Minutes of the Meeting of the
Integration of Care Committee
Veronica Fortunato & Steve Hemraj, IOC Co-Chairs
Wednesday, May 17th, 2023
10:00am-12:00pm
Minutes
Attendance
Committee
Ashley Johnson
Bill Gross
Billy Fields
Brenda Starks-Ross
Deborah J. Greene
Dorothy Farley
Emma Kaywin
Graham Harriman
Gretchen Ty
Hondo Martinez
Janet Goldberg
John Schoepp
Raffi Babakhanian
Ronnie Fortunato
Steve Hemraj
Staff
Adrianna E. Meiering
Bryan Meisel
Cassidy Burt
Claire Simon
Cristina Rodriguez-Hart
Grace Mackson
Ilana Newman
Johanna Acosta
Kimbirly Mack
Kobe Familara
Noelisa Montero
Renee James
Scott Spiegler
Tyeirra Seabrook
Guests
Anita Bhattacharjee
Julia Sanchez
Luis Nava
Matthew C. Marrero
Robert Barrett
Trish Jean-Louis
Wuilmer Diaz
Agenda Item 1: Welcome, Roll Call & Moment of Silence
The meeting was opened with introductions (name, pronouns) and an icebreaker on current subway ridership. Raffi Babakhanian led the moment of silence.
Agenda Item 2: Health Education Risk Reduction Evaluation, Fact Sheet and Provider Panel
Noelisa Montero presented an analysis conducted by herself and Cassidy Burt.
- Slides were sent out by email.
- Goal is to deliver an evidence based 7 module workshop on self-management. This analysis includes an analysis of priority populations who attended the workshop.
- Using eShare and the NYC HIV Surveillance Registry
- ART adherence, pre-test and 3 months post because behavior changes take time.
- Priority populations reported higher levels of substance use for everything except tobacco.
- Marginal increase in adherence overall, significant for priority pops
- Priority populations saw a higher impact from the program.
- ART adherence increased in both populations, a nd viral suppression increased in priority population and was statistically significant.
- Limitation – lack of a comparison group. Could compare graduates to known non-graduates, or against matching clients who didn’t participate in the program.
The following is a transcript of the provider panel to uphold the transparency of the proceedings. The committee was not advised that the agency’s staff had just been informed the program was ending and the staff was being let go. This created an extremely awkward situation due to legislatively defined purviews of the Council and the Recipient. As such, the assigned staff declines to reinterpret the proceedings and has supplied a full transcript capturing the entirety of the panel portion of the meeting. This transcript has NOT been edited, is the zoom record on file, and contains numerous mistakes, reflecting the capacity of artificial intelligence to provide translation.
00:44:00.720 –> 00:44:09.260
melanie she/her: How? Oh, i’m sorry. Go ahead. he’s asking why clients would return to this program
299
00:44:09.400 –> 00:44:26.070
melanie she/her: more than once, and so I think I feel like that’s a provider question. More than a data analyst question. Is that okay? No, Lisa, Can we save that for the providers? Yes, yes, definitely. Thank you, John. And then, Rfi, I see your hands up with Ashley behind them. John Chat.
300
00:44:28.430 –> 00:44:31.860
John Schoepp (just me): Thank you. Good morning, everybody. Yeah, i’m gonna go back to slide 4.
301
00:44:32.130 –> 00:44:47.430
John Schoepp (just me): The HIV self management program you have open to all people with HIV age 18 level. Why not? 13 to 18 or 13, and over being that that third age 13 is starting to become sexually active, starting to ask questions, thinking about things
302
00:44:48.200 –> 00:44:59.940
melanie she/her: got it? This is also not a noisa question. Unfortunately. Yeah, yeah, I kind of figure when I heard what you said the last time. Yeah, Ty, do you want to quickly explain the the eligibility for the program.
303
00:45:07.460 –> 00:45:20.240
Tyeirra Seabrook: Hi: Sorry about that. So this program has been going for 9 to 10 years. In that time there has not been a rebate. So, in terms of
304
00:45:20.240 –> 00:45:39.930
Tyeirra Seabrook: the eligibility at the time of the creation. Of this program being 18 and older, i’m not sure of the Rfp. Process or the thought process behind it being 18 and older at that time. So I think there are also very, very few people with HIV under it team tonight. There’s different permissions and
305
00:45:40.100 –> 00:45:42.510
Graham Harriman: requirements when you’re working with the use.
306
00:45:42.640 –> 00:45:44.100
Graham Harriman: Okay.
307
00:45:44.240 –> 00:45:47.180
melanie she/her: So we’re we’re largely. This was a
308
00:45:47.670 –> 00:45:58.140
melanie she/her: it’s running on the same bid, which seems illegal from 10 years ago, and and at that time the number of people under 18 was.
309
00:45:58.720 –> 00:46:00.860
melanie she/her: I guess, very small. And
310
00:46:01.000 –> 00:46:13.530
melanie she/her: you know this program isn’t really designed, I think, for that age group. So maybe those are some reasons. But let’s talk about it more with the providers about whether or not expanding it to be open. Some more age groups make sense.
311
00:46:14.350 –> 00:46:16.270
Raffi Babakhanian: Okay. So I do have some
312
00:46:16.420 –> 00:46:23.810
Raffi Babakhanian: analysis questions. I think you were kind of saying you. You could do an intent to treat analysis.
313
00:46:23.870 –> 00:46:30.120
Raffi Babakhanian: But you haven’t done. That is that kind of what you’re saying. And then my my second question is.
314
00:46:30.640 –> 00:46:38.550
Raffi Babakhanian: how many of these people in the and the target population were completely unsuppressed, and in that they weren’t on
315
00:46:38.610 –> 00:46:47.080
Raffi Babakhanian: a Rvs at all. And then we’re on air ves. And how does that change? The you know the the analysis?
316
00:46:51.550 –> 00:47:07.340
Noelisa Montero: No, Lisa, did you get that
317
00:47:07.510 –> 00:47:22.920
Noelisa Montero: looking at another group who may have qualified for for the program, and then see if there are any difference between those group
318
00:47:23.980 –> 00:47:27.530
Raffi Babakhanian: creating a a control group basically
319
00:47:27.640 –> 00:47:36.840
Noelisa Montero: where the only difference will be having had the program just or not. That will be the only difference between the 2 groups.
320
00:47:37.310 –> 00:47:47.090
Raffi Babakhanian: And what about looking at people who started, but weren’t able to complete? Obviously, you don’t have data for those or the people for whom you don’t. who did complete, for whom you don’t have data.
321
00:47:47.200 –> 00:47:50.480
Raffi Babakhanian: because there’s it’s a large number of people that in you know
322
00:47:50.510 –> 00:47:53.220
Raffi Babakhanian: kind of drop off in each chunk.
323
00:47:53.680 –> 00:48:01.580
Noelisa Montero: Right? Right? So if we look at individuals who started out, and even grad weight.
324
00:48:01.590 –> 00:48:15.450
Noelisa Montero: we will have limited information for them unless they are liking in any other service category. And then we could take the data from all those other service category
325
00:48:15.510 –> 00:48:27.510
Noelisa Montero: if they are no enroll in any other Ryan white program. Then we will. We will have limited information, and that will be a limitation of that analysis. But it could. It could be done.
326
00:48:28.670 –> 00:48:32.570
Raffi Babakhanian: And what about the how many people in the in the
327
00:48:33.730 –> 00:48:37.190
Raffi Babakhanian: and the target group? How many people were
328
00:48:37.390 –> 00:48:47.130
Raffi Babakhanian: completely unsuppressed and we’re not on anti-tro virals at the beginning and we’re, and how much of that difference does that account for, or you able to do that?
329
00:48:47.990 –> 00:48:59.720
Raffi Babakhanian: How many people are you referring to the priority population, right? And and some people, as you said, we’re we’re not on a of these at all.
330
00:48:59.750 –> 00:49:03.590
Raffi Babakhanian: so that they were presumably.
331
00:49:05.530 –> 00:49:06.300
Raffi Babakhanian: you know.
332
00:49:06.720 –> 00:49:11.200
Raffi Babakhanian: I just want to know just going on here in any way would definitely
333
00:49:11.370 –> 00:49:13.840
Raffi Babakhanian: keep up those numbers
334
00:49:14.930 –> 00:49:32.040
Noelisa Montero: right? Right? So this I think you are referring to this 174 individuals. for which we have data and we’re able to indicate a supreme status
335
00:49:32.210 –> 00:49:36.200
Noelisa Montero: so of having
336
00:49:36.370 –> 00:49:40.630
Noelisa Montero: of this a 174 individuals we had
337
00:49:40.680 –> 00:49:52.650
Noelisa Montero: on 97 who were vitally suppressed, and then up to pre test, and then a a 3 months follow up a survey a 135, where? By the Supreme?
338
00:49:52.670 –> 00:49:57.540
Noelisa Montero: So yes, it’s a small number of of the original.
339
00:49:58.550 –> 00:50:15.680
Raffi Babakhanian: Yeah, I just My question is, how many of those people we’re not on at at the at. The preachers are not on treatment at all, and how many one treatment? But not so. That would be interesting to see that. Yes, Yes, we cool. Yeah, we didn’t like cross-check between being on suppress and a Rt. But that’s that’s
340
00:50:15.790 –> 00:50:18.230
Noelisa Montero: that’s interesting to look at as well.
341
00:50:19.390 –> 00:50:33.220
melanie she/her: So it sounds like. There’s our really valid Christina’s making Christine. Do you want to just speak to the common in the chat that you just place? But I was gonna say that
342
00:50:34.160 –> 00:50:39.950
melanie she/her: we can submit, follow up questions for further data analysis
343
00:50:40.630 –> 00:50:53.000
melanie she/her: to happen, like over the summer, and then and or or not over the summer? Some of these questions we can submit, and, depending on the amount of time that it takes to crunch the numbers, get some of that information back, but
344
00:50:54.340 –> 00:51:00.600
melanie she/her: I think it’s a good time for Johanna to talk about. Why, like this presentation is being
345
00:51:00.660 –> 00:51:08.880
melanie she/her: why we’re the integration of Care Committee is receiving this presentation kind of in the middle of drafting behavioral Health directive.
346
00:51:11.580 –> 00:51:15.720
Johanna Acosta (she/her): Yeah, Hi: Sorry I had a strong trouble on Mute.
347
00:51:15.810 –> 00:51:21.090
Johanna Acosta (she/her): So yeah, so let me just give you guys some background real quick. So you guys know why we’re doing this.
348
00:51:21.180 –> 00:51:28.680
Johanna Acosta (she/her): So the planning Council is currently in the process of developing a behavioral directive which is going to include mental health
349
00:51:28.850 –> 00:51:33.850
Johanna Acosta (she/her): harm reduction in psychosocial support and in light of the the fat
350
00:51:33.910 –> 00:51:42.660
Johanna Acosta (she/her): sheet. For this specific service category and the term of the contract which is scheduled to end, and February 2020 fifth.
351
00:51:42.900 –> 00:51:56.430
Johanna Acosta (she/her): the Council. The planning Council is exploring whether or not to include the positive life workshop in the directive as a council. It’s trying to determine whether or not it will be a good idea to do that. Okay.
352
00:51:56.860 –> 00:52:00.740
Given the continue reduction in the Ryan White part 8 award
353
00:52:00.820 –> 00:52:12.940
Johanna Acosta (she/her): and just do to the reduction nationally. That is happening everywhere. The Council may decide to not fund the Hert service category or the program in 2,025, 2,026,
354
00:52:13.090 –> 00:52:23.650
Johanna Acosta (she/her): and instead include the money for the new service directive, that will maybe include the the Hr
355
00:52:23.860 –> 00:52:27.970
Johanna Acosta (she/her): workshop. So yes.
