Two new service providers – POCAAN (People of Color Against AIDS Network), and Ideal Option – have joined REACH and CoLEAD in the LEAD service provider umbrella. Selected after a competitive RFP process, the new organizations will expand LEAD’s outreach and case management capacity in and around Seattle. .
POCAAN is a multicultural, multi-social service agency that addresses disparities in marginalized communities in Seattle and greater King County by offering a wealth of health services and community programs. It was founded in 1987 to serve marginalized communities in Seattle and greater King County including Latino, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American people. Originally, POCAAN worked in HIV/AIDS prevention but has since expanded its scope of work to include other issues that connect with health disparities, including substance use and homelessness.
Ideal Option provides outpatient recovery services for people with substance use disorders. It has specialized in addiction treatment for 12 years and runs four outpatient clinics in King County, including a new one opening in the Northgate area. The staff includes medical providers, social workers, case managers, counselors, and mental health practitioners in order to provide holistic care.
PDA looks forward to working with these new partners as we continue our mission to plant seeds for a world rooted in community and care instead of punishment and neglect. We work with people actively seeking to move past experiences of harm and injury, along with neighborhood and public partners. Through compassion and a harm reduction framework, we create and implement better responses to public health and safety.