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GO CARE Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Mark L. Windham
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GO CARE
GO CARE: Greater Ouachita Coalition Providing Aids Resources and Education.

GO CARE is a source of healthcare and supportive services for the LGBTQ community and for people living with HIV. The organization is celebrating 30 years of serving the Ouachita region.

"We've expanded our mission over time, and our goal now is to provide affirming, comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality healthcare and supportive services for people in an inclusive setting with a particular emphasis on people who are LGBTQ and people who are living with HIV," says Mark L. Windham, CEO of GO CARE.

The latest research shows a person who gets care and maintains therapy can have a lifespan within two years of the average. Mark L. Windham, CEO of GO CARE

"With the medical advances we've had, if a person is diagnosed, immediately linked with care, and put on an antiretroviral care, they can in most cases quickly achieve viral suppression and live healthy lives," says Windham. GO CARE provides this care at their facility. According to Windham, the antiretroviral regimen used now is much more tolerable than past treatments. Some patients only need 1-2 pills to achieve viral suppression.

Credit Mark L. Windham / GO CARE
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GO CARE
National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is March 20.

HIV/AIDS affects both men and women of all races. Of the patients at GO CARE, 33% are women, and 1% are transwomen. Approximately 70% of patients at GO CARE are African American. "From what I've learned, in the African American population, there seems to be even more stigma than in the white population," explains Windham. "People don't seek care because they're afraid of people finding out."

GO CARE works to fight the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and provide much-needed care to the Northeast Louisiana region. More information about GO CARE is available on here.