The AIDS Resource Council's mission is to educate the community about HIV/AIDS, provide free testing, and serve those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
ARC began in 1994 with a small group of citizens concerned about the issues and needs facing those living with HIV/AIDS.
With the help of a grant in 1998 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ARC was able to hire its first full-time director. Office space was obtained and the director began an outreach program for those living with HIV/AIDS.
About
the AIDs Resource Council of Rome
“What we need is more people who specialize in the impossible.” -Theodore Roethke
With 32,000 Georgia residents living with AIDS — eighth highest in the United States — and Georgia ranking fifth in new cases of HIV infection, the AIDS Resource Council is a first line of defense working to stem this epidemic in Northwest Georgia.
ARC is a non-profit, community-based HIV/AIDS education and services organization serving those who are infected, as well as those affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the ten counties of Northwest Georgia.
The problem is complicated. According to a Centers for Disease Control report, better than 25% of those infected are unaware of their status and are at risk of having HIV advance to AIDS. This population poses a risk of infecting others, as well. The only way to know your status is to get tested, one of the many free and confidential services provided by the ARC.
The area served by ARC is especially vulnerable. According to the Georgia Department of Human Services, rural and urban poor in small towns comprise a disproportionate percentage of HIV/AIDS cases. Each year, more of these cases are teenagers and young adults, people of color, and especially heterosexual women in the African American and Hispanic communities. Everyone is urged to learn his or her status by taking advantage of ARC’s free and confidential testing.
