ACR Health is marking a milestone this weekend with its 30th annual AIDS walk/run fundraiser, and agency leaders hope it serves as a reminder of the important work they do for the community. Executive Director Lisa Alford says they mostly provide care management.
"Helping people navigate chronic health conditions, whether it's accessing transportation to get to those services, nutrition services, or even just identify how do I coordinate all of these doctor's appointments that I have, and do it in a way that I can manage that with the rest of my life."
She says ACR Health serves as a conduit of sorts to provide information and assistance.
"Because so many times, when you're in a crisis, you're dealing with a situation where it's your health, or the health of someone you care about, you many times don't know where to turn."
Alford says there’s no shortage of need for services, especially for chronic health conditions like HIV/AIDS, mental illness, and addiction to name a few.
"We've worked with the local health departments to do specific outreach in certain targeted areas based on where they've seen spikes and increases in sexually transmitted infections and diseases. And similarly, we've done the same thing in communities where they've seen spikes in overdoses."
She says health care can be a gateway to getting other services, but it can be challenging to navigate for those who are self-employed or have had a lapse in health insurance coverage.
"We provide unbiased information because we don't sell a particular product. We're not pushing one over the other. We'll talk with someone about what their health needs are, their medication, and then say, OK, based on that, here are two or three that seem like they may be the best fit for you."
The 30th annual AIDS five-K walk/run will be held this Sunday June 5 at 10 am at Beaver Lake Nature Center. The fee is $35. More information can be found here or by calling 475-2430.
