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Family First Health, a nonprofit, federally qualified health center dedicated to providing a broad range of primary health, dental care, and social services at its sites in York, Lewisberry, and Hanover, PA, has received a grant from the AIDS Fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) for the Caring Together program. Caring Together is a collaborative partnership of Family First Health, WellSpan Health, and Ordinary People, Extraordinary Needs. It provides a seamless system of coordinated, high-quality care for people who are HIV positive.

 

The $15,000 grant will provide funding for Caring Together's case management program, which helps clients manage transportation, jobs, housing, and other life issues. Family First Health currently has one part-time and two full-time case managers. Last year, 327 clients received case management services, and public funds no longer cover the costs of TFEC's program, which has been expanded to provide for the increased number of clients. The AIDS Fund of TFEC, formerly The Greater Harrisburg Foundation, awarded more than $100,000 to ten area AIDS service organizations for educational and prevention services. The AIDS Fund serves seven Pennsylvania counties: Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry, and York.

 

People who have HIV require various medical and support services to maintain optimal health and wellness. The Caring Together team of doctors, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, nurse care managers and nurses, pharmacist, case managers, behavioral health providers, and others have a comprehensive knowledge of working with HIV patients and providing optimal care. Services provided by Caring Together include primary HIV medical care, dental care, nutritional consultation, services of an HIV counseling pharmacist, nurse care management, prescription drug assistance, adherence counseling, access to clinical trials, social service case management, housing/utility assistance, transportation assistance, behavioral healthcare, certified Spanish translators, support groups, food bank access, benefit screening, and enrollment assistance. To make access to its services as easy as possible, Caring Together has established a single point of contact for the program. Clients or medical providers can call the nurse care manager, who will assess a client's needs, schedule a medical appointment, and contact other Caring Together team members who provide other services as needed.

 

For more information regarding Family First Health, please visit the Web site at http://www.familyfirsthealth.org.