Vivent Health will open a new, expanded HIV health clinic at 1311 N. Sixth St. in the Hillside neighborhood near the Deer District in downtown Milwaukee, and across the street from the future site of a new Milwaukee Public Museum.
The new, larger location for its HIV Medical Home, which will replace the current location downtown at 820 N. Plankinton Ave., was chosen for its proximity to an area with the highest prevalence of people living with or at-risk of contracting HIV in the entire state.
At 46,277 square feet, the new location will provide 33% more space for the clinic to respond to an increased demand for HIV care, treatment and prevention services, a press release states. The new location will double the number of exam and behavioral health rooms and increase the sizes of the pharmacy, food pantry. The building will also provide room for three additional dental operatories, and a new prevention group room.
Vivent Health cared for 4,753 patients in 2021. The added space will allow the clinic to serve 1,000 more patients. Renovations at the one-story building, which was formerly occupied by Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC), are expected to start on Aug. 15. The clinic is slated to move on April 1.
The total cost of the project is anticipated to be approximately $9 million. Quorum is serving as the architects and TriNorth will be the general contractor.
“The need for HIV services is at an all-time high,” said Michael J. Gifford, president and CEO of Vivent Health. “This new facility will launch us forward to meet that need and begin to end the HIV epidemic in Wisconsin through expanded and effective HIV prevention, care and treatment services.”
Wrap-around care
Along with HIV medical care and prevention, Vivent Health also provides a multitude of services for their patients, including HIV case management services, behavioral health care, dental care, pharmacy services, a food pantry, and legal and housing services.
Vivent Health operates a nationally recognized “HIV Medical Home” model, which not only provides HIV patients with the health care services, but the kind of wrap-around social services needed to address social determinants such as access to healthy food, assistance with housing issues, and help with legal issues, a press release states.
Vivent Health says it has helped 95% of its patients achieve viral suppression, helping them to live a normal life with HIV, one with a more typical life expectancy. Vivent says its services can also dramatically reduce a patient’s viral load, making it less possible for them to transmit the virus to others, thus reducing the number of new HIV infections.
“This exceeds the national average of 88% of patients having an undetectable viral load (HRSA). In addition, 93% of Vivent Health’s Black patients have achieved viral suppression, which is significantly above the national average of 63%, according to the CDC,” the press release states.
Headquartered at 648 N Plankinton Ave., Vivent Health has clinics in Austin, Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City and throughout Wisconsin.
