Wellness AIDS Services Inc.

Description

In 1985, a public health nurse convened a task force of other health care providers and representatives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to create a support network of the HIV positive individuals she was seeing at her newly-created health department test site. In 1986, that task force incorporated as Wellness Networks, Inc. of Flint (an affiliate of Wellness Networks, Inc. of Ferndale). In the past 22 years Wellness Aids Services, Inc. (as it was subsequently named when it became independent in 1990) has reached people with prevention and harm reduction information and skills building activities. At the same time, people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS and have received vital emotional and practical support services which have enabled them to live with the disease.

Wellness is a non-profit charitable organization, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and staffed by experienced human service professionals as well as dozens of volunteers who deliver services though the agency in a variety of ways intend to maximize limited resources. As the organization with the longest history of continuous community based service to those at risk of HIV infection in Genesee, Lapeer, and Shiawassee counties; Wellness is uniquely qualified to assume a leadership role in preventing the further spread of this dreaded disease.