356
00:52:28.620 –> 00:52:35.000
Graham Harriman: I was just gonna give a little bit additional context. So there we’re sort of at this
357
00:52:35.150 –> 00:52:41.040
Graham Harriman: in this process of how the Council can handle health, education, risk reduction.
358
00:52:41.110 –> 00:52:49.560
Graham Harriman: The priority setting resource Allocation Committee is the the committee that makes a decision in regards to allocating resources.
359
00:52:49.700 –> 00:52:53.560
Graham Harriman: The the term of these contracts ends at
360
00:52:53.580 –> 00:53:00.690
Graham Harriman: the end of February 2025, which is the same timeline that this behavioral health directive is on.
361
00:53:00.740 –> 00:53:03.450
Graham Harriman: If the Council wanted to
362
00:53:03.810 –> 00:53:13.880
Graham Harriman: we could fold in the services that are in health, education, risk reduction into the psychosocial support and behavioral health directed.
363
00:53:14.320 –> 00:53:15.560
We could do that
364
00:53:16.050 –> 00:53:23.480
Graham Harriman: if if the Hdr contracts, or continued, or if they are not continued, we could do it and have them
365
00:53:23.660 –> 00:53:30.280
Graham Harriman: duly. Have have the positive life workshop in 2 places, if we wanted to so
366
00:53:30.340 –> 00:53:39.520
Graham Harriman: it. But this is an important part of the process to be able to think through how to educate the committee
367
00:53:39.690 –> 00:53:54.230
Graham Harriman: in a integration of Care Committee. This committee in regards to what is the program, how well it works, and it and its value, so that that’s important for integration of care to understand, to make decisions going forward.
368
00:53:55.030 –> 00:53:58.150
Graham Harriman: Thank you all for being here. It’s super helpful. And.
369
00:53:58.160 –> 00:54:12.370
Graham Harriman: as I said when we started, this is such an amazing program and the peer leadership of this program is absolutely something that we support. And the outcomes are so clear in terms of
370
00:54:12.570 –> 00:54:17.600
Graham Harriman: what your work and your commitment to the lives of people with HIV. Thank you.
371
00:54:17.690 –> 00:54:21.280
melanie she/her: So, Lewis, you have your hand up.
372
00:54:21.290 –> 00:54:34.660
Luis Nava: I raise my hand, because, unfortunately, I have a concurrent meeting at 11, which is a mandatory for me at work. But I don’t want to leave without saying this, and I will try to make it the idea clear.
373
00:54:34.660 –> 00:54:45.570
Luis Nava: in my opinion, as a provider, and I what I am one very all member of the team of the Possibility Library. So for the last 10 years, probably even
374
00:54:46.160 –> 00:54:49.840
Luis Nava: at the beginning, with the voa directly before they were
375
00:54:50.100 –> 00:55:09.200
Luis Nava: community-based organization delivering the workshop. And the results from my point of view, are even higher than expected. Numbers cannot show all the resources of this statistic that no Elisa shows us which was great, but they do not
376
00:55:09.200 –> 00:55:11.670
Luis Nava: answer all the questions. There are some
377
00:55:11.740 –> 00:55:17.680
Luis Nava: qualitatively qualitative questions that we should have time to talk about. For example.
378
00:55:18.240 –> 00:55:30.470
Luis Nava: I see especially one of the question about why people come and take the workshop more than one time, or the role that the alumni plays into the workshop. Well, number one.
379
00:55:30.770 –> 00:55:32.480
Luis Nava: for
380
00:55:32.520 –> 00:55:48.670
Luis Nava: especially during the pandemic time, Covid time the workshop was a kind of shelter, emotional shelter for many people suffering from isolation, and when we move from the personal sessions to the
381
00:55:48.940 –> 00:56:01.400
Luis Nava: soon sessions, the audience increased a lot, because was a little window for people to be connected to each other. The other fact is why people repeat the workshop is because
382
00:56:02.460 –> 00:56:08.650
Luis Nava: number one people have. Each one of us has a different process, learning or learning process.
383
00:56:08.710 –> 00:56:24.350
Luis Nava: and some people need to reinforce the information they got when they attended for the first time, and number 2 is once again, it’s because of the social group that you create attending the workshop.
384
00:56:24.390 –> 00:56:30.080
Luis Nava: I mean. I have many, many other examples that I would like to have time. Actually, i’m trying to
385
00:56:30.170 –> 00:56:45.700
Luis Nava: a stay in this meeting and try to reschedule the other one that I have. But really I think we need to have time for this, and it’s sadly surprising for me that, for example, the family center is not running the workshop anymore.
386
00:56:45.940 –> 00:56:55.250
Luis Nava: Deposit the like workshop. Because I need. We need to increase the capacity and the scope of the 4 shop instead of reducing the workshop.
387
00:56:55.290 –> 00:56:56.390
Luis Nava: Honestly.
388
00:56:57.200 –> 00:57:12.890
Luis Nava: just. I don’t have information prepared. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of questions, but if you want really have a deep conversation about this, I can demonstrate, and I think other providers as well can demonstrate the benefits of the workshop.
389
00:57:13.720 –> 00:57:22.540
melanie she/her: Yeah, Lewis, I I think that we are. I. We we love data, but we do even more love hearing from
390
00:57:22.540 –> 00:57:44.890
melanie she/her: the about the experiences and the testimony of folks who have been through these programs. And I, I don’t think there’s a is there? I don’t know if there’s anyone who’s unsure that this program has a a huge positive impact, and if you are unsure, while Lewis is on the line. Maybe you have a question for him before we go to Ashley, and then Kobe to talk about the fact sheet. But, Ty.
391
00:57:44.890 –> 00:57:53.050
melanie she/her: are there any. Are there any questions about the value of the program before I ask Ty to explain why
392
00:57:53.390 –> 00:58:06.840
melanie she/her: this contract is running out, even though it nothing’s been Rebid i’m very confused about. I thought like part of this timing was to ensure that these contracts could continue so if you and Graham could help
393
00:58:06.890 –> 00:58:10.370
Tyeirra Seabrook: the committee under the family center their contract specifically.
394
00:58:10.640 –> 00:58:15.270
melanie she/her: Yeah, just like, why is their contract different on a different timeline
395
00:58:15.430 –> 00:58:21.280
Tyeirra Seabrook: there isn’t on a different timeline? It’s a it’s a different conversation. Is. It? Was
396
00:58:21.560 –> 00:58:41.020
melanie she/her: a decision from the family center themselves. Okay, thank you. So that helps because it it that provides a lot of clarity because i’m, I’m sure there are folks on the call like wondering why we would end this valuable program. So we’re gonna go to Ashley. I saw someone else have their hand up. But we’re going to go to Kobe after that. And
397
00:58:41.020 –> 00:58:51.270
melanie she/her: please, if you’re having trouble like holding on to feel free to put your questions in the chat. So Co. So Ashley, and then Kobe and Kobe is going to share his screen, share their screen.
398
00:58:52.180 –> 00:58:53.990
Ashley Johnson: Yes.
399
00:58:54.110 –> 00:58:56.800
Ashley Johnson: just like Lewis.
400
00:58:56.940 –> 00:58:59.410
Ashley Johnson: I’ve been part of the contract. This is the beginning.
401
00:58:59.590 –> 00:59:10.510
Ashley Johnson: The questioning Why? Repeaters cause that will come back is the same isolation, especially during Covid. They really needed support.
402
00:59:10.510 –> 00:59:22.550
Ashley Johnson: Your support was huge, so huge. I had alumni every week during Covid, so they have that comfort of that sense of community, because it was that important to them
403
00:59:22.710 –> 00:59:25.800
Ashley Johnson: to hide that for themselves.
404
00:59:26.280 –> 00:59:50.670
Ashley Johnson: And also when I at our agency, a lot of our graduates, they see our peer educators. They they hear our story in their story, and they want to do the same work. They we do, and they want to do pure work. They end up in upshot training. They end up going back to work. So that has a statistic that is not being documented that a lot of our graduates see the work that we do, and you want to
405
00:59:50.670 –> 00:59:58.910
Ashley Johnson: going on footsteps. That’s something that isn’t that you know as well they see what we do, and you want to go back to work and you’re doing it.
406
00:59:58.930 –> 01:00:04.940
Ashley Johnson: A lot of peers who graduated from us. They end up being computer educators and movements at numbers
407
01:00:04.980 –> 01:00:10.600
Ashley Johnson: after doing the workshop. So that’s something that that should be documented
408
01:00:12.080 –> 01:00:15.550
Ashley Johnson: just planning out there, and I could answer. When we get to the
409
01:00:15.780 –> 01:00:20.790
Ashley Johnson: the panel I can answer a lot of those other questions, but I just want to put that out there
410
01:00:20.860 –> 01:00:23.650
Ashley Johnson: that we don’t mention.
411
01:00:23.780 –> 01:00:40.090
melanie she/her: I appreciate that Ashley, so what i’m going to do is have Kobe run us quickly through a couple of more statistics. And then, Matthew, you’re going to be first after that, and we’re going to just launch into a conversation. There was a lot of concern that we weren’t, giving enough time to talk to the providers, and I think what.
412
01:00:40.490 –> 01:00:51.760
melanie she/her: unless there are any objections. I’m just gonna not adhere to the agenda and allow us to have this conversation, because I don’t.
413
01:00:52.010 –> 01:00:58.030
melanie she/her: I don’t see in the another place or space for it, and it’s incredibly valuable. And so.
414
01:00:58.320 –> 01:01:00.480
Kobe, are you ready to share your screen?
415
01:01:01.500 –> 01:01:05.870
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Yes, i’m ready. Sorry. One moment i’m gonna turn off my room, but just a second.
416
01:01:05.960 –> 01:01:09.930
melanie she/her: Okay. So
417
01:01:10.080 –> 01:01:15.530
melanie she/her: so. So maybe while Kobe’s doing that, Matthew, do you have a question or a comment?
418
01:01:15.950 –> 01:01:23.320
Matthew C. Marrero: I I just had a comment based off what Ashley, said I, my My whole story is that I was
419
01:01:23.380 –> 01:01:37.120
Matthew C. Marrero: an addict. I was newly diagnosed. I started Tpl. And was homeless, and all that stuff. and because of Julia and 2 of the mentors that were doing Tplw, my life changed
420
01:01:37.140 –> 01:01:44.210
Matthew C. Marrero: drastically, drastically to the point now, where now, even though sadly, it’s ending here at the family center.
421
01:01:44.230 –> 01:01:52.940
Matthew C. Marrero: I was became a facilitator myself, and it was. It had a very powerful impact, and it’s just very sad that you know the way things are
422
01:01:53.080 –> 01:02:00.440
Matthew C. Marrero: are going over here that we’re not going to be able to continue. But I just wanted to say that it was. It has a tremendous impact.
423
01:02:01.340 –> 01:02:02.470
melanie she/her: Yeah, I’m.
424
01:02:02.690 –> 01:02:14.100
melanie she/her: I think for me the question that i’m wondering about is like, how do we leverage the the mechanisms that work in this program and embed them into other parts of the portfolio.
425
01:02:14.100 –> 01:02:36.760
melanie she/her: because it is clear that the for us bias theme the forest bias like way of approach. Way of being is completely at work here, and it is totally working. So I just want to applaud you all. And now, finally, Kobe, the fact sheet, and then we’ll come back to the the larger conversation. We’ll come back to the panel Conversation.
