Saving Lives has for many years worked alongside the Heartlands HIV Service in Birmingham – in fact, our roots are to be found in the clinic, where our campaigns first began life within the NHS.
Today, local MP Jess Phillips attended the clinic to present the team with a certification of acknowledgement, following their nomination for the 2019 NHS Parliamentary Awards in the Outstanding Compassion and Caring category.
In a submission by one of her constituents, Saving Lives were singled out as a key part of the service’s work: “The Multi-Disciplinary Team are passionate about preventing needless loss of life and deliver educational programmes to a wide audience,” they wrote, “encouraging both HIV testing and engagement with care.
“Educational messages are delivered face to face, at roadshows, via radio and other social media, in information leaflets and using sports personalities, via the Saving Lives organisation. All share the important message – get an HIV test, access care if needed, challenge stigma and discrimination.”
Jess Phillips MP nominated the Heartlands team on the basis of the strength of the submission, and we’re proud to have been a part of the important work to which it brings attention. “If individuals affected by HIV are to feel free from the anxieties of stigma and discrimination,” it reads, “information needs to be shared – knowledge about HIV really does help people to feel less scared.” We couldn’t agree more.
Congratulations to the staff at Heartlands HIV Service! We’re looking forward to many years of working alongside you.
