevention. The new mantra in HIV prevention is “undetectable equals untransmittable,” said Yaeger.
The Centers for Disease Control confirmed, effective September 2017, that people who take antiretroviral treatments daily as prescribed and achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner.
Radiant Health Centers believes that fewer new transmissions would occur if people didn’t face the stigma that prevents them for getting tested or asking for medications that prevent HIV, and if they had better access to such vital medications and knowledgeable healthcare providers who understood how to treat and prevent HIV.
Radiant Health Centers provides case managers to help those who test positive for HIV disease access medical care and prescriptions, drive them to appointments, provide food through its nutrition center and support their loved ones through support groups and family and kids’ programs.
Radiant Health Centers has been expanding its services to include free hepatitis C testing, more mental health services and will continue expanding its services to meet the community’s needs and get Orange County to zero new transmissions and zero stigma.
HIV and hepatitis C Testing location:
Radiant Health Centers, 17982 Sky Park Circle, Irvine, CA 92614
About Radiant Health Centers
Radiant Health Centers has provided more than three decades of exceptional care and support to people affected by HIV and their loved ones. It has been instrumental in driving new HIV transmissions down over the past 15 years; however, six people a week in Orange County are still diagnosed with HIV.
Radiant Health Centers encompasses traditional HIV testing and prevention outreach as well as long-standing services to Orange County’s HIV positive community while also creating a safe space to help more members of our LGBT community in need of compassionate care. Learn more at www.radianthealthcenters.org.
