APEL HEALTH SERVICES CENTER INC
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Mission Statement
To reduce health related issues among at risk minority communities by closing the racial and ethnic health disparities gap and providing prevention education. APEL Goals: (1) To promote health and wellness by providing quality health prevention services to people without access to basic care, and eliminate health disparities in communities of color at no charge and (2) To increase these communities' basic knowledge of science-based indicators, prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS and targeted chronic diseases, leading causes of disproportionate deaths in minority communities.
About This Cause
APEL Health Services Center Inc. (APEL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to health/wellness & disease prevention/intervention, was founded as an HIV/AIDS outreach ministry in 1999 by Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville Florida and incorporated as an independent agency and received IRS tax-exempt status in June 2005. APEL (AIDS Prevention & Education for Life) Health Services Center was well-named as it continues its HIV/AIDS health wellness and disease prevention program dedicated to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in communities of color. The agency targets population in Duval County (Jacksonville) FL communities of color with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS infection. PRIOR EXPERIENCE: The agency and its Executive Director have 18 years of successfully managing community outreach and prevention, youth initiatives and related programs and projects and total grant awards exceeding $1.2 million. All contracts and grant awards have been managed successfully; stated goals and objectives were achieved and the agency received good reviews. The program received 2016 Health Hero Award from The Florida Department of Health & 2016 NAACP Elizabeth B. Means Community Health Services Award. APEL has had several agreements with The Florida Department of Health in Duval County (FLDOHDC) for seeking if persons are in care from a list of those out-of-care and another to identify clients that have not received care in the last 12 months. At every opportunity we seek funding for linking positives who have dropped out of care back into care. For this six-month project we will not link positives back in care. Most recently in 2018 we found 61 PWH in care from the Florida Department of Health – Duval out-of-care list. APEL is a recognized a The agency serves mainly African Americans, but no one is refused service based on race, ethnicity, religion or gender. APEL serves Jacksonville FL (Duval County) in Health Zone 1 (HZ1) zip codes 32202, 32204, 32206, 32208, 32209 & 32254 and 32218. The agency targets populations in Duval County (Jacksonville) FL with the highest incidence of poor social health determinants (SHD). APEL conducts HIV, syphilis and hepatitis testing, counseling and linkage and program screening or testing and referral for chronic diseases – diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and stroke. The Florida Department of Health in Duval County (FLDOHDC) provides COVID-19 testing at scheduled sites and/or events. APEL now has three major program focuses: (1) Infectious Diseases Prevention: HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and STD Prevention: Street and Community Outreach, Prevention Education Programs, Testing/Counseling and Linkage/Referral. (2) APEL Care-Link for HIV Positives: Peer Networking, Social Support & Leadership Development promote awareness and education among People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to learn advocacy; reduce stigma against PLWHA and conduct/coordinate social and educational events with peer support groups. HIV positive persons are reached through support groups and other formal and informal entities. (3) Health Wellness and Disease Prevention Services: APEL conducts screening or testing for chronic diseases -- diabetes, heart disease and stroke – glucose tests and blood pressure screenings for hypertension, with referrals and follow-up. Chronic diseases - such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes - are the leading causes of death and disability in Florida. Although these diseases are among the most common and costly health problems, they are also among the most preventable. The new menace to minority communities is the COVID-19 virus. Targeted outreach and prevention education occur at health fairs and special events and at regularly scheduled community sites (homeless shelters and outdoor areas where homeless, substance abusers and others congregate, etc.). Grassroots community outreach provides the vehicle for recruitment, screenings, testing and follow-up services for those who may not use traditional healthcare services. Street outreach services target at-risk clients who would not otherwise receive care, particularly the homeless, working poor and the uninsured. Health Educators (HEs) usually canvas areas where drug users, street workers and other high-risk groups are known to frequent. Schedules and sites are pre-planned for the safety of workers and better saturation of communities. HEs discuss the dangers of unhealthy lifestyles; distribute health related materials; distribute safer sex kits with condoms and administer health and lifestyle risk assessments. During the pandemic, the organization follows CDC guidelines