Early responses to the AIDS crisis in Milwaukee were led by the Brady East STD
(BESTD) Clinic. Its leadership quickly recognized that AIDS would be particularly
devastating for Milwaukee, an urban center with a large gay male population. In
January 1985, the BESTD Clinic Board of Directors formed the Milwaukee AIDS Project
(MAP). With seed funding from the City of Milwaukee, MAP provided education and
training programs to the community. By mid-year it became apparent that MAP needed a
broader base of support to meet the increasingly difficult challenges raised by the
AIDS epidemic. The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) incorporated in August
1985 to provide a corporate structure that enabled AIDS services to expand in
Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin. The BESTD Clinic transferred MAP to ARCW in
February 1986 where it became the operating HIV service entity of ARCW.
Over the next decade, ARCW expanded HIV services to include comprehensive support
services for people living with HIV, extensive prevention services for the diversity
of people at risk for HIV infection, and expansion of HIV services throughout the
state to include ARCW facilities in Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Kenosha, La
Crosse, Madison, Milwaukee, Superior, and Wausau. In February 2015, ARCW and AIDS
Network (Madison) merged in order to strengthen Wisconsin's response to AIDS.
Throughout its history, ARCW has been a staunch advocate for increased funding and
enlightened AIDS policies.
The rapid expansion of ARCW's widely renowned HIV medical home continued with the
organization's rebranding as Vivent Health on January 1, 2020 and the acquisition of
AIDS Services of Austin on April 15, 2020. This followed the acquisition of St.
Louis Effort for AIDS on September 1, 2018 and Rocky Mountain CARES on February 1,
2017. These changes further established Vivent Health's national leadership in the
fight against AIDS providing unfettered access to care, achieving the finest quality
outcomes for patients and achieving financial strength to continue to expand to meet
the needs of people with HIV and at risk of HIV.
Advocacy
From the earliest days of the AIDS epidemic, Vivent Health believed it was
essential to include government advocacy as a major part of its mission. The
government response to AIDS was initially slow and minimal which required
strong, effective advocacy to increase funding and ensure enlightened AIDS
policies by government at the local, state, and federal levels.
ARCW focused its advocacy efforts on securing and increasing government funding
to help build a comprehensive system of HIV prevention, care and treatment
services throughout Wisconsin. ARCW's lobbying began with the State Legislature,
Governor, and the State Department of Health Services, and soon extended to the
City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and other county governments.
Federal funding to fight AIDS appeared in 1990 with the passage of legislation
known as the Ryan White CARE Act. However, funding made available by the
legislation was not fairly distributed throughout the country. In 1994 ARCW
leaders fought successfully to alter the funding formulas to be more fair to
areas of the country that were not AIDS epicenters, but still had significant
numbers of people with AIDS.
Prevention
Beginning in 1986, ARCW provided AIDS education to the gay community. It
conducted massive prevention outreach campaigns with condom distributions in gay
bars and the unique Bag Boyz program encouraging self-pride, safer sex, and HIV
testing. ARCW also took its prevention campaign to public sex environments and
Internet chat rooms where sexual liaisons occurred.
In the 1990s a second wave of the AIDS epidemic affected racial and ethnic
minorities with a disproportionately high rate of HIV infection. ARCW responded
with a street outreach program bringing AIDS prevention and harm reduction
counseling to minority drug users, women, and youth. Lifepoint needle exchange
was launched to help prevent HIV infection and overdose deaths among drug users.
Powerful prevention marketing campaigns supplemented ARCW prevention
programs.
Services
Throughout its history Vivent Health has worked to provide its clients with
comprehensive social and health services. ARCW established its legal services
program in 1989 to protect HIV patients from discrimination, health care
provider refusal to treat, and denial of financial benefits. Vivent Health
lawyers also provide estate-planning services and representation in
landlord/tenant disputes and creditor/debtor issues. The Vivent Health housing
program began in 1987 and continues to provide comprehensive housing services
including rent assistance, transitional residential living, and family
residential living.
On World AIDS Day, December 1, 1996 ARCW opened its Dental Clinic, which provides
full preventive and restorative dental care. ARCW received a donation of dental
equipment from the John Doyne Milwaukee County Hospital and employed its dentist
to lead the new clinic. The Vivent Health Medical Clinic provides expert HIV
treatment along with primary care to meet the needs of its patients. Over time,
the Medical Clinic expanded from its inception in Milwaukee to Green Bay and
Kenosha. In 2003 ARCW opened its Mental Health Clinic to provide counseling and
psychotherapy for HIV patients, many of whom struggled with depression,
post-traumatic stress, addictions, and other mental health issues. Ultimately,
the clinic was renamed the ARCW Behavioral Health and Wellness Clinic with added
services of psychiatric evaluations, addiction counseling and treatment and
wellness programs. The Behavioral Health and Wellness Clinic currently operates
in most ARCW locations statewide. The ARCW Pharmacy opened in 2011 to assure
that all HIV patients have access to life-saving medications. The Pharmacy
provides the most advanced HIV medications along with counseling to help
patients manage and adhere to their medications. The Dental Clinic, Medical
Clinic, Behavioral Health and Wellness Clinic, and Pharmacy are key components
of the Vivent Health Medical Center, which has been designated as an HIV Medical
Home by the State Department of Health Services and the federal government.
