Aliveness Project Hopes to Help Reduce Barriers Through Their Soon-To-Open Pharmacy – “Grand Opening” on World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day (December 1) marks an important time to remember those we’ve lost and work to raise awareness about the fight against HIV and AIDS. It also marks the grand opening celebration of The Aliveness Project’s new pharmacy.

The pharmacy won’t actually open until January, but Matt Toburen, Aliveness’s Executive Director, says there was no better day to celebrate their clinic and pharmacy.

“We celebrate and love the folks who are living with HIV, and also look to the future of hope to say, ‘Here’s where we are going and can go, and that there’s a bright future ahead,’” Toburen says.

The Thrive Clinic is currently open and operational, providing a variety of HIV prevention services for free, including PrEP, PEP, HIV testing and STI testing for free. At the moment, you can get a prescription for PrEP and PEP, and soon you’ll be able to fill it at their pharmacy and leave with it the same day, according to Toburen.

Toburen says the pharmacy can expand access to medications for people with barriers to care. They’ve also expanded to include a psychologist who can provide mental health services and prescribe mental health medications as well as gender-related care like HRT.

“The goal is to have a pharmacy that is by and for the community that’s targeted and focused on how we can use a pharmacist and a pharmacy to move us forward on ending that [HIV] epidemic in Minnesota,” Toburen says.

With HIV medications being expensive, up to $3000 a month, Aliveness has access to different programs and patient assistance that can help support people and increase access to medications, according to Toburen.

“Another benefit of the pharmacy is to be able to get medications that are either low cost or free, and trying to reduce as many barriers as possible for folks to access medications and cost being a huge barrier,” Toburen says.

While Minnesota continues to see an HIV outbreak, Aliveness hopes to help make getting medication, mental health care and PrEP easier for those who need it.

“There’s a lot of other places around the country that are really seeing dramatic decreases in new HIV infections and are really doing a lot more to end the epidemic than we are in Minnesota,” says Toburen. “If we want to do something different, we have to be bold and we have to really just not keep doing the same things over and over again.”

The clinic and pharmacy space is bright and colorful, featuring four murals, plants and a fish tank to foster a warm environment. Toburen says they worked with MSR Design to create the space and with local artists living with HIV, as well as getting input from the community, to design the murals.

The space is designed to create a comforting environment that feels like a community and steers away from usual clinical settings where people may have had negative experiences, according to Toburen.

Another important aspect of creating a warm and welcoming clinic is the staff. Toburen says that while the pharmacist hasn’t been hired yet, it’s important they have a relationship with the community like the clinic staff.

“The clinicians, the clinic front desk staff are all part of the community, either LGBTQ+ or living with HIV, and they’re the ones who created and developed [the clinic],” Toburen says.

To make all of this possible, Aliveness received congressional funding support from U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, according to Toburen. They expanded their lower level to create a one-stop shop model for people to access all of the resources available.

The pharmacy will serve uninsured people at the start, as Toburen says the process for independent pharmacies to have a contract with insurance companies has proven to be difficult, hence the delay in opening. Once open, you can access the pharmacy during Aliveness’ typical hours Monday through Friday.

Beyond the clinic, Aliveness has multiple peer-support networks including Melanin, for Black men at risk of HIV, and Tea Time, for trans-femme-identifying individuals. These networks provide education, support and spaces to discuss issues with people who share identities and experiences. Additionally, Aliveness hosts various fundraising events including the Red Undie Run.

Aliveness will also be celebrating World AIDS Day with their annual Red Undie Run, and they want you to join them! The run will be on December 7 at noon. Since the Stone Arch Bridge is closed for repair, the run will be held downtown.

Participants run about a mile in red underwear to raise awareness and funds that support HIV and AIDS causes.

“We invite everybody to come run or volunteer or just come out to support,” Toburen says.

The Aliveness Project
www.aliveness.org
www.aliveness.org/hiv-prevention-services

Red Undie Run
www.give.aliveness.org/event/red-undie-run-2024/e598682