Meet John Carlo of Prism Health North Texas in Uptown, Oak Cliff, South Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to John Carlo.

John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
With a staff of 163 and operating budget of $67 million, Prism Health North Texas is the largest local nonprofit organization in North Texas providing care to those living with HIV/AIDS, as well as those at risk for HIV infection. The organization began in 1986 in the middle of the AIDS crisis, founded by three individuals from the Community Council of Dallas. Growing from this initial staff size of three to today, the organization now provides HIV medical care for over 5,000 patients, case management, prevention services, medication assistance, and substance abuse/mental health services. Prism Health North Texas also organizes LifeWalk, and with its 30th anniversary this year is one of the largest and longest-running HIV awareness walks in the U.S. Prism Health North Texas is one of only a few community-based healthcare centers in the U.S. participating in the National Institute of Health AIDS Clinical Trials Group. A recent partnership with a thriving primary care office has doubled the number of providers and patient visits. Our commitment to our mission will ensure that we lead the effort to eliminate AIDS here in North Texas before the end of our generation.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, one would not be able to describe our journey as a smooth one. However, our organization’s growth and changes have been incredibly productive and important. The funding of a nonprofit healthcare organization will always be a struggle, not necessarily in that the money is not available, but it’s that timely and strategic decisions must be made in order to leverage the best opportunities. We certainly missed a few opportunities along the way, but thankfully we did take advantage of many. In addition, many of our struggles have been internal with the continuous challenge of ensuring the right people have the right job at the right time in the organization’s evolution. Thankfully, however, we have had in our past some truly amazing advocates and leaders. Today, we have an absolutely amazing group of people here who share an incredible commitment to our organization’s mission.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Prism Health North Texas – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are a healthcare organization that takes care of people by looking at the whole picture of what a patient is facing and what is holding him/her/they back from achieving a healthy outcome. We specialize in HIV treatment and prevention, a complex medical condition that thankfully today has a great number of excellent treatment options. The best part about what we do is that we have the absolute best healthcare providers who have an incredible amount of experience and expertise treating HIV. If you live here in Dallas and want the very best doctor experienced in treating HIV, you can find him or her here without needing to travel somewhere else. We take all insurance, and also thanks to the support of the community, we can treat you even if you don’t have insurance. Finally, all profits we receive when treating people with insurance and resources goes right towards the treatment of people who do not have insurance. It’s truly the Dallas community’s organization.

Social and societal challenges frequently get in the way and prevent people from accessing HIV treatment. A person living HIV today still far too often faces stigma or outright discrimination. Lack of education or poverty continues to be barriers in people’s lives. What sets us apart from others is that we focus on these barriers. We ask our patients about where they live, how they eat, what support do they have, or what challenges they face. Then, uniquely, we are often able to help with financial assistance thanks to generous support through community donations, counseling from our staff, or a referral to one of our well-vetted community partners.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
People in general are friendly here in Dallas. It is not at all unusual for a complete stranger to strike up a conversation in an elevator or out on the trail at White Rock Lake.

We have a divisional problem. There’s the north/south divide, racial/ethnic segregation, and a high degree of economic inequality.

Contact Info:

• Address: 351 West Jefferson Blvd., Dallas, TX 75208
• Website: https://phntx.org/
• Phone: 214-521-5191
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prismhealthntx/

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