and Florida Health Department guidance.All client and staff interactions are in compliance with CDC COVID-19 guidelines including personal protective equipment, masks for all, and social distancing where possible. HIV: Duval is one of the 48 counties, Washington, D.C., San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as 7 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mis¬sissippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma, South Carolina) that have a substantial rural HIV burden. Data on the burden of the current epidemic were analyzed to identify the counties with the highest number of new HIV diagnoses, the states with the heaviest rural HIV burden, and the territorial area now hardest hit. These areas accounted for more than 50 percent of new HIV diagnoses in recent years. and are targeted under new federal initiative: Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America. HEP C: Approximately 22,500 cases of chronic hepatitis C are reported in Florida each year. About 80 percent of all injecting drug users are infected with hepatitis C. And, approximately 25–30 percent of HIV-infected individuals are also infected with hepatitis C. People at risk for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV may also be at risk for hepatitis A, B and C. This provides a powerful argument for integrating viral hepatitis services into sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS programs. GOAL: To reduce health disparities in African American communities through outreach, screening, testing, counseling, and referral. This project will offer testing, screening and monitoring for sexually transmitted and chronic diseases and provide prevention education leading to healthier lifestyles. Program Goals 1. Improve chronic diseases health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities. 2. Reduce HIV & hepatitis related disparities and health inequities APEL Health Services Center Inc. (APEL), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to health/wellness & disease prevention/intervention, was founded as an HIV/AIDS outreach ministry in 1999 by Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville Florida and incorporated as an independent agency and received IRS tax-exempt status in June 2005. APEL (AIDS Prevention & Education for Life) Health Services Center was well-named as it continues its HIV/AIDS health wellness and disease prevention program dedicated to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in communities of color. The agency targets population in Duval County (Jacksonville) FL communities of color with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS infection. PRIOR EXPERIENCE: The agency and its Executive Director have 18 years of successfully managing community outreach and prevention, youth initiatives and related programs and projects and total grant awards exceeding $1.2 million. All contracts and grant awards have been managed successfully; stated goals and objectives were achieved and the agency received good reviews. The program received 2016 Health Hero Award from The Florida Department of Health & 2016 NAACP Elizabeth B. Means Community Health Services Award. APEL has had several agreements with The Florida Department of Health in Duval County (FLDOHDC) for seeking if persons are in care from a list of those out-of-care and another to identify clients that have not received care in the last 12 months. At every opportunity we seek funding for linking positives who have dropped out of care back into care. For this six-month project we will not link positives back in care. Most recently in 2018 we found 61 PWH in care from the Florida Department of Health – Duval out-of-care list. APEL is a recognized and certified testing center. We are one of the few agencies doing street outreach in high risk neighborhoods, since funds for prevention and outreach have been drastically reduced. Our AIDS Service Organization, Northeast Florida AIDS Network (NFAN), also contracted with APEL to provide outreach and testing for them. APEL has two major program focuses: (1) HIV/AIDS/HCV STD Prevention: Street and Community Outreach, Prevention Education Programs, Testing/Counseling and Linkage and Referral, as well as linking Black Women People Living with HIV/AIDS (PWH) back into care after they had dropped out. Health Educators also conduct risk assessments and distribute informational brochures, and health related materials to address minority health disparities. (2) Health Wellness and Disease Prevention Services: Chronic diseases - such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes - are the leading causes of death and disability in Florida. Although these diseases are among the most common and costly health problems, they are also among the most preventable. The new menace to minority communities is the COVID-19 virus. APEL has strong ties to the community and has established confidential and trusting relationships, gaining the respect of community leaders, officials, stakeholders and gatekeepers. As an HIV/AIDS and community health outreach agency, APEL has survived while many other CBOs have not. APEL has provided care to nearly 10,000 unduplicated adult and youth clients and tested 50% of those reached for HIV through community outreach services, health fairs, and community forums in target high-risk neighborhoods. APEL also provides free STD screenings and various other services to meet the health needs of the community.