Damien Center's new headquarters for HIV treatment now open

INDIANAPOLIS — The Damien Center has provided care to people living with HIV since the virus was seen as a death sentence. The organization hopes to provide better treatment than ever with a new facility.

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The Damien Center cut the ribbon to its expansion on East Washington Street and North Oriental Street on Wednesday. The 56,000-square-foot building features HIV testing sites, a pharmacy, mental health services and a dental clinic.

"All of these things we really couldn't do in the early years because people were not surviving for very long," said Damien Center president and CEO Alan Witchey.

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Bill Karnes has used the Damien Center since he was diagnosed with HIV in the early 1990s.

"When I first came here, it was incredible what they did. Help with housing, medications and food," Karnes said. "I thank God every day for the Damien Center and every person that works here."

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Karnes and Witchey both say the center represents the progress made to ensure people living with HIV can live long lives.

"The 1990s was such a rough time because everybody was dying," Witchey said. "We would have 30 funerals in a month. That would not be uncommon."

"I saw a lot of people die. I stopped going to funerals because of that," Karnes said. "HIV is not going to kill me. It won't kill me. I won't let it, and the Damien Center won't let it."

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Witchey said he is grateful the new expansion is open because he is unsure the Damien Center would be able to build it if they started from square one.

"We got a lot of tax credits that are not available today. We got a lot of support from donors who are more nervous and unsure about donating today," Witchey said. "We just got in at the right time."

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Karnes plans to use the new expansion nearly every day and urges others living with HIV to do the same.

"To the people living with HIV, hold on, because you can survive," Karnes said. "You can survive this."