By Alec Rosenberg

San Francisco resident Antoine Mahan has lived a rocky life - serving time in prison, being addicted to drugs and being HIV positive.

But the future is looking brighter for 40-year-old Mahan. He has cleaned himself up and, for the past five years, has received compassionate care through UC San Francisco's Men of Color Program.

"They are very sensitive to the people with HIV," Mahan said. "It's a wonderful program."

Despite advancements in treatment, AIDS remains an urgent problem, particularly among African Americans, who account for about half of new U.S. AIDS cases and 40 percent of the 1 million Americans living with the disease.

"It's the epidemic of our time," Dr. Malcolm John, director of 360: The Positive Care Center and 360's Men of Color Program at UCSF.

Founded in 2002, the Men of Color Program takes a patient-centered, comprehensive approach to treating HIV-positive adults in San Francisco. Clients have access to not only a doctor and nurse but also a social worker, case manager, peer advocate, dietitian and pharmacist.

Case manager Donnie Gayfield connects clients with services from benefits counseling to substance abuse treatment.

"I decided to stay because the clients/patients really need to see an African-American man doing social work," he said. "When they see people who look like them, they are more likely to come in."

Clients do stick with the program, which receives funding from the San Francisco Department of Public Health and private foundations. According to a survey, 94 percent rate the program as excellent. Mahan praised the staff and its hilltop setting.

"I love it there," said Mahan, whose health has improved since entering the program. "It's so serene."

Meanwhile, the program is expanding its reach as part of the Southeast Partnership for Health Center of Excellence. The $1.5 million collaborative includes the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation, Southeast Health Center and Westside Community Services.

"I think it's a great relationship between the community and academia," said Charlotte Smith, the center's director. "You get to bring the resources of an institution such as UC behind a much-needed program."

Clients can visit clinics in their neighborhood or at UCSF. But some patients don't like visiting a public medical facility. To address privacy concerns and increase access for low-income AIDS patients, UCSF is launching an urban-based telemedicine project with a $250,000 grant from the Blue Shield of California Foundation and $100,000 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.

John also plans to start an HIV aging initiative in 2008. As AIDS patients get older, they face a variety of health problems. Research into HIV and aging could have implications for treating diseases from lupus to Alzheimer's, he said.

While UCSF provides clinical care, teaching and research, another key component is community. "It takes a community," which is 360's motto, John said. "That's really the philosophy - what I believe it takes to stop HIV."

Alec Rosenberg is content coordinator in the UC Office of the President Strategic Communications department.