About HERO

Health Education Resource Organization, Inc. (HERO) is Baltimore's oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated to the provision of HIV/AIDS-related services. Our mission is to advocate for and provide direct care services to people affected by HIV/AIDS and associated conditions; to provide prevention and health education to the community about HIV/AIDS and associated conditions; and to provide resource development to other HIV/AIDS service organizations, both domestic and international. In pursuit of this mission, our purpose is to reduce the disparities in health care and improve health outcomes of those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS in the Baltimore Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA).

HERO began in 1983 as an AIDS educational agency with a hotline, prevention and education services, and a volunteer Buddy Program. By 1985, we began providing direct services and in 2000, HERO opened the Maryland Community Resource Center. HERO is strategically located in the Midtown area of Baltimore City at 1734 Maryland Ave., Baltimore, MD, 21201. Hours of operation are Monday thru Friday, 9am-5pm. HERO is surrounded by many of the neighborhoods with the highest HIV/AIDS incidence and prevalence rates in Baltimore City. Moreover, HERO is conveniently located within walking distance of public transportation (i.e., bus, light rail and subway routes), thus ensuring accessibility to those without private transportation.

For over twenty-five years, we remain committed to our mission and purpose by increasing our capacity to provide an array of core and support services that expand across the HIV continuum of care. Services include: medical and non-medical case management; prevention education; mental health and substance abuse treatment-outpatient; psychosocial support; client advocacy; HIV counseling, testing, and referral; financial assistance; legal services; and housing assistance. HERO serves over 2,500 HIV-infected persons and 500 at-risk individuals in the Baltimore EMA annually. We pride ourselves on one of the elements in which we believe to be at the foundation of our mission and purpose, the HERO Resource Center (HRC).

The HRC is housed within our facility and has a capacity for over one hundred people. Designed with a specific focus on homeless HIV-positive clients, the HRC mitigates many of the barriers faced by persons with HIV by serving as a point of contact to our core and support services. The HRC is opened in conjunction with HERO's regular hours of operation except during the winter months when Code Blue is declared in the city; the HRC operates on an extended schedule. To become a member of the HRC, an individual must present evidence of being HIV-positive. Typically, we serve 30-60 HIV-positive clients daily. The HRC offers ongoing screening for primary care and support services; a lounge area; activity rooms for individual or group use; a computer center; a quiet room; nutritional lunches and take home meals; and other services for the homeless (laundry, lockers, showers, telephone center). A variety of daily and weekly structured and informal activities are available in the HRC. The HRC also offers Narcotics Anonymous meetings to the community, job readiness training through a stipend work program, and a host of HIV-related workshops and groups addressing health, social, legal, and economic issues.

The agency's daily activities are performed by 45 professional and skilled staff. Disciplines represented include: law, social work, education, business management, medical, human service, addiction, human resources, psychology, public health, and accounting. Furthermore, HERO has an established Quality Management Program (QMP) which serves to ensure that accessible, effective, efficient, and high quality care is provided through a comprehensive and systematic plan of quality assurance. The plan provides a guideline for quality care of service delivery through best practices for all aspects of HERO's programs and activities, overall functioning, and its contractual affiliates. The QMP oversees the Quality Management Committee (QMC) which meets bi-monthly and consists of representative(s) of the Client Advisory Board (CAB), member(s) of the Board of Directors, and representatives from all of HERO departments.

As an organization comprised of clientele and staff from diverse cultural and ethnic groups, and sexual minorities, HERO strives to maintain the highest standards of quality care and work environment in accordance with the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care. Over the years, we have gained a knowledge base and the practice skills to assess and interpret clients' health beliefs and practices influenced by culture, race/ethnic, and sexual identity. More importantly, we find that the shift in demographics, increased burden of stigmatization, and economic hardships continually produce a more diverse clientele in need of HIV/AIDS services. HERO believes that being sensitive to their needs and differences within are critical to reducing the spread of HIV and improving health outcomes for those infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS. We use our knowledge and skill to eliminate barriers to HIV care and prevention education by expanding our services to address the unmet needs of diverse groups and sexual minorities.