SETAC, Puerto Vallarta’s GLBT+ community center is announcing some very exciting developments.
SETAC has elected a Board of Directors (BOD) consisting of 5 members which includes doctors and other local business executives to help guide our organization and execute our mission most effectively. The Board will oversee SETAC leadership to ensure long-term stability, financial transparency, and work to expand the reach and services to Mexican Nationals, temporary/permanent residents of Vallarta and visitors to our wonderful community.
Mike Owens, a Zona Romantica, Puerto Vallarta business owner and long-time supporter of SETAC, will assume the role of Operations Director managing the day-to-day operation. This role is a volunteer position and Mike will continue in this role until further organizational changes and employee hiring is completed. Paco Arjona will continue in the strategic role of Executive Director. Ed Thomas will continue as business consultant to the organization.
The organization will be publishing on our website our financial statements every 3 months to provide complete transparency to our supporters. We will begin with 2020, 2021 & 2022 which were recently audited and approved by the external firm Teran & Rojas Associates of Nuevo Vallarta.
SETAC’s office and services are currently located in Colonia Versalles. However, we will be relocating to a soon to be announced new location in Zona Romantica. This new location will host a public dedication in the near future and will provide 350 square meters of unique “Safe Space” for at-risk youth and adults. Our new home will provide an opportunity for socialization, games, and movie nights in addition to our normal testing for more than 11 sexually transmitted infections (STI), education & treatment for HIV and other STI’s. We are very excited to showcase this new ‘Safe Space’ to our community very soon.
SETAC currently tests more than 1,500 people each year for HIV, distributes over 120,000 condoms, and sees more than 250 patients each month! However, there is still a lot of work to do to meet the needs of our community. Therefore, to better prepare us to more effectively meet this need, SETAC is expanding our mission. We will be publishing our exciting and expansive new mission statement once completed and board approved. You can be certain, at the core of who SETAC is and will continue to be, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing high quality services in Zona Romantica for testing, education & prevention for more than 11 sexually transmitted infections. We will continue to offer free counseling and emotional support by a licensed counselor for all patients that receive a positive test result for any STI.
SETAC is in the process of receiving certification and authorization from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation to supply, supervise and expand the use of DOXYPEP, the post-exposure prophylaxis for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
We will expand the hours of operation and services at our permanent information booth in Lazaro Cardenas Park.
SETAC Staff & Services: We are hiring an additional team member to lead special events, fundraising and oversee grant application requests.
We are also looking to expand our services and support for the hearing impaired through a new partnership within the business community to help place hearing impaired applicants in a suitable job to minimize the risk of homelessness and drug addiction which can lead to the further spread of STI’s.
While SETAC has been serving the Vallarta LGBT+ Community for almost 14 years, we are excited because we know the best is yet to come. We could not be expanding our operations and services without the tremendous support from community leaders, local businesses, the LGBT+ community as well as our LGBT+ allies!
