BEDFORD STUYVESANT FAMILY HEALTH CENTER INC

MSA WELLNESS PROGRAM:THE WELLNESS CENTER PROGRAM WAS CONCEIVED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE PATIENTS OF BEDFORD-STUYVESANT FAMILY HEALTH CENTER (BSFHC) AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY. THE WELLNESS CENTER IS BSFHC RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS IN THE COMMUNITY. OUR WORK IS CENTERED ON PREVENTION, INCREASED AWARENESS TO PREVENTIVE SERVICES WITH THE RESULT TO INCREASE ACCESS TO ALL POPULATIONS WHO ARE UNDERSERVED. THROUGH OUR WORK, WE HAVE OBTAINED FUNDING FOR HIV PREVENTION, HEPATITIS C NAVIGATION, CASE MANAGEMENT, AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION THAT PROMOTES INCREASED ACCESS TO MEDICAL, HEALTH INSURANCE AND HEALTH EDUCATION SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY.THE 2024 FISCAL YEAR WAS DEFINED BY MEANINGFUL ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTINUED GROWTH IN BOTH THE REACH AND IMPACT OF THE WELLNESS PROGRAM. OUR TEAM REMAINED COMMITTED TO EXPANDING SERVICES, STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND ENSURING THAT INDIVIDUALS MOST IMPACTED BY HIV AND RELATED DISPARITIES HAD DIRECT ACCESS TO PREVENTION AND TREATMENT RESOURCES. THIS YEAR, 128 PATIENTS WERE PRESCRIBED PREP, MEETING AND EXCEEDING OUR YEAR 3 TARGET. AMONG THEM WERE 7 WOMEN, INCLUDING 6 WHO BEGAN USING INJECTABLE PREP, MARKING NEARLY A THREEFOLD INCREASE FROM OUR PREVIOUS MEASURES AND DEMONSTRATING OUR ABILITY TO EXPAND PREVENTION ACCESS AMONG WOMEN OF COLOR. TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT, WE LAUNCHED A NEW PREP CAMPAIGN SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO REACH AND ENGAGE WOMEN OF COLOR IN BROOKLYN, BUILDING AWARENESS AND REDUCING STIGMA AROUND PREP USE IN THESE COMMUNITIES. THIS WORK REFLECTS OUR LONG-TERM GOAL OF INCREASING EQUITY IN HIV PREVENTION AND ENSURING THAT WOMEN, PARTICULARLY WOMEN OF COLOR, ARE NOT LEFT BEHIND AS PREP EVOLVES.THE YEAR WAS ALSO NOTABLE FOR A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AIDS EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER (AETC). AETC HAS BEGUN ATTENDING OUR PREP DATA MEETINGS AND PROVIDING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, GUIDANCE, AND BEST PRACTICES. THEIR PARTNERSHIP HAS ALREADY REVITALIZED AND UPDATED OUR PREP WORKFLOWS, STRENGTHENING OUR INTERNAL PROCESSES AND ENSURING THAT PATIENTS RECEIVE TIMELY AND EFFICIENT CARE. BY INTEGRATING THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS, WE HAVE STREAMLINED OUR NAVIGATION AND FOLLOW-UP PROCEDURES, FURTHER SOLIDIFYING THE FOUNDATION OF OUR PROGRAM.THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, THE WELLNESS TEAM SUPPORTED A CASELOAD OF OVER 100 INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY USING PREP AS PREVENTION, PROVIDED 200 INSTANCES OF PREP NAVIGATION ASSISTANCE WITHIN THE CLINIC, AND CONDUCTED 246 RAPID HIV SCREENINGS. OUR OUTREACH AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES REACHED BROAD SEGMENTS OF THE BROOKLYN COMMUNITY, WITH 63 PREP-SPECIFIC OUTREACH EVENTS ENGAGING 3,186 PEOPLE, 523 HEALTH EDUCATION SESSIONS DELIVERED, 6 WORKSHOPS FACILITATED, AND 6 COMMUNITY EVENTS HOSTED TO BUILD AWARENESS AND NORMALIZE HIV PREVENTION. COLLECTIVELY, THESE EFFORTS ENSURED THAT OVER 1,000 INDIVIDUALS ACCESSED SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION, SCREENINGS, AND PREVENTION SERVICES, WHILE THOUSANDS MORE WERE ENGAGED IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PREP, HIV TESTING, AND STIGMA REDUCTION.THE EXPANSION OF INJECTABLE PREP HAS ALSO BEEN A DEFINING FEATURE OF THIS YEAR'S WORK. ONCE CONSIDERED A NOVEL OPTION, INJECTABLES ARE NOW BEING NORMALIZED IN OUR CLINIC AS PART OF ROUTINE PREVENTION CARE. WITH THE EXPECTED ROLLOUT OF BIANNUAL INJECTIONS IN 2025, OUR PROGRAM IS WELL-POSITIONED TO CONTINUE LEADING IN THIS AREA, ENSURING PATIENT CHOICE AND IMPROVED ADHERENCE.IN FY 2024-2025, THE WELLNESS PROGRAM ACHIEVED KEY MILESTONES, INCLUDING MEETING YEAR 3 PREP TARGETS, SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING INJECTABLE PREP UPTAKE, EXPANDING OUTREACH ACROSS BROOKLYN, AND STRENGTHENING EDUCATION INITIATIVES WITH A TARGETED CAMPAIGN FOR WOMEN OF COLOR. WE ALSO FORGED A TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIP WITH AETC THAT HAS ALREADY IMPROVED OUR PREP WORKFLOWS AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. THE WELLNESS PROGRAM REMAINS DEEPLY COMMITTED TO EQUITY, PREVENTION, AND COMMUNITY HEALTH. AS PREVENTION SCIENCE CONTINUES TO ADVANCE, WE WILL CARRY FORWARD THE MOMENTUM BUILT THIS YEAR, WORKING TOWARD THE SHARED GOAL OF ENDING THE HIV EPIDEMIC IN BROOKLYN AND BEYOND.