The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation Reveals Additional $1MM Gift during Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS Grand Opening Event.

New Parsons Center for Health & Wellness Is a Beacon of Hope for the HIV/AIDS Community

PHOENIX, AZ (November 6, 2013) – Arizonans living with HIV/AIDS will now have access to some of the best care in the country. A crowd of hundreds gathered on the threshold for the new Parsons Center for Health and Wellness Friday afternoon to help heighten the awareness of HIV/AIDS and open the doors for the new Center. Among the guests were Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, Councilman Tom Simplot and well-known Valley philanthropists Bob and Renee Parsons. During the opening ceremony, the Parsons surprised attendees with the announcement of a new $1 million charitable grant to Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS’ We Are Here campaign.

This is the Parsons’ third major gift, bringing their total contribution to Southwest Center to more than $8 million.

“We need to target our funds, so we deal with some of the more serious issues in our community … one of them is HIV/AIDS,” said Renee Parsons. “The opportunity to help people live longer, healthier lives is something The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation can stand behind and something we believe the new Parsons Center for Health and Wellness will do!”

The reality is the number of those who test positive for HIV is once again on the rise in this community. The We Are Here campaign brings renewed hope to the fight against HIV/AIDS, providing expanded programs and services and co-located partners. The Parsons Center for Health and Wellness is the new home for Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, McDowell Healthcare Center (part of Maricopa Integrated Health System), and Avella Specialty Pharmacy.

Southwest Center is the only organization in the Southwestern U.S. to combine prevention and education programs, health and wellness services, as well as research and clinical trials in a single location and reaches more than 30,000 at-risk individuals each year.

“This new building is all about hope,” said Bob Parsons. “It is about the hope that we can get rid of the stigma and misunderstanding that surrounds this disease. The hope that the education this facility will afford the community will stop the spread of HIV. And most importantly, the hope that one day, not too far from now, Southwest Center will play a critical role in finding a cure for HIV/AIDS.”

“We are extremely grateful to Bob and Renee Parsons for their continued support of what we do here,” said Len Stewart, Southwest Center’s Executive Director. “Without them we would never have come this far in raising the funds needed to expand our services.”

While the new grant brings Southwest Center’s We Are Here campaign much closer to its goal, the Center still needs to raise an additional $970,000 to support expanded programs and services.

To make a donation and get involved in the We Are Here campaign, contact Mesha Davis, Southwest Center’s Chief Development Officer at 602.595.8132 or mdavis@swhiv.org.

For more information about:
Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS visit, www.swcenter.org.
The Bob and Renee Foundation visit, www.tbrpf.org.
McDowell Healthcare Center, visit www.mihs.org.
Avella Specialty Pharmacy, visit www.avella.com.

About Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS
Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS is the only organization in the Southwestern U.S. to combine prevention and education programs, health and wellness services, as well as research and clinical trials in a single location and reaches more than 30,000 at-risk individuals each year. Southwest Center has helped to bring 32 of the 34 available HIV/AIDS medications to market, contributing to worldwide research as well as supporting Arizona’s biosciences industry.

About the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation inspires hope by providing critical funding at critical times to communities striving to make a difference. The foundation primarily focuses on issues in the greater Phoenix area. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation believes every person is entitled to an education, good nutrition, medical care, a stress-free, happy environment and the hope that they too, will share in the American Dream. The foundation provides funding to non-profit organizations that are successfully addressing these essential needs. The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is also committed to the children of Haiti, helping to grow and improve schools, medical services and overall well-being for communities in rural Haiti through the Hope for Haiti organization.

About McDowell Healthcare Center
Established in 1989, this health care center is an HIV specialty clinic within the Maricopa Integrated Health System and is the largest provider of comprehensive and coordinated HIV-related medical care for adults in Maricopa County.

The McDowell Healthcare Center provides care to HIV positive individuals through three Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) health plans, including Maricopa Health Plan.

For individuals meeting income guidelines that do not have and are not eligible for any other form of health insurance, we are able to provide outpatient care, for a sliding fee patient co-payment, through Ryan White Part A federal grant funding. Budget payment agreements can be arranged with MIHS for individuals without insurance who do not qualify for grant assistance.

About Avella Specialty Pharmacy
Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Avella Specialty Pharmacy (formerly operating as The Apothecary Shops) is a National Accredited Specialty Pharmacy, providing individualized care and support to patients since 1996. Avella’s clinical pharmacists and staff members are experts in managing complex disease states and providing compassionate care. The company offers a nationwide distribution service to complement its retail locations. Avella reached 1,064th on Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the country, up more than 500 places from 2011. In addition, The Arizona Corporate Excellence Awards has named Avella Specialty Pharmacy as the fastest-growing private company based in the state.