PRESS RELEASE: March 31, 2008
Wellness Fund: Financial assistance for HIV positive people
A new Wellness Fund aimed at providing financial assistance for HIV positive people living in New Zealand has been
launched this week by the New Zealand AIDS Foundation.
The needs-based service has been designed by the Foundation in consultation with people affected by HIV and AIDS
nationwide, and is aimed primarily at covering health-related costs where alternative sources of funding are
unavailable.
“Despite substantial improvements made over the last decade in the treatment of HIV, New Zealanders living with the
virus continue to face significant and diverse challenges in maintaining their health and wellbeing,” says NZAF National
Positive Health Manager Eamonn Smythe.
The Wellness Fund provides small grants of up to $750 per annum for those on low incomes. These can be used to reimburse
fees incurred by GPs, massage, podiatry, physiotherapy, osteopath, acupuncture, naturopathy, nutritionists, dieticians,
or other health-related needs.
Special grants of up to $3,000 are on offer for healthcare or services which are not publicly funded, such as
lipoatrophy treatment.
A third grant scheme (up to $500 per annum) reimburses travel costs related to attending New Zealand-based HIV
conferences or travelling outside of your region to see an HIV specialist or NZAF counsellor.
“The Wellness Fund is maintained entirely through donations and bequests from the community,” Smythe says. “The New
Zealand AIDS Foundation’s fundraising efforts, chiefly World AIDS Day, help to generate a significant part of this.”
For more information on the Wellness Fund, including funding criteria and application forms, please visit
www.nzaf.org.nz . You can make an automatic $10 donation to NZAF by phoning 0900 RIBBON (742266) (you must be the bill
payer).
ENDS