AHF Changes South Florida Care
By John Hayden
For decades, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has helped lead the fight to stop the spread of HIV and care for patients around the world. Now, the opening of their latest clinic may herald a new attitude towards patient care.
AHF has opened up its newest facility, AHF Northpoint, at 6333 N. Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Every aspect of the center is designed with patient care in mind.
“The inconveniences of other health care clinics, like waiting rooms, are alleviated,” Dr. Zachary Henry, AHF Northpoint’s Medical Director, told OutClique. “This new clinic has a setup where patients are able to check in at the front counter and are immediately brought back into an exam room.”
For many, sitting and waiting in the waiting room can be the most tedious part of seeking care. AHF patients at Northpoint are taken into their exam room, where many routine services, like temperature and blood pressure checks are performed.
“It’s a patient-centered model,” AHF President Michael Weinstein told OutClique. “We don’t have a waiting room. We have patients go immediately into an exam room. All the services are brought to them.”
AHF isn’t new to the area, and they’ve been around for 17 years. Weinstein says the goal wasn’t just to keep up with the times, but to pave the way for future care.
“The old facility served us very, very well, but it had a bad layout,” he explains. “It was broken up into three different pieces. Also, it was way in the back. When people came on public transportation, they had to walk a long way in the heat of the summer to get there.”
Many AHF patients don’t have private transportation, so ease of access is an important, yet often overlooked detail.
AHF Northpoint will serve up to 3,600 patients a month, 70 percent of whom are HIV positive. Twenty percent are on PrEP, while the rest are in long term care. Given that South Florida continues to be a hotspot for new HIV infections, and that more than a half-million HIV plus Americans aren’t in care, the impact on the neighborhood is profound.
“Northpoint is the largest domestic AHF clinic in the U.S.” Henry says. “This is going to be able to help us care for more people who live with HIV who otherwise might have difficulty obtaining their medicine and healthcare because they are either uninsured or underinsured and normally would not have access.”
In addition to the patient benefits, the staff also feels the changes.
“Anytime you go into something newer means more space, newer equipment, and a better arsenal of diagnostic tests,” Henry says. “It helps them feel like they’re doing something for the community and doing what they do best: providing care for patients who need us to be there for them when others may not be.”
For more on AHF’s services, visit AIDSHealth.org.
