Beyond treatment, Atlanta nonprofit tackles HIV with housing and support services

According to the National Aids Education & Services for Minorities, Inc., or NAESM, 44% of new HIV infections are among Black men.

The organization is working to change that and help those affected beyond healthcare.

At NAESM, comfort, community, and care aren't just ideas; they're the mission.

John Patton is the interim CEO of the Atlanta-based organization, which was created in the 1990s to bridge a gap in HIV services and education for Black communities.

"Now 30 years later, there's so many solutions," Patton said. "Not a cure yet, but there's so many solutions for HIV and Aids in our community. But there's still stigma. There's still fear. There's still a discomfort with people seeking care or wanting to get tested. We're here to fill that gap."

The work goes beyond healthcare, with housing and behavioral health services offered.

For NAESM, it's about making people feel safe enough to walk through the door.

"This organization, the people who work here, the clients who come into this organization, we consider them actually part of our family, and that nuance I think has is what has kept clients coming back Year after year after year, regardless of the generation," Patton said. 

That same philosophy carries through the clinic where nurse practitioner Jaimee Colvin says patient care starts with knowing the person beyond the chart.

"What I love most about my job is being able to lean in with each and every patient that I see," Colvin said. 

She knows their stories, their struggles, and even their pets.

"My patients are my babies, to be honest," Colvin said. "I pride myself in trying to learn something personal about each and every one of them, because then that helps get the barrier down. That helps break down the brick wall when I'm able to say, hey, last time I checked, you got a new puppy."

For NAESM, that's what community really looks like, not just treating a condition, but around the whole person.

"They know they're going to get quality care, and they know that we're going to wrap ourselves around them with everything they need," Patton said. 

Patton told CBS News Atlanta the next step is making care even more accessible with plans to open an on-site pharmacy so clients can get everything they need in one place.