MISTER originated as Midtown’s testing site for HIV three years ago. A department of Positive Impact, MISTER is actually a community outreach center unlike any others Atlanta has to offer. In addition to HIV testing as a complimentary service, MISTER also offers free diagnosis on other possible conditions including gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Always confidential, MISTER is a pioneering community located on 60 Eleventh Street striving to implement programs which might seem unorthodox, but are actually backed up by empirical studies. It is up to the community whether these programs continue to exist.
From holistic services to book clubs, MISTER goes far and beyond any other Atlanta testing site as it provides you with a welcoming face even after diagnosis rather than the sometimes standard, sterile feel of other testing sites. One of MISTER’s unique attributes is their strong conviction in the powerful connection between the human body and mind’s spiritual essence, which ultimately results in an unbeatable formula for self-healing. As prevention specialist Chandler Bearden explains, “When you observe the transition between a patient placed in a room filled with stressful triggers like fearful and hateful images, their immunity level drops while a patient placed in a room with calming, serene stimuli actually gains a significant boost in their immunity level. The resulting fluctuation in immunity derived from these stress-related variables implores us to investigate further into this phenomenon.”
It is through these studies that MISTER continues to evolve beyond the stereotypical testing site or community outreach program. Funded by generous grants stemming from the CDC, Fulton County Human Services, and others, MISTER possesses the resources to generate an incredibly knowledgeable and affectionate staff that undergo a screening process which prioritizes a background in psychology, warmth over clinical, openness over scripted, and informative over preachy. This formula has everything you need to resolve any questions you may have in your limitless quest to empower your life as the most common questions concern internal doubts of “Do I need to stop having sex? Is my life over? Who do I need to tell? What do I need to know?” Their risk reduction counselors are trained to provide all the information and resources you need no matter what your age, ethnicity, or economic level is. MISTER is all about your wellbeing.
MISTER’s allies include other Atlanta-based outreach programs such as the Armorettes and The Sisters of the Perpetual Indulgence who also use revolutionary means of outreach like traversing through Atlanta’s streets in nun outfits and painted white faces to promote a selfless message of awareness. So it is no wonder MISTER’s history involves pioneering methodologies of aromatherapy, yoga workshops, book clubs, and other community-strengthening avenues to evoke and increase one’s submergence into welcoming waves of support and information that focus on coping-building techniques and stress-reducing rituals.
And even if you’re still not ready to visit on site, preventions specialist Chandler Bearden runs a feature of the primary website as what he calls “role-model” stories. After screening submitted testimonials, his intent for this specific portion of the site is to provide a gallery of some sort, of others in your community who have gone through what you currently fear or may have doubts of. But they sought the tools to empower their lives, and have made it out stronger by applying the proper information that MISTER is there to provide for you.
For more information on MISTER’s varying workshops and social networks including MAGNET (for relationships with one negative partner and one positive partner) and LIVE FREE (for negative men seeking information on risk reduction without the assumption of a need to compromise their sex life) visit MISTER’s primary website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter for constantly updated newsfeed, events, and other information regarding MISTER’s various features.
YOU MAY BE A ROLE MODEL: To submit your own “role model” stories: visit mistercenter.org/stories or contact Chandler Bearden directly at Chandler.Bearden@PositiveImpact-ATL.org
GENERAL INFORMATION
Web: mistercenter.org
Phone number: (678) 365-4300
Address: 60 Eleventh Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
