For people living with HIV/AIDS, oftentimes the virus exacts a toll on the persons’ fiscal health as well as their physical health. It may be more difficult for an HIV positive person to work full-time. Depending on the physical demands of the job, an HIV infected person may also need to change careers to one that is more sedentary or one that has more flexibility in job scheduling. At the same time, they may experience increased medical costs associated additional doctors fees and prescription medicine co-payments. Emergency Client Assistance Programs lessen the financial burden, allowing clients to focus their attention more closely on the medical management of their HIV disease.
Michael Brossette Memorial Fund
A successful businessman in Southern Delaware, Michael Brossette died from AIDS in 1997. Michael also served as president of the Board of Trustees for the Delaware HIV Consortium, was a board member of “Building Futures: Family AIDS Housing,” and was president of the Baltimore Medical Systems. Monetary gifts to the Consortium in Michael’s memory provided the initial funding for the program.
The Michael Brossette Memorial Fund is a unique program in several ways. First, it targets persons living with HIV disease who are “outside of the system.” The Consortium reaches out to persons who are struggling to manage the financial burden of HIV disease using only their limited personal resources. Second, it considers types of requests (such as mortgage payments) that are typically denied through other programs. Third, the administrating agency (in this case, the Delaware HIV Consortium) takes no administrative charges for operating the program. In this way, 100% of the dollars given to the Fund are used to provide direct assistance to persons living with HIV disease.
The Michael Brossette Memorial Fund is not intended simply to complement the regular income of persons with HIV infection or AIDS. Rather it provides funding to meet a specific need for the applicant. The program may provide up to $500 in assistance per applicant. If the applicant’s need is greater than that, Consortium representatives may refer that applicant to other financial assistance programs that may help.
For more information, contact the Delaware HIV Consortium at 302-654-5471.