Care Resource Hosts Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) and Federal Partners
MIAMI, FL. (October 2019) – On Monday, October 21, Care Resource hosted members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) and federal partners, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). PACHA provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective treatment, prevention, and cure of HIV disease and AIDS.
During a presentation to PACHA members and federal partners, Dr. Steven Santiago, MD, Chief Medical Officer, discussed Care Resource’s contributions to the national fight against HIV/AIDS, and its work to help marginalized communities of South Florida. Care Resource provides affordable, safe, and quality medical care as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), a transition made in 2009 that marks the center’s commitment to providing comprehensive care and support services to all underserved communities.
The presentation ended in the discussion, where PACHA members and Federal partners looked to senior Care Resource staff including Rick Siclari, MBA, Chief Executive Officer; Hudes Desrameaux, MPH, Chief Development Officer; Ron Ledain, MBA, Director of Marketing, Health Promotion and Linkage; Rafael Jimenez, MS, Director of Social Services and Food for Life Network; and Thomas Smith, Ph.D., LMHC, LMFT, MCAP, Director of Behavioral Health Services, for recommendations regarding the development and goals of the President’s “A Plan for America: Ending the HIV Epidemic.”
Senior staff informed attendees that Care Resource is one of the largest centers to institute PrEP on a wide-scale basis in South Florida. PACHA members and federal partners identified the center’s commitment to integrated care as the key to its ability to identify patients eligible for comprehensive PrEP services. In addition, Care Resource is looking beyond men who have sex with men (MSM), as other high-risk groups, such as heterosexual men and women of color, and transgender individuals, could benefit from this HIV prevention method. The center also leverages its relationships with existing patients as a point of entry to other individuals who may be eligible for PrEP.
Care Resource brings HIV testing into communities through mobile health units and has begun a PrEP Telehealth pilot program, which allows patients to have virtual visits with their provider. Telehealth may become a proven vehicle for those who may not otherwise have access to PrEP services due to social stigma, or proximity to a PrEP provider.
Care Resource ended the visit with PACHA and federal partners by highlighting challenges to access PrEP, including high lab costs, which may deter patients from adhering to or continuing the regimen, and inadequate funding for mobile HIV testing units in underserved areas with a high HIV burden. Care Resource’s successes and challenges in providing comprehensive HIV/AIDS services will prove crucial to the national mission to end the epidemic by 2030.
Click here to listen to the WLRN News Radio about the South Florida health center visit.
About Care Resource:
Care Resource is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization and a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with four locations in Midtown Miami, Little Havana, Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale. The health center provides comprehensive health and support services to address the full health care needs of South Florida’s pediatric, adolescent and adult populations.
For Media Inquiries or additional article information, please contact Jonathan Welsh, Associate Director of Development and Communications at jwelsh@careresource.org
