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Who we serve: AIDS in Pierce County

1,741 people with HIV/AIDS have come to the Pierce County AIDS Foundation for services, and 638 persons are known to have died from complications related to AIDS as of July 31, 2007. Pierce County has the second highest incidence of AIDS in the State, with 9% of the total number of cases in Washington.

AIDS in Pierce County is distinguished from the state as a whole by a clientele which is poorer, has a lower average educational level and contains a higher percentage of women, people of color, injection drug users, teenagers, and children. Statistics provided by the Tacoma/Pierce County Health Department and the Washington State Department of Health find:

• Thirty-five percent of the cases of HIV/AIDS in Pierce County are among people of color. That figure is only 28% for the state as a whole.

• Eighteen percent of the people with AIDS in Pierce County report injecting drug use as the mode of transmission of HIV as opposed to only 9% statewide. Eighteen percent of the people with AIDS in Pierce County report heterosexual sex as the mode of transmission of HIV as opposed to only 10% statewide.

• Twenty percent of all Pierce County AIDS cases are women, a number twice the statewide percentage (10%) of AIDS cases among women.

• Teens are more at risk for HIV in Pierce County. 24% of the cases of AIDS are among young people 20-29 years of age. Taking into account a potential ten-year period where HIV has not yet progressed to full blown AIDS, it is logical to assume that most of these were infected as teens. That figure is only 21% for the state and for the nation.

Recent statistics show these trends in the AIDS epidemic in Pierce County even more strongly than the cumulative cases. Among the 88 new clients served at PCAF in 2005, 39% are from communities of color, 22% are women, and 14% report drug use as the probable cause of transmission. Of the 478 clients served in 2005, 30% had mental health issues, 60% have both mental health and substance abuse problems, and 70% had incomes of less than $10,000 per year. During 2005, 15% of our new clients were homeless at intake, and almost 25% of the 478 clients served were homeless, or at risk of homelessness during the course of the year.

Numbers based on Washington State Department of Health, Tacoma Pierce County Health Department and PCAF reports.

Updated August 22, 2006


Mission Statement

Pierce County AIDS Foundation, through education and service, prevents HIV infection, assists persons affected by HIV/AIDS, addresses related health problems, and combats associated stigma and discrimination.
(Adopted by Board of Directors, May 11, 2004)

The Pierce County AIDS Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1987 to respond to the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Pierce County. A Board of Directors oversees the work of Foundation staff and volunteers.

The Pierce County AIDS Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of ethnic origin, color, gender, marital status, sexual orientation political affiliation, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory or physical disability including HIV status.

The agency has a $1.6 million annual budget, and receives funding from local, state and federal governments, the United Way, private foundations and individuals, churches, organizations and corporations.