426
01:02:37.090 –> 01:02:38.160
melanie she/her: Thanks, Kobe.
427
01:02:38.900 –> 01:02:46.530
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Hi! Everybody. My name is Kobe, and I will be presenting the he our fact she some people call it he Orr.
428
01:02:46.600 –> 01:02:59.560
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: as you all know, it stands for health, education, and risk reduction. I think No, Lisa explained. A lot about he. R. So i’ll just go over an abridged version of this presentation.
429
01:03:01.410 –> 01:03:04.280
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: So to the top left is the goals.
430
01:03:05.810 –> 01:03:10.830
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: The most important one is to provide workshops in English and Spanish to people.
431
01:03:11.080 –> 01:03:30.310
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Oh, with HIV about how to manage living with HIV, and how to reduce the risk of transmission. No, Lisa kind of talked about the topics, so i’ll skip a lot of these bullets and go to the last one that says, emphasize the patient’s central role in managing their own health, and, like no Lisa mentioned.
432
01:03:30.350 –> 01:03:37.040
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: the goal is to get the participants to be more active, more proactive in managing their own health.
433
01:03:37.160 –> 01:03:53.560
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: The eligibility criteria, which is the chunk of text underneath, that a lot of people have already mentioned that anybody is eligible for Hr. Over the age of 18, and also regardless of income. So that’s one thing different about
434
01:03:53.660 –> 01:03:59.380
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Hr. Compared to other programs, anyone is eligible, regardless of income.
435
01:03:59.690 –> 01:04:03.560
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: The priority population chart right underneath. It
436
01:04:04.010 –> 01:04:23.300
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: is based on Federal priority populations, not the ones that know Lisa talked about. But 2 important things here are that most of the people, 56% are people aging with the HIV 50 years or or older, and 47% are black for latino cisgender.
437
01:04:23.360 –> 01:04:37.590
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Mso. So i’ll skip most of this page because it talks more in depth about demographics, and I don’t want to go too much into that. So on to the next page. There are services listed here.
438
01:04:37.620 –> 01:04:45.510
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: and the basic flow of Hr, as most of you know, is, you take an intake assessment, and then you do a pre-test.
439
01:04:45.550 –> 01:05:04.100
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: Once you do that, you can participate in the workshop, and then you perform a post test and then a 90 day evaluation. And there are also alumni series workshops, as well as supplementary client assistances, such as referrals and information about other programs.
440
01:05:04.280 –> 01:05:07.450
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: So the table to the
441
01:05:07.540 –> 01:05:15.930
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: top left of this page talks about how many people have received services from the Grant year, 2,019 to 2,021
442
01:05:16.260 –> 01:05:23.830
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: and it’s kind of complicated. But the clients section talks about how many unique clients there are.
443
01:05:24.160 –> 01:05:37.200
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: But the units talks about how many services there have that have been delivered. So, as some people mentioned. Some clients receive more than one service. Some clients have been to more than one workshop because of how
444
01:05:37.400 –> 01:05:49.950
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: powerful and influential it has been on their lives. The top right of this page talks about systems, level considerations and pairs of last resort.
445
01:05:50.010 –> 01:05:56.170
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: One important thing to mention is that the only funder for this program is Ryan White Park, a.
446
01:05:56.690 –> 01:05:58.860
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: It is not funded by Medicaid
447
01:05:58.870 –> 01:06:12.480
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: or Medicare, and it is not funded by Ryan White Park. B. One systems level consideration that continues to be a hindrance is the recruitment and retention of program staff.
448
01:06:14.110 –> 01:06:25.820
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: So staff, terminal turnover is somewhat of an issue. So staff time and effort, equity and pay and resource. Allocation should be considered moving forward
449
01:06:26.160 –> 01:06:33.100
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: the table right underneath it, which talks about the number of active clients focuses on
450
01:06:34.260 –> 01:06:44.170
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: how many people were there from 2019 to 2021, and, as you could see, it has decreased in the recent years. But we believe that has been due to Covid.
451
01:06:44.330 –> 01:06:48.040
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: and lastly. the chart underneath it
452
01:06:48.060 –> 01:07:00.610
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: which talks about the modified spending plan and actual expenditures for Grant year shows that the spending of the program has been consistent from 2019 to 2021.
453
01:07:00.820 –> 01:07:04.380
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: And with that I would like to end this presentation
454
01:07:04.550 –> 01:07:08.660
Kobe (he/him)- DOHMH: and hand it off to further conversations. Thank you.
455
01:07:11.070 –> 01:07:18.970
melanie she/her: Thank you so much, Kobe. I do have a couple of questions, and i’m betting folks are going to have some questions. So before you put down the fact sheet.
456
01:07:19.090 –> 01:07:31.640
melanie she/her: I was wondering why there is such a big difference between the number of clients for each year, and then the number who actually took the pre test. If you look at this, you’ll see
457
01:07:31.830 –> 01:07:37.360
melanie she/her: a significant, not a substantial drop off in clients
458
01:07:37.740 –> 01:07:43.390
melanie she/her: taking the pre-test like what happens to the do they not take any? Not like? Where do they go.
459
01:07:44.130 –> 01:07:48.460
melanie she/her: and even fewer than sometimes, than are taking the
460
01:07:49.270 –> 01:07:50.950
melanie she/her: like in 2,019?
461
01:07:51.370 –> 01:07:54.650
melanie she/her: What’s the difference between the 2 programs presented today?
462
01:07:55.280 –> 01:07:59.220
melanie she/her: Rafi is asking roughly, what are the 2 programs you’re talking about?
463
01:08:00.750 –> 01:08:06.200
Raffi Babakhanian: I mean the the one that was the the one that was presented earlier that they seem like identical. Almost.
464
01:08:06.630 –> 01:08:08.570
Graham Harriman: They are the they are the same.
465
01:08:08.760 –> 01:08:11.240
Raffi Babakhanian: It’s just one program.
466
01:08:12.680 –> 01:08:14.120
Raffi Babakhanian: I’m a bit confused.
467
01:08:14.180 –> 01:08:20.899
melanie she/her: Okay, hold my other question before I explain what’s happening.
468
01:08:21.810 –> 01:08:28.220
melanie she/her: The spending doesn’t shrink, even though the number of clients drops precipitously
469
01:08:28.700 –> 01:08:30.800
melanie she/her: like you’re looking at
470
01:08:31.080 –> 01:08:41.270
melanie she/her: 620 clients in 2,019 and 325, and 2,021, and the spending is $20,000 difference.
471
01:08:41.700 –> 01:08:51.859
melanie she/her: Is there someone who can explain that. And while you’re figuring out who can answer that question so roughly when you say there are 2 programs, what do you mean?
472
01:08:54.149 –> 01:08:54.990
melanie she/her: Coffee.
473
01:08:55.380 –> 01:09:10.399
melanie she/her: Is this like a further analysis of the same program?
474
01:09:10.399 –> 01:09:26.899
melanie she/her: No. Elisa’s slides doing the data analysis, and this one it’s considered like a one pager fact sheet that they develop for every service category in the in the portfolio. They’re all about health education, risk reduction. Is that okay?
475
01:09:26.899 –> 01:09:34.670
Graham Harriman: I can answer the spending issue. If If other folks aren’t ready to during Covid all the programs where is
476
01:09:34.689 –> 01:09:44.819
Graham Harriman: paid, based on a cost basis and not a fee for service basis, so, because the that’s why the spending is pretty much equal across those years. So.
477
01:09:44.819 –> 01:09:55.120
Graham Harriman: because it was such a difficult time, we wanted to be sure to preserve the infrastructure. And so that’s what the recipient did during that period of time. So that’s why it’s consistent.
478
01:09:55.200 –> 01:09:57.710
Johanna Acosta (she/her): Yes, thank you, Brian. I was gonna
479
01:09:58.010 –> 01:10:00.060
Johanna Acosta (she/her): Shaman. Yes, he’s right.
480
01:10:01.200 –> 01:10:10.260
melanie she/her: Okay. So. And then for the family center, like what were the challenges in them hosting this or running this program.
481
01:10:12.260 –> 01:10:14.590
Tyeirra Seabrook: So in the very beginning
482
01:10:14.760 –> 01:10:31.490
Tyeirra Seabrook: of the pandemic. I worked with the program leads for the positive Life workshop at all 3 programs, so that we could offer these in a virtual setting, and in the mid the fall of 2020 is when they started
483
01:10:31.490 –> 01:10:52.320
Tyeirra Seabrook: offering it virtually, and then, once they felt it was, it was safe. Some programs were doing both virtual and both in person with the family center. They expressed to us that since the pandemic it has just not been feasible. They have not had. It has been a mixture of
484
01:10:52.730 –> 01:11:06.350
Tyeirra Seabrook: staffing and retention, and also just not having the feasibility to carry out the program. And Hr Isn’t the only program that they’ve been having trouble with in the.
485
01:11:06.350 –> 01:11:16.360
Tyeirra Seabrook: So that is a little bit of background about what’s been going on with the Family Center Leadership felt like it was not feasible for them to carry out the program for the last 2 years.
486
01:11:17.330 –> 01:11:26.720
melanie she/her: Okay, so so a lot of the challenges like arose during Covid, and just continue to be challenges.
487
01:11:26.770 –> 01:11:34.130
melanie she/her: Does anyone have questions about the fact sheet or for Kobe regarding the fact sheet? Or can we let them take it down.
488
01:11:36.610 –> 01:11:50.200
melanie she/her: All right, Kobe. Thank you so much for walking us through that and helping us understand the nuance of the numbers, and I will repost the questions that we had for providers, and I think
489
01:11:50.360 –> 01:11:52.270
melanie she/her: it is 1110,
490
01:11:52.830 –> 01:11:58.480
melanie she/her: I think, in in order for us to really hear from providers, we we have to have at least a
491
01:11:58.630 –> 01:12:02.270
melanie she/her: 25 to 30 min conversation. But if if we have
492
01:12:02.560 –> 01:12:17.370
melanie she/her: time after talking to the providers we can start editing, we can go back to line editing. If not, I’m gonna go through these draft questions and ask providers to just answer as they resonate.
493
01:12:19.280 –> 01:12:28.930
melanie she/her: Does that sound good for everyone. Or are there specific questions that folks have that they want to raise before I go to the questions from the agenda. It looks like someone. Okay?
494
01:12:29.020 –> 01:12:42.080
melanie she/her: Okay. So so our first question is like, if do you believe that the location of the service, for instance, inside the 8 Service Organization or in the hospital or standalone. Do you think that has an impact on client
495
01:12:42.180 –> 01:13:00.470
melanie she/her: participation? And so maybe we could get someone from each of the I will. I’m: I’m just gonna ask these questions and let you guys all the providers talk. You do not have to raise your hands if you’re a her provider. I do ask that committee members and staff raise their hands if they’d like to, if they’d like to ask questions. So
496
01:13:00.470 –> 01:13:06.850
melanie she/her: Ashley and Matthew, i’d love to hear from you and you you guys can just chime in when i’m asking these questions, moving forward.
497
01:13:07.880 –> 01:13:09.440
Ashley Johnson: Okay.
498
01:13:09.770 –> 01:13:24.720
Ashley Johnson: And in our experience it impacts greatly on where you do the workshop, and our experience in Sro settings single room. Accuracy settings it doesn’t work because a lot of times
499
01:13:24.800 –> 01:13:30.850
Ashley Johnson: participants don’t wanna share openly around people where they live.
