We at LoveYourself have always passionately striven to be a safe and affirming space, particularly for males who have sex with males (MSMs) and other members of the LGBT. Now, we are excited to launch a project that reinforces and enriches the core of who we are, this time welcoming and supporting people living with HIV (PLHIV), whether newly-diagnosed, or diagnosed for some time now, in or out of treatment. Through a project called “Switch,” we are opening our doors to PLHIVs who wish to undertake their treatment at a safe and affirming private facility of LoveYourself. Treatment services at LoveYourself, like in government-run treatment hubs, are offered free of charge.
Under “Switch,” PLHIVs enrolled will have free access to the same high quality services provided to our existing clients. Aside from our cadre of expert HIV doctors and nurses, we will also make available to new clients under “Switch” our highly-trained and experienced life coaches who will be there to regularly engage clients in non-judgmental, open, and empowering conversations. Life coaching services at LoveYourself are provided for free.
But why “Switch”?
We are rolling out project “Switch” to provide more PLHIVs easy access to high quality treatment and support, in a private and community-run facility. We believe that by opening our treatment services to more people, we can further our desire to be that safe and affirming space to the community. The LoveYourself treatment centers are accessible being just a few minutes walk from a train station, and are open on weekends to accommodate people who are busy during weekdays. For the same reason, we have also established time-efficient express services for antiretroviral drugs (ARV) dispensing.
LoveYourself is the only community organization in the Philippines that runs HIV testing and treatment facilities which are DOH-certified and Philhealth-accredited. Click here to sign up for the “Switch”
Text by Tino Largado & Almzora Dzire
