UCSF Alliance Health Project

Description

The UCSF Alliance Health Project (AHP) offers LGBTQ-affirming mental health services, substance use counseling, and peer support to low-income members of the LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities. We also provide free HIV testing and STD screening at our services center and mobile test sites. Our support groups include a Queer Women’s Disability & Chronic Illness Group, a Transgender Support Group, and a New Positives Support Group. Additionally, individual psychotherapy services and ongoing psychiatric clinical care, including medication evaluation and monitoring, are available to low income, uninsured or underinsured San Francisco residents. AHP also provides culturally competent mental health crisis services to the LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities.

AHP has a long history of treating some of San Francisco’s most complex patients. Founded as the AIDS Health Project in 1984, our agency has treated dually- and triply-diagnosed patients since the 1980s--those at risk of HIV or living with HIV/AIDS who also struggle with mental health and/or substance use issues. AHP case managers also assist unstably housed or homeless LGBT or HIV-affected clients to find affordable, subsidized housing while clinical staff treat their mental health and substance abuse issues.

AHP has counseled and provided HIV-test results to more than 200,000 individuals and has trained more than 80,000 health care professionals, educators, and students. AHP currently provides direct services to nearly 6,500 clients annually.

Thanks to volunteers throughout our agency, AHP is able to serve twice as many people as we would otherwise be able to help. Volunteers enable AHP to deal with the pressures of restricted funding for services and provide AHP with invaluable energy and commitment. In addition, volunteers help us remain especially close to the communities we serve.