500
01:13:31.340 –> 01:13:49.160
Ashley Johnson: Is it this school, even though they all have HIV inside? There’s some personal things going on, and they don’t want to openly share? So there there is there to doing the workshop where people live. In our experience we have some success in hospital settings. We have
501
01:13:49.160 –> 01:13:56.360
Ashley Johnson: done because of workshop and weekend hospital a few times, and it’s been successful.
502
01:13:56.520 –> 01:14:04.380
Ashley Johnson: But oftentimes at our home agency we do really good zoom. During the pandemic we was doing really good.
503
01:14:04.510 –> 01:14:05.950
Ashley Johnson: but
504
01:14:06.010 –> 01:14:17.780
Ashley Johnson: often in Sro settings. It’s good for recruiting and outreaching, but to do it at the facility it’s been barriers to to them, not being comfortably sharing around their peers.
505
01:14:18.140 –> 01:14:20.560
melanie she/her: Thank you. So, Matthew. And then we
506
01:14:21.850 –> 01:14:30.530
Matthew C. Marrero: I I feel like the program needs to have some kind of consistency, I think, having a place in which
507
01:14:30.810 –> 01:14:45.510
Matthew C. Marrero: clients are coming in on a consistent basis where they might not be coming in to actually talk about something. But they’re building. That trust foundation is something that helps lead to having a program like this be something that they want to participate in.
508
01:14:45.510 –> 01:15:01.040
Matthew C. Marrero: I know, at the family center we don’t have like an open door policy, especially since the pandemic. It’s very. It’s been very restrictive, but people are starting to want to meet places. We don’t have the place to do it here. We’ve done really well. We went to boom health in the Bronx.
509
01:15:01.040 –> 01:15:09.790
you know. So there it’s like a community center where people are coming in, and now it’s easier to do outreach there. But we can’t do outreach on the street, because disclosure.
510
01:15:09.830 –> 01:15:15.620
Matthew C. Marrero: you know you can’t go, hey? Do you have HIV, you know, type of thing. So we we were struggling with
511
01:15:15.720 –> 01:15:22.490
Matthew C. Marrero: how to get more participants without making them feel like they needed to disclose or feel uncomfortable.
512
01:15:23.330 –> 01:15:28.900
melanie she/her: So that’s very real, like. So it’s not always the so sometimes. The
513
01:15:28.960 –> 01:15:39.480
melanie she/her: where the program is located is problematic. but it also having the right infrastructure to to deliver. The program is really important. We met
514
01:15:41.300 –> 01:15:53.150
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: Yes, hi, everyone and my name. We were there, and i’m working. I have been working the possibility for for for 5 years, and all experiencing.
515
01:15:53.290 –> 01:16:12.520
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: I offer the but we offer the but we offer the opportunity. I work in hospitals and community health centers and shelter in different place in different place. And for us that working because you know our community
516
01:16:12.740 –> 01:16:19.190
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: some time the community can come to the okay because you sometimes you don’t have money
517
01:16:19.430 –> 01:16:37.080
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: for the train. I know we offer the the the, the the Metro car, bo. Some time. People don’t have enough money for that. That’s the reason we we go for different place. We don’t offer this for sure. Only in Lakoa we offer in the brands in Brooklyn, in Manhattan and Queens in all communities
518
01:16:37.260 –> 01:16:38.260
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: when
519
01:16:38.330 –> 01:16:53.850
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: what’s the COVID-19, my supervisor told. Okay, Go on. Take care. They say, okay, I want to. I want to go home. I want to take care about my community. Meet us, and we want to ruin it. The possibility we will choke where to?
520
01:16:54.420 –> 01:17:00.560
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: Well, under the pandemic. We’re running this this because an HIV person.
521
01:17:00.610 –> 01:17:04.990
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: I leave it with the stigma in my hands. I know all
522
01:17:05.290 –> 01:17:13.870
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: they they the stronger for people living with HIV, and the possibility of it is a say, it’s space for people living with HIV
523
01:17:14.080 –> 01:17:24.390
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: of the benefits, because we create a network for people, even in we, because, you know, sometime we don’t have a. You are a homeless. You need a place
524
01:17:24.590 –> 01:17:40.940
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: you can connect with your network network for people leaving which I be for the alumi. It’s on. Person can say you okay, and that play you can get shelter, and that play. You can get that because I know we need numbers, but we are humans, too.
525
01:17:41.130 –> 01:18:03.770
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: You understand me. What? Where is the me for that? I know I have our passion for for this workshop, because when I was young enough to we shib some one teach me about HIV about 3 months. I will doctor about all these things, and that change my life. And when you in in this virtual we change the life for people living which I be in New York City.
526
01:18:03.930 –> 01:18:20.180
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: we are focused, especially in a Spanish population, because okay, in in it’s focused more in in Latino. But some time we offer this workshop in an English to in, and that is my experience in this is workshop, and
527
01:18:20.350 –> 01:18:39.820
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: who can improve sometime? We don’t have enough money for the alumi because a lot of people can come for the alumi, but I don’t have enough money for food. I don’t have enough money for a metro card, because we have a I. It’s the budget sometime we offer the because if if if
528
01:18:39.820 –> 01:18:47.900
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: 50 person or 75 person can come for the alumi, I don’t have any money for food or for give card for all this person
529
01:18:48.030 –> 01:19:04.320
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: sometime. Okay worth me for that the policy level should improve the life for people leaving which I be in New York city. In these. In this presentation we talk about bio separation, but the reality is what? Why, you know, we we not talk about on the Tedt.
530
01:19:04.510 –> 01:19:11.170
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: The virtual can people be on the tech table when people can be on the tech table? Their life shares?
531
01:19:11.660 –> 01:19:19.250
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: We can like. We can leave a long line with more healthy, because that that is.
532
01:19:19.280 –> 01:19:27.530
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: I approve of this of the virtual. It is the science improve for people living with HIV, and that is my comment.
533
01:19:27.710 –> 01:19:37.470
melanie she/her: Thank you. And there I appreciate how passionate you feel about the program. Rossi has a question, and then we’ll. If there are no other questions from the committee. We’ll go to question Number 2 Rafi.
534
01:19:37.600 –> 01:19:41.550
Raffi Babakhanian: Actually, I wanted to. As we zoom, there is always it.
535
01:19:42.680 –> 01:19:46.160
Raffi Babakhanian: So let me ask you a question based on what you just said.
536
01:19:46.240 –> 01:19:57.360
Raffi Babakhanian: If you were to make recommendations of how the program could change to to even more improve the networking, even more improved that kind of
537
01:19:57.440 –> 01:20:14.450
Raffi Babakhanian: creating the networks and and and everything. You just said that the benefits of that that we can’t see in the numbers what what suggestions would you make to the program to improve it. You know just anything you can think of obviously more funding to be able to have them
538
01:20:14.450 –> 01:20:32.730
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: in person, for everybody who wants it. I would soon, because that’s what you just said. What else? Okay, for this program we could do refers right, but in time we Don’t have enough resource for this Referral, for example, is a one comment and say, oh, I want to be part of workshop, but I don’t have home.
539
01:20:33.180 –> 01:20:41.630
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: I don’t have reserve for housing some type. People. Can I still sell it before they borderline and do they work out and say, oh, I need
540
01:20:41.650 –> 01:20:50.910
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: the legal service we don’t have like a service for that where some people need it, we should be some type of people coming and say, oh, I have province. I was just an abuse.
541
01:20:50.910 –> 01:21:07.920
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: Okay, I can connect with other organization, but some that I think we need. We need more resource for other problems. Okay, because people come in for the process. They work job because they for the network. By some time we need more results because this is a integral.
542
01:21:07.970 –> 01:21:15.820
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: We are human. We have a integral in that. It’s needed some time. I I I don’t know if I can explain.
543
01:21:16.000 –> 01:21:17.710
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: Good, my me.
544
01:21:17.920 –> 01:21:31.230
Raffi Babakhanian: I think you. I think you are clear. You would like the ability to be able to provide or refer to those services in real time as people need them. In addition, as part of as part of the process. Getting people involved in the, in, the.
545
01:21:31.380 –> 01:21:32.770
Raffi Babakhanian: in the workshop
546
01:21:33.810 –> 01:21:34.950
Raffi Babakhanian: to meet their needs.
547
01:21:37.270 –> 01:21:38.310
melanie she/her: Is that what you mean?
548
01:21:39.320 –> 01:21:40.150
Wuilmer Diaz He/him/his: Yes.
549
01:21:42.160 –> 01:21:49.070
melanie she/her: Okay. So, Matt, you have your hand, Matthew. You have your hand up, and then we’ll come back to these questions. So i’d love to hear from you.
550
01:21:49.220 –> 01:21:55.410
Matthew C. Marrero: I was actually gonna kind of tag into what Rafi was saying. But kind of go into what your second question is.
551
01:21:56.640 –> 01:22:10.260
Matthew C. Marrero: The wins for the program, I think are are by far just the the growth that it gives. People especially. I know Julia and I in our facilitating. We’ve seen people we’ve gotten people who are not taking their medication
552
01:22:10.260 –> 01:22:28.890
Matthew C. Marrero: to start taking their medication. You know they don’t realize that the importance of taking their daily meds and all that kind of stuff that that’s a win for me to see that you know what you can get healthier. You can get yourself into a place where you can live healthy. That’s a win for me, as far as improvements are concerned, there’s a 1 million.
553
01:22:28.890 –> 01:22:45.520
Matthew C. Marrero: There was 1 point where we were offering really great incentives to to clients to participate in the thing. Obviously, funding is different. So we don’t have the money to do that, but we also were having some kind of incentive where
554
01:22:45.650 –> 01:22:53.160
Matthew C. Marrero: the the community speaks right. So if you are taking this workshop and you feel this really helped me.
555
01:22:53.170 –> 01:22:56.640
Matthew C. Marrero: You go, and you tell your 5 friends that you know
556
01:22:56.640 –> 01:23:15.170
Matthew C. Marrero: to come. Take this workshop, and we’ll give you an incentive for that. That was hugely successful for us when all that started to get taken away because it’s like that’s supposed to be our job. We understand that’s part of our job to do outreach and whatnot, but nothing is stronger than the the conversations being held between
557
01:23:15.170 –> 01:23:25.130
Matthew C. Marrero: the the actual community members themselves. So the whole networking thing is is something that needs to take place, and I think. I also think Tplw needs to be
558
01:23:25.200 –> 01:23:35.440
Matthew C. Marrero: beyond something beyond the 7 modules. The 7 modules is great, but, like everybody said, there’s there’s this. There’s this community element where people are coming in
559
01:23:35.730 –> 01:23:46.350
Matthew C. Marrero: for the emotional support, the conversations of not feeling alone and and feeling. Because when you get diagnosed with HIV you feel like you are the only person in the world, even though there’s millions of us
560
01:23:46.590 –> 01:23:53.710
Matthew C. Marrero: there’s still that element of like. I don’t know how to process this, and sitting and talking with your peers is huge.
561
01:23:53.790 –> 01:24:08.280
Matthew C. Marrero: but it needs to go beyond just the okay. Well, ABC. 1 2 3. These are. This is all the information. Now we want to have, like some kind of consistent come together, let’s talk. What’s new? Are you still taking your meds? How are you feeling. What are you doing to? You know all that kind of stuff?
