After being open for a mere 18 months, AHF Brazil’s wellness center in Recife – the Men’s Clinic – raced to an impressive milestone last month by welcoming in its 10,000th clients, due in large part to the clinic’s friendly and discrimination-free environment.
The Men’s Clinic opened in May of last year, with a focus on testing for HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B and C—as well as treating STIs and linking patients with HIV and hepatitis to public health services. The center is male-only, a demographic that is often overlooked due to social and cultural reasons.
“The clinic in Recife has become the example for treating STIs and is a model that’s set to be implemented in Brazil by the Ministry of Health,” said AHF Brazil Country Program Manager Beto de Jesus. “Thanks to a setting that is free from discrimination regardless of sexual orientation, we are proud to be able to help establish new standards of care for the country.”
The work carried out by the clinic has so far identified over 600 HIV positive people and has helped keep clients healthy by reducing the time it takes to link a person to treatment. With clients quickly gaining access to antiretroviral therapy, they are able to start improving their health and pursuing their career and life goals.
AHF has been working in Brazil since 2015 and currently has 54,004 patients in care.
