Florida: New Resource for Residents With HIV/AIDS Comes to Polk

Metropolitan Charities, which provides case management in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, recently opened an office in Lakeland, in Polk County. "We definitely want to get to people who aren't getting services," said Sherman Rauld, the agency's Lakeland case manager. The nonprofit Metropolitan Charities offers services free to people whose household income is at or below 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines. Metropolitan is getting approval through the county Health Department to conduct confidential, free HIV testing there. The group also makes home visits to clients without transportation, Rauld said. When its client roster grows, the organization wants to provide other services in Polk County, including individual and group counseling.

Back to other news for July 21, 2005