562
01:24:09.490 –> 01:24:28.860
Matthew C. Marrero: Another thing is social media. We all know that social media is the biggest thing. I think if you’ve seen the latest cover of pause magazine advocacy via social media, you know not. Everybody wants to come and sit in a room all the time, and and you know, like they’re going to school. So is there a way to track
563
01:24:28.870 –> 01:24:43.940
Matthew C. Marrero: content versus numbers, you know. Right now this contract seems to be. Really, it’s performance base, and we’re struggling where people could just go on their phone. Go on, Youtube, go on, tik tok whatever whatever, and and read all about HIV. They don’t need us.
564
01:24:44.060 –> 01:24:56.050
Matthew C. Marrero: but the the emotional element is there. So what if there was some way to to measure? You know an agency, providing content and getting content out there, teaching people that way, too.
565
01:24:56.090 –> 01:25:07.650
Matthew C. Marrero: And then, again, just the last thing I i’ll say is just consistency, a community consistency, having people be able to come in and out and talk and meet them where they are
566
01:25:07.760 –> 01:25:13.520
Matthew C. Marrero: not. Try to force them to say, You know you need to come and sit here, you know, in order to.
567
01:25:14.340 –> 01:25:21.940
Matthew C. Marrero: you know, be counted. you know, and it’s it. Unfortunately. Part of my language. It sucks that you know we’re losing this contract.
568
01:25:21.980 –> 01:25:36.380
Matthew C. Marrero: you know. Obviously, now we know the family center made the choice, but it’s the the the the connection that we have that when we do make the connection it’s very, very, very, very powerful, but having something consistent, is very important to in order to continue that work.
569
01:25:36.640 –> 01:25:53.040
melanie she/her: I love it. Ashley and I put in the chat that there that the alumni portion of this program really comes out of the huge demand for folks to continue to engage with it. And so we know that on the ground people with HIV, who have been through the program actually love it enough
570
01:25:53.040 –> 01:26:22.940
melanie she/her: and love it so much that they want to reconnect with it. And and you ha! And I really appreciate you highlighting, Matthew, that it’s not just the content, because you can get that content in so many other places. It’s the sense of community. It’s the accountability it’s the feeling of connectedness, and that’s not something we can get by going to hiv.org, or looking at a public health. Tiktok. It’s something that comes from conversation, shared experiences and feeling the presence of other people, even if it’s
571
01:26:22.940 –> 01:26:39.950
melanie she/her: through a screen, but that they’re with you. So, Ashley, and then I want to thank you, Rafi, because that was actually my next question. So, Ashley, you’re going to answer this question, and then, if anyone else has anything about what you know, what works for the program and what needs improvement. We’d love to hear it. So go ahead, Ashley.
572
01:26:40.210 –> 01:26:50.640
Ashley Johnson: So what’s working? It is. Our peers are working right. The contact is working, but it is how you facilitate it right. You make sure that
573
01:26:51.040 –> 01:26:55.370
Ashley Johnson: you know we make the the contact fun. You know how we present
574
01:26:56.130 –> 01:27:12.340
Ashley Johnson: so facilitation skills. You know it matters. You know how you present the contact is, how the participant receives it, so that matters when I feel like it’s not working is that some of our material we need to be. We need to do it again. We need to update our material again.
575
01:27:12.360 –> 01:27:29.220
Ashley Johnson: Some things are a little bit more breathy than it should be. A lot of people are more fast paced now. They want to get to the point. There’s so much new things that out there like we added COVID-19, you know, in our contact now, you know. But there’s other things. I think that
576
01:27:29.400 –> 01:27:32.680
Ashley Johnson: it should matter. We’re getting a lot of prenatals
577
01:27:33.230 –> 01:27:50.680
Ashley Johnson: in our workshop now, so I think we need more information about people who are primarily infected. We we getting a lot of people who have negative partners. Me more information on what it means to have vaginal birth being
578
01:27:50.680 –> 01:27:58.250
Ashley Johnson: I, HIV. Mom, You know this is so much another more information that we need to present. That means improvement.
579
01:27:58.290 –> 01:27:59.930
Ashley Johnson: But what’s money?
580
01:28:00.490 –> 01:28:16.990
Ashley Johnson: Our workshop is mine as far as like what Matthew said, Our social network is winning. People love coming to workshop to be with others, to feel accepted, to feel like all part of a community. That is what’s running the most. Another thing is is
581
01:28:17.440 –> 01:28:36.430
Ashley Johnson: other community organizations. I find that since the pandemic is hard, it’s getting a little harder to make networks for other organizations as far as recruitment, because these are my clients, and I don’t want you to steal my clients, you know, and that’s still in your clients. We’re providing information.
582
01:28:36.430 –> 01:28:42.170
Ashley Johnson: But there is a disconnect with other community organizations as far as like letting us
583
01:28:42.310 –> 01:28:49.770
Ashley Johnson: teacher clients, let us educate them. Let us, you know, grow so there is a disconnect that we need support on
584
01:28:49.980 –> 01:29:01.700
Ashley Johnson: as far as other communities to let us in. That is where we need improvement on. I I feel, and I can answer a number 3 for moving on towards that, or if anyone else has anything to that
585
01:29:01.790 –> 01:29:16.630
melanie she/her: sure move us forward. I just. I just want to say, I think that’s a great point, and it’s something that we don’t talk about enough, which is the competition between different programs throughout the portfolio for clients, and like what kind? What that fosters in terms of
586
01:29:17.160 –> 01:29:33.490
melanie she/her: continuity and care. We know that competition is great because it gives you choices, but it can also mean that folks are not collaborating in order to best support a client, and like figuring out, how do we? How do we provide the structural support
587
01:29:33.490 –> 01:29:45.730
melanie she/her: for those kinds of relationships where agencies work together, you know. And is that about payment, or is it about something else? So Ashley wanted to get to Number 3, and then we’re gonna come over to you, Matthew.
588
01:29:47.050 –> 01:30:01.350
melanie she/her: have you seen? And so number 3 for folks who are are not looking at the chat? Have you seen this program impact? Lives impact people’s lives. How and can you describe how the alumni portion of the program was developed? How could it evolve?
589
01:30:01.350 –> 01:30:10.420
Ashley Johnson: And what would you add or take away to make the program more powerful. So go ahead, Ashley, and then we’ll hear from Matthew and anyone else who’d like to contribute. So I
590
01:30:10.750 –> 01:30:12.290
Ashley Johnson: definitely have seen
591
01:30:12.290 –> 01:30:34.440
Ashley Johnson: impact people’s eyes like, I said, our agency. We have a a pure, fundamental training program. So a lot of our graduates. They want to do that. They want to come to your educators. They want to do the work that we do. So they do that they become peers, they not just, but other agencies. They become full time staff. So we’ve seen in that, as I’ve seen people who
592
01:30:34.440 –> 01:30:45.900
Ashley Johnson: this is first time that they’ve been a group setting in years in isolated, and now they’re doing groups. Not even after they graduated from that. They’re more social. So I’ve seen it and not
593
01:30:45.910 –> 01:30:58.200
Ashley Johnson: we’ve to have done a workshop at a hospital I saw a potential individual. Now he’s up here with us right because he wanted to work. He found excitement. So I’ve seen it
594
01:30:58.290 –> 01:31:03.250
Ashley Johnson: throughout my 9 years of working with classified workshop. I’ve seen it
595
01:31:04.890 –> 01:31:24.420
Ashley Johnson: the alumni. I remember when it first started a couple of years ago, when we was advocating during our providing that we need they need something else during the 3 month follow up time. So the moment of graduation to the moment that they need something to do, and that’s how we created with the alumni process.
596
01:31:24.670 –> 01:31:27.360
Ashley Johnson: and like we do it every week
597
01:31:27.760 –> 01:31:35.730
Ashley Johnson: because people like it, and you know we play games. As far as reference to the workshop, You know, I make educational teams, and we get fun.
598
01:31:37.490 –> 01:31:48.030
Ashley Johnson: I think we should make it more like we all should come together. Makoa always have a big number of nights, you know we should. It should be a party for them should be a celebration for that.
599
01:31:48.040 –> 01:31:50.230
Ashley Johnson: you know. I think that’s how something that
600
01:31:50.600 –> 01:32:02.480
Ashley Johnson: it could be, You know people like the so special, and we, if we continue to make them feel special. like, Matthew said. People talk a community talks about. Oh, you go to positive workshop.
601
01:32:02.860 –> 01:32:15.040
Ashley Johnson: They make you feel special. You know they have parties they have get together. If we can make them feel that way. Our workshop could be like above and beyond what it is right now.
602
01:32:16.560 –> 01:32:27.150
Ashley Johnson: How can involved? I think we should involved, because the information has evolved. People has evolved since Covid. There’s a demand, you know. People want to work.
603
01:32:27.230 –> 01:32:38.950
Ashley Johnson: People need housing your priorities that I don’t have time to sit in the workshop. I need a job. I don’t have time to sit in workshop. I need this so if we could help them create those
604
01:32:39.140 –> 01:32:43.630
Ashley Johnson: defeat those barriers, or give them support in that and that
605
01:32:43.790 –> 01:32:50.000
Ashley Johnson: included in the workshop, and they will want to sit and talk with us. I think that’s how we can involved.
606
01:32:51.940 –> 01:32:53.550
Ashley Johnson: I think, I answered. All of them.
607
01:32:53.580 –> 01:33:08.740
melanie she/her: I think that’s fantastic, and I really I really appreciate what you’re saying. And so I want to go to Matthew because I I know he had something to contribute. But I I really do want to emphasize that we want to hear from everyone, and if folks have questions
608
01:33:08.780 –> 01:33:20.900
melanie she/her: that are not part of the draft quest, the you know the conversation, the panel questions in the chat which I’ve been reposting. Please please raise your hand and ask. So, Matthew, go right ahead.
609
01:33:21.410 –> 01:33:28.090
Matthew C. Marrero: So to to add on to what you mentioned earlier, Melanie, the
610
01:33:28.370 –> 01:33:36.730
Matthew C. Marrero: I’m. Losing my train of thought. So i’m going to skip over to what actually said. I’ll come back to it. But I agree with Ashley. I feel like the competition. Oh, yeah, the competition part.
611
01:33:36.840 –> 01:33:44.650
Matthew C. Marrero: you know the the the word is, we don’t want to poach anybody’s clients right? But we
612
01:33:45.000 –> 01:33:56.990
Matthew C. Marrero: there should. It should almost be that the if the goal is to end the epidemic by 2,030 right, then it shouldn’t be a competition to get clients. We should be coming together, you know, even if we’re separate agencies.
613
01:33:56.990 –> 01:34:24.550
Matthew C. Marrero: But you know I’ve been to a few conferences lately, you know, Melanie, I met you just the the other Week at one of the conferences, where you know various organizations are coming together and presenting together and working together all to achieve the same goal. That would have been a nice way to, you know, if we’re all here in New York City. Well, you hey? We’re here in bedsty, you know. You might be in Manhattan or the Bronx, or whatever we can all come together and unify and really pull together. That would be really cool.
614
01:34:24.550 –> 01:34:37.640
Matthew C. Marrero: Unfortunately, that’s not how money works, though, right? If if the goal is really to help an epidemic by 2,030, then the focus should be on getting the information out there and getting to clients rather than you know
615
01:34:37.650 –> 01:34:39.950
Matthew C. Marrero: how much money are we getting from this contract?
616
01:34:40.110 –> 01:34:42.200
melanie she/her: It’s so true, Julia.
617
01:34:44.080 –> 01:34:56.720
Julia Sanchez she/her: Hi, Thank you. So the my experience facilitating the workshop has been what everyone has mentioned from Walmart to Ashley and Matthew.
