Disparity demonstrated: Madison vs. Green Bay

An article in the May 23, 1997 Milwaukee Business Journal contains the following quote in a story about the merger of Green Bay’s Center Project with the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin: “The pressure to offer more services and find more revenue from private sources motivated Center Project of Green Bay to merge with AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, said Stan Kocos, regional director of Center Project. “Our reality is there is no longer sufficient financial resources to sustain a fragmented system,” Kocos said. “The merger with a larger organization has allowed Center Project to save on administrative costs and focus more of its resources on providing services.”

Twelve years later, here is what we find when we look at Green Bay vs. Madison (or in the larger context, the southern region vs. the northeastern region)

The Facts:

• 1,019,937 Wisconsin residents live in the AIDS Network southern region. 1,116,521 Wisconsin residents live in the ARCW northeastern region;

• There are 1234 residents of the AIDS Network southern region and 614 residents in the ARCW northeastern region who are living with HIV/AIDS;

• AIDS Network has 290 clients in the southern region and ARCW has 288 clients in the northeastern region. This means that 23.5 percent of Wisconsin residents living with HIV/AIDS in the southern region are clients of AIDS Network and 46.9 percent of Wisconsin residents living with HIV/AIDS in the northeastern region are clients of ARCW;

• The thirteen county AIDS Network region is 9487 square miles and the fifteen county ARCW northeastern region is 9470 square miles;

• The total operating expenses of AIDS Network (per 2007 IRS form 990) were $1,613,326.00 and the 2008 operating expenses for the ARCW northeastern region were $1,128,101.00;

• The cost per client for AIDS Network to provide services in the southern region is $5,516.00. The cost per client for ARCW to provide services in the northeastern region is $3,917.00;

• The cost per client is 42 percent more in the AIDS Network southern region than in the ARCW northeastern region

Why are we still having the discussion about preserving the status quo in the southern region? While the discussions occur and the consultants pour into Madison and the state AIDS/HIV program continues its site visits, nineteen percent of Wisconsin residents living with HIV/AIDS are going without vital services.

Twelve years ago, the leaders of Green Bay’s Center Project had the forsight to realize that the model they were operating under was no longer sustainable and that their singular focus had to be on providing superior client service. In doing so they eliminated adminstrative redundancies and realized an economy of scale that freed up precious resources.

These resources are now funding case management, a food pantry, an on-site dental clinic, an on-site mental health clinic, legal services, housing counseling and rent assistance and many other valuable services. The disparity in services between the AIDS Network southern region and the ARCW northeastern region is profound.

Twelve years after the Center Project realized that change was needed, AIDS Network limps along and nineteen percent of Wisconsin residents living with HIV/AIDS are going without vital services. The HIV/AIDS community in southern Wisconsin is finally waking up to the stark reality that the southern region of Wisconsin is currently the least desirable place to live in Wisconsin if you want to receive quality services from your local AIDS service organization.

Yogi Berra once said “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

We have arrived at the fork in the road.