Siempre Unidos

WORK TO CONTAIN THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC IN HONDURAS AND MINIMIZE ITS IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITY IN COOPERATION WITH THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF HONDURAS AND THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH OF HONDURAS.

SU's vision is that every HIV-positive person in Honduras has high-quality care and can live free fr

Goal One: Our first strategic goal is to maintain high-quality and compassionate HIV clinical, outreach, and advocacy services. SU does not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, or ability to pay.

Goal Two: Our second goal is to meet the changing needs of our patients by developing new treatment protocols and programs for people aging with HIV and at risk of poor health outcomes.

Goal Three: Our third goal is to meet the challenges of a changing climate seeing more hurricanes, flooding, and heat. We installed major drainage canals and pipes and will eventually adopt solar power.

An investment in leadership development is to annually send one of our physicians to the HIV & Hepatitis in the Americas conference held in a Latin American country. This provides the opportunity to learn from leading practitioners and researchers and to share best practices. A second example is to hold in-service trainings for staff to learn new treatment protocols and to brainstorm new services to meet our patients' needs. SU Honduran physicians also seek medical advice from US HIV specialists regarding complex patient care issues. Finally, SU has sponsored the annual travel of the Honduran director and a second staff person to the U.S. This provides employees the opportunity to learn about the U.S., meet the U.S. board and donors, and gain public speaking and presentation skills.

Since its founding as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2004, Siempre Unidos (SU) has been guided by its Honduran Director, Pascual Torres, JD, and U.S. Board President, Denise Main, MD. They have had to ensure program integrity and lead the SU staff, board, and stakeholders through a coups d' etat, natural disasters, and gang and extrajudicial violence. Over the past year, SU faced several external changes. The greatest were the COVID pandemic and destruction to the homes and livelihoods of our patients and communities by hurricanes Eta and Iota. When the COVID pandemic started, there were several external factors impacting our services. First, Honduras' authorities imposed strict curfews limiting travel outside of the home to once every ten days. To adapt, SU scheduled appointments to accommodate the restrictions as well as visited patients in their homes. Second, SU rapidly prepared for the impact of COVID-19 and purchased sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). Through our partnership with a US charity, Direct Relief, and fundraising, we were additionally able to procure donated PPE to protect patients and staff. Third, SU's normal clinical flow did not allow for sufficient social distancing. The staff revised appointment procedures and increased home visits to ensure that the clinics maintained a steady but lower flow of patients. In November 2020, hurricanes Eta and Iota caused severe flooding. Mud filled houses and businesses, livestock drowned. Homes and livelihoods were literally swept away. SU serves impoverished communities that do not have a safety net. SU's board, staff, and donors organized to respond. The Board successfully raised $120,000 in one month to provide over 180 patients and their households with food, cookstoves, beds, and reconstruction supplies. The staff identified the most impacted and vulnerable patients for hurricane relief as well as partnered with community organizations to find other families who needed help.