618
01:34:56.900 –> 01:35:06.880
Julia Sanchez she/her: People come together for one common ground is to learn, and you know, to to get the information they need to continue to live healthy lives
619
01:35:06.890 –> 01:35:12.540
Julia Sanchez she/her: and to adhere to the medications. Understanding points of it here in their medication.
620
01:35:12.600 –> 01:35:31.070
Julia Sanchez she/her: I’ve learned from some of the participants that they were taking their medication at different times of day, and when they did the workshop they understood the endpoints of taking it as prescribed by their medical providers, you know, coming together and teaching about you, equals you about Prep and PE is so important.
621
01:35:31.070 –> 01:35:34.920
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, to end this pandemic right by 2,030.
622
01:35:35.460 –> 01:35:45.750
Julia Sanchez she/her: So, just giving this information, and having this, having us all come together collectively, and sharing this knowledge with those that need this information.
623
01:35:45.910 –> 01:36:02.310
Julia Sanchez she/her: It’s just so vital and so important as we’ve heard here. And we seen by those graphs, those wonderful graphs and the numbers that we have, and, you know, collaborating with other organizations. When we’ve gone out the family center, we’ve gone out to other organizations
624
01:36:02.310 –> 01:36:19.390
Julia Sanchez she/her: to present the the positive like workshop, we make sure to let them know. You have a lot of services that mirror our services. So our purpose to for us. Being here today is for the positive life workshop just to introduce that to your clients. And
625
01:36:19.390 –> 01:36:33.320
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know we’re not here to poach anyone. When I here to take anyone from you, because you know. this pandemic had devastated so many organizations, so many lives, and we are not where we were. You know, a post. The pandemic.
626
01:36:33.490 –> 01:36:53.370
Julia Sanchez she/her: in terms of you know the quality of service that we provide to the clients that need it most. So our purpose is just to serve the clients, especially those that are only diagnosed to give them this information, because it’s so important, and and in terms of the alumni events to be able to come together and provide these alumni events
627
01:36:53.500 –> 01:37:09.070
Julia Sanchez she/her: gear to the modules of the workshop. So we at the family center. We’re doing that, you know. We have 7 modules, as you know, and every module had something different, and clients wanted to know more about that. So we, you know, got these alum alumni events.
628
01:37:09.390 –> 01:37:14.510
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, that came out of the workshop to educate them more because this is what the
629
01:37:14.560 –> 01:37:32.480
Julia Sanchez she/her: participants wanted to know more about, so given that you know it was. It was an amazing outcome and a great experience, you know, with this more peer groups where you know, like Ashley mentioned, you know, participants wanted to know more about how they could get into this field.
630
01:37:32.480 –> 01:37:46.590
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, and we would just, you know, guide them in that process. So you know Matthew is as he expressed. You know he’s one of them, and you know there are many more. But this is a wonderful program and important program that we need to continue.
631
01:37:47.040 –> 01:37:51.840
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, sharing and talking about any and evolving with the times.
632
01:37:52.200 –> 01:38:11.200
melanie she/her: Thank you, Julia Trish. I just was hoping you could speak to the comment that you left in the chat about the competition and trying to work with other organizations and feeling pushed out because folks are worried that their clients would benefit from the positive life Workshop will then
633
01:38:11.510 –> 01:38:15.350
melanie she/her: be recruited to
634
01:38:15.430 –> 01:38:24.460
Trish Jean-Louis: It’s for other services Trish, Can you just talk about like kind of what that experience is
635
01:38:24.610 –> 01:38:26.510
Trish Jean-Louis: as someone who
636
01:38:26.760 –> 01:38:45.290
Trish Jean-Louis: is in a leadership position at my agency. I am always trying to like, be with other, you know, supervisors and directors of other of other programs, and we have multiple contracts at the agency that can provide services for HIV, positive individuals. And
637
01:38:45.670 –> 01:38:59.450
Trish Jean-Louis: I kid you, not About 90% of the time when I do approach people to partner it’s always we need to be clear like what’s happening, and and you know we do let them know
638
01:38:59.810 –> 01:39:10.790
Trish Jean-Louis: as much as we can. We’re not here to take your clients afterwards. We can even come to you, Provide the workshop, and then leave if you want to. We can edit.
639
01:39:10.790 –> 01:39:24.750
Trish Jean-Louis: and you know, for the agencies that do agree to that, it becomes hard, then, afterwards to do alumni events and things, because you know it’s their clients, not ours, or sometimes they’ll say.
640
01:39:24.760 –> 01:39:27.900
Trish Jean-Louis: you know, if we also have.
641
01:39:28.070 –> 01:39:43.840
Trish Jean-Louis: You know, we also have another like a St. Contract right that they have it. And even though we tell them we understand you have an Sg. Contract, we will not bother you. We will just come in, do our Tplw thing and then
642
01:39:43.900 –> 01:39:45.090
Trish Jean-Louis: leave.
643
01:39:45.250 –> 01:39:55.630
Trish Jean-Louis: They’re still hesitant because they they don’t trust that we’re not going to then try to enroll their clients into our Svg program. So
644
01:39:56.450 –> 01:40:01.220
Trish Jean-Louis: from my end as a as a leader that’s been trying to.
645
01:40:01.470 –> 01:40:10.680
Trish Jean-Louis: You know that’s just trying to fulfill all of these connections and connections and contracts it’s it’s yeah.
646
01:40:10.700 –> 01:40:28.260
melanie she/her: Brian. Maybe i’m sorry to call you out like this, but maybe you can talk about what work the recipient is doing around this issue, because i’m sure it’s not specific to to just this. And so, and you might not be the right person, since you’re largely behavioral health.
647
01:40:28.260 –> 01:40:40.540
melanie she/her: But this competition is not new to the portfolio, and so how has the recipient previously managed it? Or what does the recipient see this as an issue, and have policies around it.
648
01:40:41.940 –> 01:40:53.860
Bryan Meisel (he/they): Anyone? Yeah. So I can’t speak to any specific policies. But I know. And our quality management and program implementation work. It comes up pretty frequently.
649
01:40:53.940 –> 01:41:00.970
Bryan Meisel (he/they): and we do address it in kind of our group forms, and our one on one calls with Per Browns about. You know
650
01:41:01.150 –> 01:41:17.360
Bryan Meisel (he/they): how to recruit clients in ways that are kind of like respectful and certainly being mindful of duplication of services. And even, you know, when someone’s doing an intake, we really encourage programs to assess. You know what other services are they getting?
651
01:41:17.410 –> 01:41:23.420
melanie she/her: How can we avoid a duplication of services
652
01:41:23.460 –> 01:41:25.160
melanie she/her: big like.
653
01:41:25.250 –> 01:41:28.520
melanie she/her: whether it’s policy or a way of
654
01:41:28.580 –> 01:41:35.540
melanie she/her: it always comes down to like the money as the incentive for collaboration. Right? So like is there.
655
01:41:35.990 –> 01:41:37.790
melanie she/her: I wonder if other
656
01:41:38.020 –> 01:41:53.260
melanie she/her: one and I wonder if there’s a model that we can look to, you know, being the largest jurisdiction. It it Sometimes we don’t find a lot happening because other jurisdictions are are just like strapped for resources. But perhaps
657
01:41:53.260 –> 01:42:11.920
melanie she/her: some other jurisdiction has, like figured a way of managing the competition that in a way that doesn’t deserve clients. But but I definitely think that you are raising something that the Council needs to dig into and think deeply about. I want to make sure that we get to the question about
658
01:42:12.020 –> 01:42:22.680
melanie she/her: how would co-location with mental health, social support and or harm reduction services impact participation in enrollment? So while I I did want to say that I I think this
659
01:42:22.710 –> 01:42:36.110
Graham Harriman: jurisdiction is uniquely competitive. I’ve I’ve worked in other jurisdictions, and I didn’t see this same level of desire to hold on to clients, and it’s part of the pressure of
660
01:42:36.160 –> 01:42:48.750
Graham Harriman: you know, being an organization in New York is not easy. Holding your organization together and paying for infrastructure and overhead and administrative expenses. You can’t ever get enough money given the rent.
661
01:42:48.880 –> 01:43:06.140
Graham Harriman: but I I think one way that this could be done structurally is to be able to distribute this program through more contracts, so it could reach more organizations, and I I think that would work in a way that would reach many more people.
662
01:43:07.340 –> 01:43:10.130
melanie she/her: Thank you, Matthew.
663
01:43:10.470 –> 01:43:14.410
Matthew C. Marrero: I If there was some way in which
664
01:43:14.620 –> 01:43:28.820
Matthew C. Marrero: the boundaries within contracts and policies were I I I I don’t want to say reduce. But there like, if there were loopholes in which contracts could kind of fit together like puzzle pieces
665
01:43:28.820 –> 01:43:44.410
Matthew C. Marrero: easier. I think that’s part of what like Trish was mentioning like approaching a other programs, even other programs within our own agency, trying to collaborate to make things work. You know we’re we’re. We’re stuck in these parameters
666
01:43:44.410 –> 01:44:03.010
Matthew C. Marrero: that say, this is what you need to do. This is what you’re allowed to do. These are the numbers you need to reach. These are the clients. You can service, but you can’t service them if they’re part of this service or what not, like finding some way in which, like, I think Rafi even mentioned, like some kind of collaboration, metric like what he said
667
01:44:03.010 –> 01:44:15.660
Matthew C. Marrero: to evaluate that. So that so that it’s easier for for for contracts and programs, whether within your own agency or with other organizations, you can measure that so that it shows that the work is still being done.
668
01:44:17.930 –> 01:44:19.030
melanie she/her: That’s great.
669
01:44:19.340 –> 01:44:28.360
melanie she/her: That’s great. Does anyone else want to talk about it or talk about? Oh, Trish, you have a comment in the chat.
670
01:44:28.440 –> 01:44:30.220
melanie she/her: Do you want to lift it up.
671
01:44:30.920 –> 01:44:32.740
melanie she/her: or would you like me to read?
672
01:44:32.760 –> 01:44:43.630
Trish Jean-Louis: Sure. So another struggle that I have is that you know i’m part of a small organization, right? And so a lot of times.
673
01:44:43.800 –> 01:44:46.860
Trish Jean-Louis: It’s hard to create
674
01:44:48.440 –> 01:45:00.230
Trish Jean-Louis: as many programs that we would need to in order to build that rapport with the community, I mean. So we try to do like free base. You know, free things and
675
01:45:00.330 –> 01:45:10.270
Trish Jean-Louis: things that are not paid out of contracts. But I think and maybe this is something that’s possible that we could do, and I just don’t know. But it would be great if there was more
676
01:45:10.320 –> 01:45:27.400
Trish Jean-Louis: connection between the programs that provide the service, especially with like alumni events, right? So sometimes we’ll have an alumni event, and only like 3 people show up which doesn’t encourage alumni to want to keep coming. So maybe if there’s a way that you know
677
01:45:27.800 –> 01:45:33.030
Trish Jean-Louis: any alumni from any to plw program like, you know, if
678
01:45:33.540 –> 01:45:44.700
Trish Jean-Louis: if there’s an event happening, then we could just work collaborative, just more collaboration and working together. I can send you my alumni. You send me yours like that at the end of the day. It’s about.
