2009 Annual Report: Thirty - Mazzoni Center

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care services in 1979, the men and women who came together to form an organization to improve the health of gays and lesbians had no notion of the calamity called aiDS that was about to befall an entire generation. thus, they couldn’t imagine the skyrocketing need for social services by those infected by HiV that would follow the onset of this terrible disease. in 1990, Philadelphia Community Health alternatives initiated case management services, helping its clients navigate the bureaucracy and red tape to facilitate and ensure access to publicly available social services. in 1989, PCHa opened its regional Food Bank, providing supplemental groceries and nutritional support to our clients with aiDS diagnoses. today, Mazzoni Center’s Care Services department provides case management services to over 1,000 clients, and provides groceries to nearly 1,400 individuals. Case Management our Case Management program continues to be a leader in the provision of quality case management services in the Philadelphia region. as a result of our exceptional services, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, aiDS activities Coordinating office (aaCo) this past year awarded an additional four case managers to our program, for a total of fifteen full-time employees. Following a “medical case management” model, our staff assist clients in scheduling and attending their medical appointments, resulting in a 95% attendance rate for medical appointments. Studies show that HiV/aiDS clients who strictly adhere to their medical regimen demonstrate more positive health outcomes. our case managers are also highly trained in assessing clients’ eligibility for Medical assistance or other insurance, removing a major barrier to receive care. ninety percent of our case management clients now have health insurance. other services include mental health and substance abuse referrals, treatment adherence counseling, assisting with housing, and vocational rehabilitation referrals. 8 :: thirty Each holiday season, our staff collects and distributes hundreds of toys and winter coats to provide for the children of many of our case management clients. in august of 2008, we expanded our case management services by staffing two full-time case managers on-site at Mazzoni Center Family & Community Medicine. Paralleling the services we provide at our main location, MCFCM case managers provide a wide range of services to our HiV+ client population who receiving their primary care from Mazzoni Center. Fiscal Year 2009 was a transitional and rebuilding period for adolescent Care Services at Mazzoni Center, and providing services to 71 youth. Groundwork was laid for the introduction of adolescent “Drop-in” hours, exclusively for those in the 13 – 24 year old age bracket, to begin in FY10. our Care Services department also instituted LGBt case management at MCFCM in FY09, designed to meet the medical and psychosocial needs of HiV negative LGBt clients. there is a heavy emphasis on trans-specific case management services, as research continues to point up the multiple barriers to care faced by transgender individuals.
Food Bank Since it was first instituted 20 years ago, our regional HiV Food Bank has served thousands upon thousands of aiDS-diagnosed individuals in the Philadelphia region. it continues to play a vital role in maintenance of healthy lifestyles, as a source for providing supplemental groceries, and nutritional support. in FY09, we distributed more than 8,400 bags of groceries. in addition to our regular client base, 75 households received emergency (onetime) food bank referrals, an increase of 29% over the previous fiscal year. these clients are not eligible for on-going services, but present with immediate food needs. this significant increase is due to citywide closings and/or restrictions by community-based and church-based soup kitchens and food banks. Housing our Housing Subsidy program continues to be the gold-standard in housing assistance in the Philadelphia region for persons with HiV/aiDS. the efficiency and effectiveness with which we manage this program was again recognized by the city’s office of Housing and Community Development with the award of an additional fourteen units in FY09, bringing to 76 the total number of households to whom we are providing services, and housing 105 individuals. additionally, our housing counselors work in close collaboration with our medical case managers, ensuring that our homebound tenants get help managing their medical needs, including obtaining coverage and accessing health care. at the close of FY09, our Housing Subsidy program stood poised to be awarded a contract for an additional forty slots for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of nearly 50%, and the addition of a housing counselor to our team. this new award conveys the level of trust and confidence placed in Mazzoni Center by the City to effectively manage this program. Last year Dennis Coyne, our Regional HIV Food Bank manager, helped to hand out more than 8,400 bags of groceries to our HIV/AIDS clients, helping to supplement their nutritional needs. Today, Mazzoni Center’s Care Services department provides case management services to over 1,000 clients, and provides groceries to nearly 1,400 individuals. thirty :: 9
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2009 Annual Report: Thirty - Mazzoni Center

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