He greets people with smiles and joy! His laugh is contagious. His love of gardening and traveling is energizing. He doesn’t know a stranger. Yet, like one in five U.S. adults (National Institute of Mental Health), he battles mental health conditions. 

DOORWAYS client Max (name changed for privacy), learned he was HIV-positive in 2007: “It was the worst thing that happened in my life,” stated Max, who reached out to family, friends, and his employer immediately for support. For the first five years, Max felt positive. He had a strong community and joined a clinical trial that allowed him to use his illness to help others. But then stress began to build. “Over the years, everything became so difficult,” said Max. “I wasn’t able to work anymore. I started worrying about money, housing, food, just surviving. My disability application kept getting rejected—and so did I. I was open about my diagnosis. Then I learned no one wanted to date anyone with HIV. I was afraid of being alone the rest of my life.”

Max received a referral to the DOORWAYS Behavioral Health Program, where he met Jess Cox, Behavioral Health Director. “I was at the bottom of the well. I was overwhelmed with all the ups and downs and unsure about my future. I was suicidal. Then I started working with Jess,” he said. “For a year we have been talking. She has given me great tools and ways to cope. She is such a great listener.” In a burst of emotion, Max declared “I truly believe she saved my life!”

The individualized care provided by DOORWAYS staff includes constant assessment of needs through conversation as well as screening tools. “Our clients come to us homeless or at risk of homelessness, minimal or no income, and ill,” explained Chief Program Officer Pat Plumley. “Research shows recovery relies upon systemic and simultaneous attack on the multitude of factors that weaken the foundations for health. Mental health is one of those areas.”

And that is what motivates Max to share his story during Mental Health Month. “I was lost after my HIV diagnosis but have found help with that. I was lost with depression and anxiety as life became too much for me, but have found help with that too. Now I can get the word out to other people that feel worthless, hopeless, and tired. You can feel better.” Counseling and medications shifted his outlook from despair and suffering to optimism. “I’m getting happier every day. Walking taller. Not faking my smile. And making plans for the future—which will include my garden and lots of travel.”

If you or someone you know are battling emotional, psychological, or social well-being challenges, please seek help. In the St. Louis area, you can contact Behavioral Health Response for no-cost tele-therapy 24/7: 314-469-6644.

May is National Nurses Month and we want to acknowledge the Cooper House Nursing Department. Cooper House has 9 dedicated staff-members who help our 32 residents with 24-hour care. The Nursing staff are responsible for helping new residents stabilize their medication regimen, manage each resident’s medical diagnosis, and ensuring that everyone is on schedule with medical appointments.

The residents in Cooper House can be prescribed as few as 1 pill to as many as 30 pills per day depending on their various medical conditions. Nursing staff typically interact with residents 16-18 hours per day with hourly rounds, medication administered three times a day, room cleaning, and monitoring during meals. Keeping such a vulnerable and medically diverse group in their best health is no small task. The Cooper House Nursing staff's dedication and compassion goes far beyond just a job.

THANK YOU to our Nursing Department for all that you do!

Thank you to the philanthropic organizations that support our mission and programs that help stabilize clients, creating the foundation for achieving a self-directed life!

East Missouri Foundation recently provided funding to support our new Provisions Pantry. The Provisions Pantry will stock fresh and frozen healthy foods for the clients living on campus and some living in off-site emergency housing. A nutritious diet helps to maintain a healthy immune system that will metabolize the HIV medications to achieve viral suppression. The state of hunger among clients mirrors the situation across the entire City of St. Louis where 40% of the households with children under 18 receive food stamps--double the U.S. rate of 20%.

THANK YOU East Missouri Foundation!