Published on June 17, 2021
We’re celebrating Pride Month; did you know the hospice movement played a pivotal role in creating safe spaces for those in the LGBTQ community?
As the first hospices in the United States were established in the 1980’s, HIV/AIDS swept the nation, hitting the gay community hardest. Nurses and doctors of the early hospice and palliative care movement offered symptom relief, comfort, and emotional support to AIDS patients who were feared by many, isolated, and often rejected by their families of origin. Alive’s Nashville residence became home for many AIDS patients and their loved ones, providing a loving space with dignity and compassion when it was needed most.
Since the first case in 1981, more than 700,000 Americans have died from AIDS. Today, thankfully, this disease is treatable and is no longer a death sentence.
We are proud of our role in helping ease the pain of this terrible epidemic, and we will always be a loving space for those in the LGBTQ community and their loved ones to receive care.