679
01:45:45.050 –> 01:45:50.630
Trish Jean-Louis: It’s about the clients getting what they need for me, and not about like
680
01:45:50.940 –> 01:45:54.840
Trish Jean-Louis: numbers. Then I just feel like there’s so much emphasis on like
681
01:45:54.880 –> 01:46:10.130
Trish Jean-Louis: numbers versus like, hey? You know, this organization in Manhattan is doing a dope. Events like, Why, Aren’t, all of us trying to get everybody to go Experience this amazing event in Manhattan like, Why is it
682
01:46:10.920 –> 01:46:20.370
Trish Jean-Louis: my program, my event? Our numbers, us, us us, and then and so, when we try to reach out to other organizations. It’s like
683
01:46:20.440 –> 01:46:21.790
Trish Jean-Louis: It’s so
684
01:46:23.000 –> 01:46:32.660
Trish Jean-Louis: separated, and it’s it’s a strong. It’s it’s been a struggle, at least for me. So just wanted to put that out there, and maybe it can happen, and I just don’t know that. But yeah.
685
01:46:34.890 –> 01:46:45.580
melanie she/her: I am wondering if there is a I see like folks are putting. I love you guys to lift up your comments. We have a couple of minutes like we’re not going to get to editing today.
686
01:46:45.640 –> 01:46:57.070
melanie she/her: Really sorry it just doesn’t make sense. And so I want to love to hear from Ashley, and then John, who have their hands up, and then Matthew and Christina, to talk about their comments in the chat.
687
01:46:57.340 –> 01:46:58.250
melanie she/her: Ashley.
688
01:46:58.540 –> 01:47:11.310
Ashley Johnson: I was trying to answer some questions that I was looking in the chat, but it’s just a lot. So, Matthew, I saw your questions about outreach. So how we do outreach is that we take
689
01:47:11.310 –> 01:47:28.940
Ashley Johnson: any opportunity out there an alliance we have. We have partners with Dns and metro plus and lot of so they do, tabling. They do their own outreach. So a lot of times we collaborate with them like, hey, can we tag along because a lot of their their
690
01:47:38.630 –> 01:47:48.690
Ashley Johnson: health fairs this month alone, just to like, get myself involved with the community, and it might be 2 or 3 people, but those are the people who really need it.
691
01:47:48.730 –> 01:47:50.840
Ashley Johnson: Right? So I
692
01:47:51.640 –> 01:47:54.660
Ashley Johnson: I made myself out there, even if it’s.
693
01:47:54.760 –> 01:48:09.960
Ashley Johnson: you know someone will be like. Oh, that’s too far. I was like, Well, do you need assistance with accessoride? Do you need help with these things? So I try to help smaller the barrier, so there is no excuse. Why, you can’t come.
694
01:48:11.110 –> 01:48:12.350
Ashley Johnson: A lot of
695
01:48:12.460 –> 01:48:29.520
Ashley Johnson: things that we do in my outreach here. Is that anytime you go to a doctor’s appointment. He’s bringing flyers right anytime. Any of us go to the doctor. We’re bringing fires because we’re going there for ourselves, so we need to like spread the word right
696
01:48:29.580 –> 01:48:35.230
Ashley Johnson: a lot of it in, and as a roles we’ll do outreach, and so roles, and that’s like
697
01:48:36.530 –> 01:48:55.280
Ashley Johnson: That’s a barrier with that, too. But we had these talk to the manager. There, we’re the director there first like, is it okay? If my peer at least fires. So even if we can’t do the workshop there, you know, One or 2 may come to the workshop at our agency, so they don’t have to worry about other people. We need business.
698
01:48:55.280 –> 01:49:02.210
Ashley Johnson: So we we’ve tried where we can without being embrace of our
699
01:49:02.230 –> 01:49:16.980
Ashley Johnson: adding people on their status. Is that something we don’t want to do? Because once you’re in my that I want to do the workshop. We’re adding your status, and that is a barrier for a lot of people, especially if they’re in that community sending that. Who doesn’t know this?
700
01:49:18.090 –> 01:49:21.040
melanie she/her: Thank you. Ashley. John Shet.
701
01:49:23.830 –> 01:49:28.010
John Schoepp (just me): There we go. Got it. Yeah, I’m. Just curious. Listen to everybody.
702
01:49:28.420 –> 01:49:35.280
John Schoepp (just me): If Family Center wants to get rid of this contract, Why can’t it move into somebody else’s house.
703
01:49:35.290 –> 01:49:38.200
John Schoepp (just me): or even become a standalone contract
704
01:49:39.210 –> 01:49:44.140
Tyeirra Seabrook: in terms of funding? It is not something that we discussed. Yet this is pretty new
705
01:49:45.450 –> 01:49:50.250
Tyeirra Seabrook: that the contract is being terminated like we. We just had conversations last week.
706
01:49:50.380 –> 01:49:56.450
Tyeirra Seabrook: so we are conversing about what that’s gonna look like.
707
01:49:56.500 –> 01:50:02.640
Tyeirra Seabrook: and i’m sure that the Director of Ct is going to be reaching out to the planning Council to talk about what that looks like
708
01:50:04.340 –> 01:50:08.630
John Schoepp (just me): it seems to me like it’s a really a well needed program.
709
01:50:08.880 –> 01:50:13.160
John Schoepp (just me): and and not just that. But I think it’s going to put a lot of people out of work.
710
01:50:13.850 –> 01:50:18.370
John Schoepp (just me): you know, and this is no time to be losing your job.
711
01:50:19.070 –> 01:50:26.260
John Schoepp (just me): you know, or or or trying to move into somebody else’s house, and then you have all these clients that have it be like one on the streets.
712
01:50:26.930 –> 01:50:29.430
John Schoepp (just me): It’s like the new homeless.
713
01:50:32.030 –> 01:50:35.530
melanie she/her: Okay. So, Christina.
714
01:50:36.530 –> 01:50:46.700
melanie she/her: when you saying we should be paying for quality over quantity. What are you imagining, and how the program should be structured?
715
01:50:48.370 –> 01:51:01.530
Cristina RH (she/her): Oh, I I don’t think I know enough to like make comments specific to how this would work for this particular category. But I know this has been piloted in the care coordination program to to
716
01:51:01.530 –> 01:51:09.400
Cristina RH (she/her): have more quality metrics for the way that people are paid, and I know that the HIV prevention program has the quality-based financing
717
01:51:09.480 –> 01:51:24.050
Cristina RH (she/her): contracting for the place. Your network 2. So I I think people are gonna respond to the way that they’re incentivized, and the way that they’re paid. And so if if people are finding that people are worried about
718
01:51:24.190 –> 01:51:39.280
Cristina RH (she/her): people being poached because numbers are what are being counted and then paid for. Perhaps it’s also about the way that us funders are incentivizing people that can be changed, so that this isn’t such an issue.
719
01:51:43.410 –> 01:51:47.360
melanie she/her: So I appreciate that
720
01:51:47.510 –> 01:51:54.220
melanie she/her: everything follows the money. Unfortunately in the society, and so figuring out ways to
721
01:51:54.620 –> 01:52:03.060
melanie she/her: to make collaboration work would require figuring out innovative ways to pay for collaborative
722
01:52:03.080 –> 01:52:10.340
melanie she/her: services like figuring out a way that an agency has some sort of incentive. and so
723
01:52:10.360 –> 01:52:28.270
melanie she/her: yes, the family centers contract can be reassigned. As Tai said, this all happened very recently, and clearly it weights happening way too fast. If you guys are learning that the last day of programming is on Friday, it feels like you might have clients who are kind of left out because they were supposed to
724
01:52:28.270 –> 01:52:37.890
melanie she/her: be engaged in programs after that point. and and i’m hoping that the last day of programming is not the same as the last day of employment for the staff
725
01:52:38.270 –> 01:52:45.750
melanie she/her: who support the with. Yes, it is the last day of employment for the staff. So you’ve been given very little notice.
726
01:52:46.310 –> 01:52:48.050
melanie she/her: Please, Julia.
727
01:52:49.290 –> 01:52:50.140
melanie she/her: go ahead
728
01:52:50.540 –> 01:52:54.140
melanie she/her: here for me. Yeah, get come off with me at least. Sorry.
729
01:52:54.400 –> 01:53:08.630
Julia Sanchez she/her: Yes, so I just wanna just take it a step back before answering that question. But you know we Matthew and I, we were trying to get the approval to go out into the community and present the workshop.
730
01:53:08.940 –> 01:53:20.140
Julia Sanchez she/her: We were told that we had to wait to get the approval. It was a lot of red tape to get the approval to go on it to the community and present the workshop and try to get clients that took its time.
731
01:53:20.220 –> 01:53:23.620
Julia Sanchez she/her: and and we lost
732
01:53:23.740 –> 01:53:39.600
Julia Sanchez she/her: a half a year. We lost a lot of time not being able to go and advocate and talk to, you know, to other communities like we were very successful just recently. We made, you know we
733
01:53:39.800 –> 01:53:44.560
Julia Sanchez she/her: i’m i’m a little upset about what’s happening now. So i’m trying to keep myself.
734
01:53:44.870 –> 01:53:47.800
Julia Sanchez she/her: But you know
735
01:53:48.430 –> 01:53:52.950
Julia Sanchez she/her: our we didn’t have much of a choice
736
01:53:53.250 –> 01:53:56.400
Julia Sanchez she/her: to go out into the community and do what we wanted to do.
737
01:53:56.540 –> 01:54:13.180
Julia Sanchez she/her: because we were told we had to wait to get the approval. We got the approval until recently, so we got the approval recently, and we we did some great outreach, and we got to Brooklyn Hospital. We got the path clinic. We got these organizations to collaborate with us
738
01:54:13.180 –> 01:54:19.450
Julia Sanchez she/her: and to you know, as a result of that, we got clients not enough to make a workshop.
739
01:54:19.590 –> 01:54:22.910
Julia Sanchez she/her: You know we got 2 clients.
740
01:54:22.970 –> 01:54:33.190
Julia Sanchez she/her: They did their registration, and we we were hoping to get more. And then we were told that we could not continue out reaching, because, you know
741
01:54:33.820 –> 01:54:45.900
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know. Our time at the family center. you know, is May 19, so we weren’t given a advanced notice. Mind. We were told that our contract, I think, ends in August.
742
01:54:45.950 –> 01:54:56.940
Julia Sanchez she/her: But yet we were told. you know, and and and in a week’s time that our last day would be the nineteenth. you know, and it’s hard because.
743
01:54:57.370 –> 01:55:09.400
Julia Sanchez she/her: just like John mentioned. You know, I have bills to pay. I have rent to pay. Now, you know I I didn’t have enough time to figure things out, and you know, go out the Internet community and get some work. Now I have to. You know.
744
01:55:09.400 –> 01:55:19.600
Julia Sanchez she/her: when I had enough time in August they said, okay, August is your last time I had enough time to go ahead and do that, but it’s not about me right now. It’s about this program. It’s about trying to
745
01:55:19.730 –> 01:55:21.780
Julia Sanchez she/her: he, you know.
746
01:55:22.140 –> 01:55:25.370
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, sharing the message talking to people because this is.
747
01:55:25.380 –> 01:55:28.170
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, we learned during the pandemic
748
01:55:28.190 –> 01:55:33.140
Julia Sanchez she/her: that there was a rise and newly affected people with HIV.
749
01:55:33.210 –> 01:55:38.320
Julia Sanchez she/her: So therefore we need to educate the You know the HIV positive community.
750
01:55:38.690 –> 01:55:56.880
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know, just to give them that information to relate that information. How important it is about you equals you, you know, getting on their medication, staying, engage in their health care, you know, if they, having a mental health issues and substance, use issues. There is a lot of help out there for them, and we could connect them with that.
