Project Grant P0650244

RYAN WHITE TITLE III HIV CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS - THE MISSION OF EMPOWER U, INC (EUI) IS TO EMPOWER, EDUCATE, AND PROMOTE BETTER HEALTH CARE CHOICES FOR INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES INFECTED AND AFFECTED BY HEALTH DISPARITIES, INCLUDING HIV/AIDS, WITHIN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. WHEN EU ACCOMPLISHES IT MISSION, ALL WILL HAVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO CARE THUS LIVE LONGER, HEALTHIER LIVES. EU WAS FOUNDED IN 1999 BY TWO WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS AND IS ONE OF THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN LED COMMUNITY BASED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOUNDED AND MANAGED BY PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL IN AN EFFORT TO ADDRESS THE DISPARITIES IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR. THROUGH THE EFFORTS OF ITS INDIGENOUS STAFF, EU HAS GAINED A REPUTATION FOR IDENTIFYING THOSE FROM THE COUNTY'S MOST DISENFRANCHISED WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN IN MEDICAL CARE OR ARE LOST TO CARE, AND ENSURING THAT THEY ARE CONNECTED TO MEDICAL AND SUPPORT SERVICES EU'S TARGET SERVICE AREA IS LIBERTY CITY, A 20 SQUARE MILE NEIGHBORHOOD WITHIN THE CITY OF MIAMI, FLORIDA. IT LAYS WITHIN ZIP CODES 33127, 33142, 33147, AND 33150, WHICH ARE IN THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S (MDCHD) HEALTH PLANNING LIFE ZONES IV AND V. LIBERTY CITY IS A LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS 95% BLACK/AFRICANAMERICAN. WHEN COMPARING THE LIBERTY CITY AREA TO THE COUNTY, STATE AND US, IT IS CLEAR THE AREA IS POOR: 33% OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE TARGET AREA LIVE AT OR BELOW THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL COMPARED TO 17% IN MIAMI-DADE AND FLORIDA, AND 15% IN THE US (US CENSUS 2019 5 YEAR ESTIMATES; UDS MAPPER). THE MEDIAN INCOME IS LOWER THAN THAT OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY AND FLORIDA AND LESS THAN HALF OF THE MEDIAN FOR THE US AS A WHOLE. RESIDENTS ARE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY HIGH RATES OF UNEMPLOYMENT, HOMELESSNESS, ILLITERACY, HIGH SCHOOL DROP-OUTS, CRIME, ILLEGAL DRUG USE AND SALES, AND TEEN PREGNANCY. LIBERTY CITY IS A HRSA DESIGNATED MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED AREA/POPULATION (MUA/P ID 06150) AS WELL AS A PRIMARY CARE HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA (PC HPSA ID 1129396275) AND DENTAL CAR E HEALTH PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA (DC HPSA ID 6126921777). IT ALSO HAS THE HIGHEST RATE AND NUMBER OF HIV/AIDS CASES IN MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. EUI IS SUBMITTING THIS PROPOSAL UNDER THE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES TO EXPAND DENTAL CAPACITY BY PROCURING DENTAL EQUIPMENT. LACK OF DENTAL EQUIPMENT AFFECTS THE OPTIMAL PROVISION OF QUALITY HIV PRIMARY CARE SERVICES. INTEGRATION OF SERVICES FOR PLWH IS ONE STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL PROVISION OF QUALITY HIV PRIMARY CARE SERVICES. DUE TO IMMUNODEFICIENCY, MANY PLWH EXPERIENCE SEVERAL COMMON ORAL HEALTH CONDITIONS, SUCH AS CHRONIC DRY MOUTH, GINGIVITIS, BONE LOSS AROUND THE TEETH (PERIODONTITIS), CANKER SORES, ORAL WARTS, FEVER BLISTERS, ORAL CANDIDIASIS (THRUSH), HAIRY LEUKOPLAKIA (WHICH CAUSES A ROUGH, WHITE PATCH ON THE TONGUE), AND DENTAL CARIES. THEREFORE, ORAL HEALTHCARE INTEGRATION CAN IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE. THE LACK OF ORAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES FOR OUR PATIENTS MAY RESULT TO MISSED OR DELAYED IDENTIFICATION OF INFECTIONS, AND DECREASED ADHERENCE TO MEDICATIONS. THEREFORE, ORAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES INTEGRATION WITH THE PROPER DENTAL EQUIPMENT IS CRITICAL TO QUALITY HIV PRIMARY CARE SERVICES. WE ARE REQUESTING $148,717 THROUGH THIS FUNDING OPPORTUNITY.