Project NOW will be the new owner of DeLaCerda House in Rock Island, the only housing designated for those with HIV/AIDS in a 15-county area.
Thanks to a new partnership with Project NOW, DeLaCerda House, and the city of Rock Island, Project NOW (a community action agency serving Rock Island, Henry and Mercer counties) is acquiring the three housing units and will be able to continue the legacy of James (Jim) DeLaCerda and Robb Dussliere, Project NOW announced Wednesday.
The nonprofit will hold a press conference Friday morning to offer more details on the transition.
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DeLaCerda House was established in 1994 to honor the memory of James (Jim) DeLaCerda, a healthcare professional who was diagnosed with AIDS, treated patients with AIDS, and advocated for the elimination of the harmful stigmas that too often accompany the disease.
In 1996, through the strong advocacy work of Robb Dussliere, DeLaCerda House opened Robb’s House; the first of three properties owned by DeLaCerda House in Rock Island.
The mission of DeLaCerda House is to provide housing, advocacy services, and progressive case management for persons with HIV/AIDS who are experiencing homelessness.
Jim DeLaCerda was born in Muscatine and graduated from the University of Illinois, with a bachelor’s and master’s in nursing, according to the organization’s website. He was a Navy veteran from the Vietnam era and a trauma specialist, certified in medical and surgical nursing.
A Nurse Practitioner at Cook County Hospital from 1984 to 1990, Jim worked with AIDS patients and was the first coordinator of the AIDS unit when it opened in 1989. In 1990, he became the Nurse Manager of the AIDS unit of Davies Medical Center in San Francisco.
Diagnosed with AIDS himself, DeLaCerda moved to Rock Island in early 1993 to be close to his family and friends. He passed away in May 1993 at the age of 46.
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