AUSTIN, Texas — A new, all-in-one HIV health care center opened in Central Austin on Friday morning.
The new facility is located on Guadalupe Street, near the University of Texas at Austin campus, and will provide primary medical care for those living with HIV, as well as pharmacy services, PrEP exams and services, case management and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment.
The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world's largest nonprofit HIV/AIDS health care organization, said this center is the first of its kind for people living with HIV in Texas.
"This is a place that they can come and not be fearful. That they can be welcomed but, more importantly, that they can be served," said Anthony Snipes, AHF's regional director for Texas. "That's what it's all about: making sure we're there to serve them and provide them with the services necessary for them to live a successful life."
The facility also includes AHF's Out of the Closet Thrift Store, where 96 cents of every dollar earned goes toward supporting HIV prevention and treatment services locally.
Recent statistics from AIDSVu show there are close to 7,200 people living with HIV in Austin and more than 100,000 people living with HIV statewide.