The Southwest Center had a lot to be thankful for in 2022! We are truly grateful for the incredible support we received from our community, and we are proud of the successes and growth we achieved. It was an incredible year, and we are excited about what the new year has in store.
Some of the highlights from last year included launching new programs to better serve our patients and clients, expanding our staff to better meet the needs of the community, and hosting several successful events to raise awareness and support for our cause.
We would like to share some successes of the past year below.
Successes
We celebrated the opening of our new Behavioral Health wing on June 6. Funded by Title X through our partnership with Affirm, this space expansion ensures we may serve more individuals by increasing our behavioral health, case management, prevention, and clinical staff.
We partnered with Maricopa County Department of Public Health to administer approximately 3,000 Monkeypox vaccines over eight clinics hosted at The Parsons Center for Health and Wellness from August through early October.
We were awarded $156,000 through the Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant Program to support our Gender-Expansive Housing Support Program. This three-year partnership with Mercy Care and Arizona Housing Inc. will provide housing for eight Gender Affirming Program clients yearly. We currently have six clients placed in housing for one year.
The Richard P. Stahl Charitable Trust awarded a $25,000 grant to establish the Richard P. Stahl Client Care Fund, which underwrites free and reduced-cost services for patients unable to pay. We continue to raise support for the Fund to ensure our patients can receive the services they need. In 2022, we provided $1.2 million in free services.
The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust selected the Southwest Center for its seventh ATLAS initiative cohort. This two-year program provides $100,000 in funding and a specially trained organizational lifecycle consultant to identify and support capacity improvements.
We celebrated the return of special events with Queer Renaissance on November 12. More than 100 friends joined us for this fun and spirited cocktail party that benefited our Richard P. Stahl Client Care Fund.
We reached a combined 330,000 individuals through our community engagement activities and marketing outreach, allowing us to promote well-being and advance health equity for diverse communities and all those seeking compassionate care- especially people of color, LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer individuals, and those affected by HIV.
Looking Ahead
The Southwest Center has much to look forward to in 2023. Night for Life returns on May 13 with BLOOM, an exuberant evening honoring the growth, resilience, and beauty in our community. We are expanding the offerings of our Community Engagement efforts with outreach activities that highlight health and wellness education as we continue to focus on underserved communities. We are also developing a curriculum to train future healthcare and wellness workers in offering culturally responsive care. On November 1, we will commemorate the 10th anniversary of The Parsons Center of Health and Wellness – stay tuned for more details!
The Southwest Center has many reasons to celebrate.
With your support, we continue to offer affordable, affirming, and inclusive health and wellness services to everyone who needs us, especially those who have faced discrimination in healthcare such as LGBTQIA2S+ and Queer individuals, people of color, those affected by HIV, and the uninsured and underinsured. Together, we are creating a healthier, more vibrant Arizona.
You make our work possible, and we could not be more grateful. We look forward to continuing to serve our community with respect, compassion, and quality care in the coming year!