District II

Southwest CARE Center
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Southwest CARE Center:

Southwest CARE Center was opened in Santa Fe as the successor to the AIDS Wellness Clinic on April 1, 1996. When the Center became part of the HMA system on July 1, 1997, it brought in the case management, social work, and practical and emotional support services previously delivered by three separate organizations, and extended its region of operation to the nine northeastern counties of New Mexico.

It is the mission of Southwest CARE to provide HIV-infected New Mexicans with state-of-the-art medical care and needed psychosocial services in a complete, timely, confidential, respectful and cost-effective manner, regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, disability, gender, socioeconomic status, geographical location, sexual orientation or language; and to provide innovative and effective HIV-prevention services to at-risk populations.

Geographic Area Served:

Southwest CARE Center provides services to the HIV-positive residents of New Mexico Health District II - nine northeastern counties stretching from Santa Fe to the Colorado and Oklahoma borders. The district has a population of 253,169, residing in an area of 26,445 square miles with a population density of 9.6 residents per square mile. The area has an HIV prevalence rate of 96 per 100,000.

Clients Served:

The client population served by Southwest CARE Center contains a high proportion of very poor clients - 43% live on less than $8,240 per year for one person and 31% had incomes between $8,240 and $16,480. Over the past three years, there has been a slow climb in the number of female clients. From 1996-1999, women increased from 9% to 12% of all clients. Similarly, there is a slow increase in the percentage of minority patients, in the percentage of intravenous drug users, and in the number of patients infected through heterosexual contact.

Working with Multi-Cultural and Multi-Lingual Populations:

Of the clients served by Southwest CARE Center, 39% are Hispanic, 53% Anglo, 5% Native American, 3% African American, and less than 1% Asian American.

Contact Information:

Southwest CARE Center
649 Harkle Road, Suite E
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505
Phone: (505) 989-8200, (888) 320-8200
Fax: (505) 989-8131
E-mail: info@southwestcare.org
Internet: www.southwestcare.org