the story

Behind the Project

In 2013, the Care and Support Access Study (CASA) was conceived by Dr. Carla Alexander, a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Grant was written and funded. The purpose of the grant was to train staff in urban infectious disease clinics to use an early palliative approach to engage and retain young African American Same Gender Loving Men who were living with HIV in care. This particular population has continued to have a high rate of new infections in the Baltimore City area (click here for an information sheet with statistics on youth and HIV from the Maryland Department of Health Prevention and Health Promotion Administration) and also have had relatively poor outcomes from treatment, often due to dropping out of care.

Since then the Project has expanded and has now become the Baltimore Project to Save Lives and with the latest project, I A U 2 U, will be starting conversations with young men in Baltimore around how best to talk about issues that impact them. This is part of a larger project, Why Wait for Courageous Conversations, which is a project with the University of Maryland Baltimore and the Baltimore Health Department about how to best talk about the fear of dying, the intention to complete Advance Directives, and other difficult conversations.

Story

Dr. Alexander

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Help for the Community

The City of Baltimore is in desperate need of help for various populations all of which impact young people of color who have health and housing issues in our urban areas.

Health care and HIV testing & prevention

Everyone Deserves to Be Healthy

HIV infection, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hepatitis, and other infections and diseases are very prevalent in many areas of Baltimore. Being healthy can be difficult for those without resources such as health care insurance, transportation, child care, a means of communication, or nutritious food. What you can do is contribute time, knowledge, friendship, and connection for those with less. Please click the button below to find out more about what you can do to help people in Baltimore be healthier.

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Housing is health care

A Safe Place To Rest

Too many people in Baltimore are living on the street, in shelters where their belongings are often stolen, sleeping on someone's couch where they are in danger of being thrown out at any time, or not sure how they will pay next month's rent and are in danger of being evicted. In some cases, people are staying in abusive relationships to just keep a roof over their head. These situations put people at risk of poor health, especially if they have a pre-existing condition. Click the button to find out more.

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mental health & substance use

Embracing Life's Challenges

With all of the challenges faced by the people living in poverty, facing homelessness, with health problems, and often with threats of violence, it is no surprise that they often face anxiety and depression which can lead to difficulty sleeping as well as other physical symptoms. In addition, they often self-medicate by using various substances to relieve some of these symptoms. To find out more about what you can do to help with behavioral health issues, click below.

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Education and Training

A.B., Randolph Macon Woman’s College, Lynchburg, VA
M.L.S., University of Maryland, School of Library and Information Science, College Park, MD
M.D., University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
Internship (Internal Medicine/ Primary Care), Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
Residency (Preventive Medicine), University of Maryland Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Residency (Internal Medicine), University of Maryland Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Fellowship (Oncology), University of Maryland Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD

Biosketch

Dr. Alexander is an internationally recognized expert in the area of Palliative and End-of-Life Care and a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) where she was a founding member. She was elected President in 2000, and later was appointed as Medical Director for the US National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). Dr. Alexander has taught elements of Palliative and End-of-Life care related to HIV/AIDS throughout North and South America, 11 African countries, Eastern and Western Europe and the UK, Ukraine, and Asia. Her research has focused upon palliative and end of life needs of persons with HIV disease with a history of substance abuse and poverty. She has provided clinical care for people with HIV/AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic.

Dr. Alexander joined the UMB-IHV in 1997 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Palliative Care. Before coming to the University she was Director of Clinical Affairs for Chase-Brexton Health Services, Inc., a community-based facility providing primary care for persons with HIV/AIDS. As International Medical Director for the Foundation for Hospices of Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA), she participated in mentoring activities with the African Palliative Care Association (APCA). Her work includes monitoring and evaluation of palliative care services in African and other resource-constrained settings and advocacy for provision of appropriate medications for expert palliative care.