Lucy is the Peer Mentor Coordinator and Living Well Program Coordinator based at The Sussex Beacon, a UK charity that has been supporting adults living with HIV [LWHIV] since 1994. Lucy joined the team in April 2021 and has a background in education and supporting neurodiverse young people.
My role as a peer coordinator is to recruit, train and supervise peer mentors. The aim is to develop networks of support for adults LWHIV where services are limited and there are high levels of social isolation.
The Living Well program was created as part of a frailty study that showed the positive impact of exercise. It offers a physiotherapy-led group rehabilitation intervention for adults LWHIV and mindfulness courses focusing on pain management, stress and mental ill health.
Lucy contributes to the Fast Track Cities Stigma Group; It’s Up to Us: Eliminating HIV Stigma in Healthcare Settings. This is a global project spearheaded by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC).
Lucy also provides peer support in women’s research studies. Lucy says ‘women are notoriously hard to engage in research studies because we have a different set of priorities. Encouraging women to engage in research is so important for all of our futures’.
Lucy is a mother to two daughters. She was diagnosed with HIV whilst living in Washington DC in 1993
