Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services was formed in 1985 to help South Carolinians fight the war against AIDS. We offer Free services to people who have been diagnosed with or are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, and we also work with their loved ones.

Provisions
PALSS provides HIV/AIDS related education to persons living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones, area professionals and the community at large. Services include general education, treatment education and primary and secondary prevention education. Educational programs can also be tailored to meet the needs of you, your community group or your business. Four trained educators, as well as other PALSS staff members, are available to assist you in meeting your educational needs.

Treatment
Education
Living with HIV can be complicated and overwhelming at times. Questions about different medications, how to take them
or even why it may be important
to take them are common. You don’t have to be a doctor to learn the information you need to take care
of yourself. A Treatment Educator
helps you access and understand information that may assist you in making the best decisions about
your health care.

Prevention
Information about HIV/AIDS changes daily. The one thing that has remained the same over the past two decades is that HIV IS PREVENTABLE! Each one of us has the ability to protect ourselves and each of us can help one another stay healthy. PALSS provides a variety of prevention services designed to STOP THE SPREAD OF HIV.

Some things you might want to talk to a Treatment Educator about include:

• HIV/AIDS Information
• Starting Combination
• Therapy
• Drug Regimens
• Lab Results
• Safer Sex Information
• Safer Drug Use
• Medical Terminology
• Questions to Ask Your Health Care Provider
• Vitamins and Herbs
• Diet and Nutrition
• Drug Side Effects and Interactions

EMPACT
EMPACT stands for Empowering Men for Prevention Education, Action, Community Collaboration and Training. It is a program addressing the HIV/AIDS information and prevention needs of African-American men. It seeks to train key leaders of the African-American male community to teach the messages of HIV/AIDS prevention in their communities. EMPACT II provides HIV prevention education to African-American men who have been diagnosed with HIV. For more information about EMPACT, contact the EMPACT program coordinator at 779-7257.

PROMISE

PROMISE stands for Peers Reaching Out Modeling Intervention Strategies Effectively.

Columbia Community PROMISE recruits African American men to pass out HIV/STD prevention materials in their communities.  African American men are also recruited to share their stories about positive changes they have made to reduce the spread of HIV/STD’s. 

For more information about Columbia Community PROMISE contact 803 779-7257 ext.223.

PACE
PACE is a prevention case management program providing intensive case management services to people living with HIV/AIDS who continue to demonstrate risk-reduction needs. PACE stands for Prevention through Action, Care and Empowerment.

Women’s Health Council Project

The Women’s Health Council Project has worked since 1997 to train women living in designated housing communities to be HIV prevention peer educators. Participants attend seven educational sessions where they are given basic facts of HIV/AIDS. The sessions are designed to provide skills to prevent HIV and to teach others how to protect themselves. For more information about this service, call 779-7257 and ask to speak with the Community Outreach Specialist assigned to this initiative.