Mission: To address immediate health needs and long-term wellness of individuals, families and communities and to provide advocacy and services to all people.
Programs: Health services: tapestry health has provided state and federally-funded reproductive health services for more than 40 years in the western region of massachusetts. The agency provides comprehensive reproductive health care to more than 10,000 people each year. The majority of these people are female (73%); most are young with 72% of the people served being aged 29 or less; and nearly all are economically disadvantaged with 92% of the people served living below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
women, infants & children (wic): more than 6,000 residents are served by tapestry health's springfield north wic program, a majority of whom are members of the regions sizeable latina/latino community. The services offered include outreach, nutrition education, nutrition assessments, nutritional supplements, and access to healthy foods available at community grocery stores and farmers' markets.
hiv/aids services: tapestry health's hiv/aids services division includes harm reduction services, a prevention and education program that has served injection drug users since 1992; la voz, an hiv prevention and substance abuse treatment program that has serviced latino substance abuse users since 2002; the mobile health initiative, a van-based hiv prevention and substance abuse treatment program that has served latino substance users since 2006; the men's health project, an outreach project that has served men who have sex with men throughout western massachusetts since 1992; the hiv counseling, testing and referral program, provided at multiple sites throughout hampden, franklin and hampshire counties since 1990; and hiv client services, a case management program serving people living with hiv/aids.
Tapestry fills an important role in western MA where it meets the needs of a diverse group of men and women--bringing not only health care but values clarification.
The reason that I have been involved for so long and with ongoing energy is that the work of Tapestry is providing health care to those who are under served. This mission is very dear to me as I believe that health care is a right and that Tapestry has made that available to many people without any other access. Simultaneously Tapestry has advocated strongly on the state and national level to be sure that healthcare for women and HIV patients has continued to be available. The staff are dedicated to the mission and show that in all that they do especially in supporting the agency with excellent care to clients, advocating for services, and also in that they donate to the agency that they believe in.
