Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) remained open to serve its clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisation modified its treatment, care and support programme to respond to the needs of their clients and received assistance through soliciting donations and writing proposals for small grants to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
COVID-19 resulted in clients losing their jobs and not being able to provide for themselves and their families. These clients needed money including a travel stipend to attend the clinic, nutritional support and care packages including sanitisation items. Loss of employment, lack of basic living support and depleting nutritional supplies are the main issues that undermined clients’ adherence to medication. To play its part and ensure that the gains made with adherence and viral suppression of its clients were not eroded, JASL quickly sprang into action and launched an initiative geared towards “Helping us to help People Living with HIV (PLHIV) during this time of crisis.” Specifically, it tried to assist clients by providing financial assistance, nutritional support and care packages.
JASL called local organisations and submitted proposals to international donor agencies to provide financial and other support. Executive Director of JASL, Kandasi Levermore expressed that “we cannot negate the importance of nutritional support in maintenance of optimal care and as such, JASL seeks to ensure that each of our clients is provided with holistic “love, action and support.” Many of these clients were not able to access the benefits from the Government of Jamaica’s CARE Programme.
Assisting JASL’s clients, including PLHIV has helped to address some of the clients’ socioeconomic challenges so that they were not distracted from continuing their ARV regime. PLHIV who are adherent to their ARVs will optimise their immune system and improve their chances to fight against the symptoms of COVID-19.
During the pandemic, JASL also engaged in other COVID-19 response efforts. The organisation developed its Infection Prevention and Control Protocol which was implemented to protect its staff and clients from COVID-19 and other infectious agents. Employees were adequately equipped with the requisite personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19 and clients were provided with masks, temperature checks and sprayed with hand sanitisers upon entering the treatment sites.
The organisation also suspended all community interventions and amplified one-on-one peer testing by appointments only at the organisation’s offices or at locations convenient to people who want to be tested.
JASL’s treatment, care and support programme remains grounded in the organisation’s strategic objective to improve the health outcomes of over 800 clients accessing services at three treatment sites in Kingston, St. Ann and Montego Bay.
JASL continues to provide relevant services for clients while the pandemic unfolds as the organisation is committed to improving their health outcomes.
The organisation is encouraging individuals and companies to support their work and the cause by calling its head office on 876-925-0021 or donating at NCB Knutsford Branch 351813768.