By Zoe Licata
Friends, family, and coworkers gathered at Zumix in East Boston Thursday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Project SHINE; a program providing medical care and support to people living with or at-risk of HIV.
“This is a celebration of life,” said Elisa Sosa, the Director of Project SHINE (Support, Healthcare, Intervention, Education) who has worked with the East Boston National Health Center (EBNHC) for 23 years.
“We’re proud, we’re humbled, we’re inspired.”
Four individuals from the SHINE community shared their stories of living with HIV for the first time. They detailed brave battles with mental health, domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, and HIV stigma. Each story emphasized SHINE’s commitment to providing help and compassion to the patients when it wasn’t found in their own families or communities.
“What I tell all the patients that walk in is ‘you are a part of our team,’” said Sosa. “We don’t work for you, we work with you. We work together. This work cannot be done alone. It’s teamwork.”
According to Sosa, 77 percent of SHINE patients are Latinos, and many have overcome trauma and discrimination. Project SHINE works to make sure patients feel comfortable and receive personalized medical care.
Caregivers may take new patients out to eat, or volunteer to drive them to appointments, aiming to establish a relationship.
“Patients come in really scared. We make sure they feel welcomed and provide a safe space,” said Medical Director Monica Manandhar.
“We take time to listen to them; all their needs and concerns.”
SHINE provides confidential HIV and STD/STI testing, with results and care options available within a few days. Patients can take advantage of a multidisciplinary clinical team that provides HIV medical care, psychosocial support, and HIV preventative care like PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis).
Emmanuel Martinez is the Clinical Program Manager of Project SHINE, working at EBNHC for over two years. A great deal of his work involves the psychological care of HIV patients, many of whom have dealt with intense trauma outside of their diagnosis.
“They are warriors, they are fighters,” Martinez said of the patients he sees.
He emphasized the need for people to discuss HIV more and stop the spread of harmful stereotypes and misconceptions of HIV.
“We need better dialogue,” Martinez said.
“Times have changed. If people can’t be mature and talk about it, we end up fighting. What good is that gonna do?”
The message of the afternoon was love and support; a collaboration of passionate people hoping to change the image of HIV and who it affects.
The mantra that Sosa and others repeated throughout the event: “No more stigma. No more discrimination.”
Lea este artículo en español aqui https://staging.elmundoboston.com/celebran-25-aniversario-del-proyecto-shine-no-mas-estigma-no-mas-discriminacion/