751
01:55:56.880 –> 01:56:04.350
Julia Sanchez she/her: and that’s you know something that you know. I’m really passionate about, and I want to continue doing. But
752
01:56:04.970 –> 01:56:06.680
Julia Sanchez she/her: you know that’s all I have to say, sorry
753
01:56:07.980 –> 01:56:26.900
melanie she/her: Rafi has a comment in the chat that they couldn’t treat other employees that way, but I I think we’re missing something like no organization should treat any employee in this way where you’re given such short notice. I didn’t know that was legal. I’m assuming that has to do with the fact that it’s part time, work.
754
01:56:27.080 –> 01:56:29.170
Matthew C. Marrero: or full time.
755
01:56:29.290 –> 01:56:31.270
Trish Jean-Louis: I’m. So sorry.
756
01:56:31.330 –> 01:56:35.240
Trish Jean-Louis: I I think, that this conversation right now
757
01:56:35.420 –> 01:56:43.460
Trish Jean-Louis: is a little unfair to be having in this Forum, especially because the people who actually made the decision
758
01:56:43.640 –> 01:56:44.850
Trish Jean-Louis: to
759
01:56:45.440 –> 01:56:50.340
Trish Jean-Louis: and this program or to you know they’re not here right now to speak.
760
01:56:51.050 –> 01:56:58.080
melanie she/her: I don’t. I trish. I think we can only go like we’re not er like. First of all, like
761
01:56:58.500 –> 01:57:03.580
melanie she/her: contracting is not a responsibility of the Council, but
762
01:57:04.080 –> 01:57:20.420
melanie she/her: but we’re not having a debate about like what the family center did. What we’re doing is receiving testimony, and that testimony indicates that someone has been mistreated in their like this, and like how they’re being supported. And I’m. I’m. Particularly worried because this comes
763
01:57:21.000 –> 01:57:36.620
melanie she/her: in line with a larger conversation that we’ve been having about how people with HIV are supported in their employment at at agencies, and that continuity is incredibly important, and having a support and transitioning
764
01:57:36.670 –> 01:57:46.970
melanie she/her: out of a role in order to ensure stability of both clients and staff is really really important. So what what this brings up for me
765
01:57:46.990 –> 01:57:57.200
melanie she/her: is a a conversation that i’m wondering if the planning Council can have if we have the purview to have about how we support
766
01:57:57.310 –> 01:58:07.420
melanie she/her: continuity for for particularly for people with HIV, who are staff of programs. But in general, in this treacherous landscape.
767
01:58:07.460 –> 01:58:22.870
Trish Jean-Louis: Okay, yeah, thanks for clarifying. I just, you know, as long as it stays in this particular realm it’s just like facing meeting. So yeah, yeah. So okay, thanks for clarifying. I just didn’t want it to go into like, you know, other areas, because
768
01:58:23.200 –> 01:58:36.170
Matthew C. Marrero: and I can, I can, I can, I can. I can. Also, you know I don’t want I’ll I’ll play devil’s advocate. We it’s not like we didn’t know that the numbers were were suffering. We were, we were very well informed that it’s just. The struggle is real.
769
01:58:36.170 –> 01:58:50.770
Matthew C. Marrero: and, as far as the continuity, as far as employment is concerned. Yes, it is. It is scary. I I just finished getting off my benefits, and then applied for insurance. Now I don’t have insurance. I only have so much medication left, you know. So there is. There are those kinds of things.
770
01:58:50.770 –> 01:59:00.940
Matthew C. Marrero: But we were aware that there was a you know, a a worry that the prevent program might get Cut it just we didn’t. We didn’t think it was going to happen as quickly as it did.
771
01:59:01.070 –> 01:59:02.840
Graham Harriman: Well, I appreciate
772
01:59:02.880 –> 01:59:14.690
Graham Harriman: we support you in this struggle, and I realize that this is really challenging to be presenting about this incredible program at this time for you to. And I. I just want to
773
01:59:14.770 –> 01:59:32.900
Graham Harriman: lend my support. I I I clearly you 2 have done an amazing job have been well trained in this program, and I you know I I My My wish for you is to land in a wonderful place where you’re gonna have meaningful work like you’ve had at the family center.
774
01:59:33.560 –> 01:59:51.390
Johanna Acosta (she/her): Thank you. I just want to add that on the recipient side we’re currently working with the program, and to ensure that No, no patient or no client, if if you know it’s left without care. So we’re going to ensure that the clients do go to on the program, if if that’s what the clients choose to.
775
01:59:51.660 –> 02:00:11.560
melanie she/her: I appreciate that, Johanna, but we are. We also have to room. We also have to keep in mind that the folks delivering the services are are a big part of like who we need to be concerned about. As well. So, Billy, and it’s public comment you guys it, was public comment. It’s 1159. Is there public comment?
776
02:00:13.060 –> 02:00:16.460
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): I have public comment. If we have a second.
777
02:00:16.530 –> 02:00:27.890
melanie she/her: Oh, okay, wait. I sent out 3 copies of the minutes, and I did not check. If there are any changes to the minutes, please submit them to me over email and should.
778
02:00:27.890 –> 02:00:41.060
melanie she/her: And pending those changes or no changes, the minutes are accepted, just saying, okay, Billy, you had your hand up, and then someone said they had public comment. So, Billy, then Hondo and i’m sorry to keep you guys an extra 2 min.
779
02:00:41.320 –> 02:00:50.240
Billy’s iPad: I just wanted to know the the people that are going. Are they consumers who are going to be affected by this layoff, and if so.
780
02:00:50.340 –> 02:00:59.780
Billy’s iPad: how we how we would. Would it be a mechanism by which you can get connected into services so that you don’t miss your medications.
781
02:01:00.020 –> 02:01:12.770
Billy’s iPad: your housing, and and and those other things that you need to make sure that you are taking care of doing this transition of trying to go into a pro employment. I noticed the gentleman said that
782
02:01:12.770 –> 02:01:27.820
Billy’s iPad: he, not. He had applied for insurance, and now he’s gonna not be able to pay for that. I heard the lady say that t it’s rent to play, and all of those kind of things. So are those services as someone going to try to provide those services for you, because now you need support
783
02:01:31.610 –> 02:01:32.720
Billy’s iPad: It’s my question.
784
02:01:32.750 –> 02:01:49.820
melanie she/her: Yeah. So so, Matt: yeah. Some of the folks who are impacted our folks living with HIV and Matthew was just talking about that, and nothing. I want to lift up aid app as being a resource. In this time. They can help pay for your insurance as well as medication. And Honda, Can you please take us out with
785
02:01:49.970 –> 02:01:51.370
melanie she/her: a You’re probably coming.
786
02:01:51.870 –> 02:02:05.060
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): Hey? Hello, everyone! It’s gonna be quick. But I just wanted to add to the the conversation in terms of complexities and public health emergencies and all that. So with the special needs plan. We’ve been finding that
787
02:02:05.170 –> 02:02:11.950
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): potential members who can sign up. They cannot, if they have less than 6 months until their recertification.
788
02:02:12.100 –> 02:02:19.600
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): So they have to actually go to the Hr. A office and recertify, and then they could sign up for a snip.
789
02:02:19.740 –> 02:02:36.510
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): Normally, there is no limitation on switching plans, but because the public health emergency is over. One of the criteria that we’re just learning about. At least that select health is that they have to have more than 6 months left of coverage for Medicaid in order to
790
02:02:36.510 –> 02:02:50.660
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): do a facilitated enrollment. If not again, they gotta go to Hr a, and then reconnect with a plan and we’re finding that we’re missing a lot of people who could benefit from these plans because of this
791
02:02:51.490 –> 02:02:54.820
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): barrier. So yeah.
792
02:02:57.640 –> 02:03:11.720
melanie she/her: I wanted to share that. So I hope everyone’s clear is that this is an additional barrier for people with HIV, who are trying to access special needs, plans, and it is coming about because of the end of the public health emergency.
793
02:03:11.720 –> 02:03:19.110
melanie she/her: But prior to the Public Health emergency, this barrier didn’t exist
794
02:03:19.230 –> 02:03:22.600
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): brand new Post Covid. Pretty much
795
02:03:22.800 –> 02:03:37.510
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): so when we get. We find people who are very hard to find, and hard to connect and part to reach like street marketing, and after hours and all of that. And then I guess i’m positive and I would qualify. And again, the special needs plan is also for people who may be experiencing homelessness.
796
02:03:37.580 –> 02:03:40.700
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): and that elevated risk for HIV
797
02:03:40.730 –> 02:03:45.780
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): transmission. Those who identify as transgender as well, regardless of status.
798
02:03:45.840 –> 02:03:58.180
Hondo Martinez (He, Him, His): Again, we call either it’s Maximus or the marketplace, and they’re like oh, No, they have to recertify first, and these are people who may not have the the Medicaid phones. Obamas
799
02:03:58.350 –> 02:04:14.890
melanie she/her: contact information, All of those types of I, Don’t, have Obama’s contact info, either. But I I hear you I I know you have one more thing to share, and I appreciate everybody staying a little longer. Ty, will you close us out?
800
02:04:15.120 –> 02:04:17.670
Tyeirra Seabrook: The last thing I would like to say
801
02:04:17.710 –> 02:04:37.380
Tyeirra Seabrook: to all Hr. Staff ever, but especially to the family center? If you ever need a reference, or there’s anything that I can do to support you. Please reach out to me and let me know. I’m gonna I know the call is gonna end. But I am going to put my email in the chat or you could reach out to your leadership. Trish has my email.
802
02:04:37.620 –> 02:04:44.290
Tyeirra Seabrook: So please reach out to me and let me know if there is any reference that I could provide you. All.
803
02:04:44.560 –> 02:04:46.650
Tyeirra Seabrook: Yeah. please let me know.
804
02:04:46.690 –> 02:04:49.260
melanie she/her: Thanks, I. And
805
02:04:49.450 –> 02:05:10.480
melanie she/her: Honda, if you can share any information you have about the special needs plan issues, please let us know. Okay, yeah, share it. And I will send it out to the Council. I’m having some struggles with my computer. It’s going super slow and then acting crazy. Okay, everybody, please have a great day.
806
02:05:10.600 –> 02:05:24.150
melanie she/her: Thank you. Ties email is in the chat. It don’t use the question. Mark Graham’s email is in the chat. Everybody. Thank you so much to the providers who came and shared your testimony. I apologize everybody.
807
02:05:24.280 –> 02:05:26.050
melanie she/her: line by line, editing
808
02:05:26.070 –> 02:05:43.530
melanie she/her: oops, but I think the conversation that we have is super important, and I look forward to figuring out how to embed this service into the work that we’re doing with behavioral health, since clearly this is the way of connecting people and supporting combating isolation.
809
02:05:43.610 –> 02:05:52.540
melanie she/her: So thanks again to all the providers who who took time out of the day, and and Julia and Matthew, you were in my thoughts and prayers. All right.
810
02:05:53.410 –> 02:05:56.660
Steve Hemraj – Cooley’s Anemia Foundation: Thank you. Thank you.
Public Comment
None.
| Name | Conflict |
| Brenda Starks-Ross | Food & Nutrition Services, Short-Term Housing, Health Education/Risk Reduction, Family Stabilization and Supportive Counseling, Harm Reduction |
| Deborah Greene | Harm Reduction |
| Janet Goldberg | Medical Case Management, Harm Reduction, Food & Nutrition Services |
| Ronnie Fortunato | Food & Nutrition Services |
