Support Services

Since 1981 when AIDS was first recognized in the United States, groups and support services have been organized to help infected individuals deal with their illness. Today there are AIDS support and service organizations all over the nation, even in relatively small towns. These organizations can provide a wide variety of services to help not only the HIV-infected individual, but also family, friends and co-workers. Services range from medical clinic services and support/discussion groups, to meal delivery, legal aid, information services and social events.

To reach these groups, you can look in the phone book (white pages) under AIDS. If there is nothing listed, you can call the National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS (1-800-342-2437) which maintains master lists of AIDS organizations nationwide. You may be able to find information through your local health department (blue pages), your state’s AIDS hotline (blue pages), or your local chapter of the American Red Cross.