Vision
To be THE Healthcare Refuge for historically excluded communities
Mission
PCAF strives to end the HIV epidemic using a whole-person approach to dismantle HIV related stigma and associated discrimination through meaningful involvement of people living with or greatly impacted by HIV and associated illness.
Value Proposition
PCAF centers historically excluded individuals living with and at risk of acquiring HIV who are often subject to violence, bias, and so much more. PACF is still striving to disrupt and dismantle the cycle of inequitable care. Unlike most services that focus on treatment, PCAF takes a holistic approach to provide client-centered care, including but not limited to prevention and housing. PCAF seeks to become a federal holistic healthcare center who provides holistic care through the lens of harm reduction.
Core Values
Respect. Liberation. Empathy. Evidenced-Based Care.
Harm Reduction Philosophy
The harm reduction approach is consistent with the social work value of self-determination and meeting the client where the client is.
National Association of Social Workers
Harm reduction is the practice of finding ways to reduce harm to the individual as well as to the larger community while clients may still be engaged in harmful or high-risk behavior .It’s a realistic, practical model that meets the clients where they are at and does not require the client to meet unattainable expectations. This model acknowledges the dignity and worth of all human beings regardless of the behaviors or activities they may be engaging in. Some examples are:
- Giving clean needles to a person who uses drugs intravenously. This helps the individual to stay healthy and protects the community from transmissible diseases without requiring that person to get clean or sober before they are ready.
- For someone who does not have access to condoms or is not in a position to insist on condoms, helping them gain access to PrEP will limit their likelihood of acquiring HIV. This is a harm reduction method to limit HIV transmission without insisting on condom usage 100% of the time.