(formerly AIDS Resource Center Ohio) Transforming Care ANNUAL REPORT · FISCAL YEAR 2016 OUR NEW MISSION Equitas Health’s new mission is to be the gateway to good health for those at risk of or affected by HIV/AIDS, for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community, and for those seeking a welcoming healthcare home. 2 Equitas Health - 2016 Annual Report Our 2015 – 2016 fiscal year brought significant change and continued growth A MESSAGE TO for our organization. A culmination of over OUR SUPPORTERS, a year’s worth of work we undertook a massive transition that began in earnest FUNDERS, PARTNERS in August 2015 when several key staff completed a “technical visit” with Fenway & ADVOCATES Health, the leading LGBTQ healthcare organization in the country. At that time, we were considering a new strategic direction for our organization as a way to transform care in our community. As a result of that process, in April 2016 we announced a mission expansion and rebrand. Going forward, it is our vision that individuals living with or affected by HIV/ AIDS, the LGBTQ community, and others who experience medical disparities in our communities will have access to the highest quality healthcare and preventative services. Our new mission is to be the gateway to good health for those at risk or affected by HIV/AIDS, for the LGBTQ community, and for those seeking a welcoming healthcare home. Our new name is Equitas Health. Equitas comes from Latin origins, meaning justice, fairness, and equity, and our new tagline is Care for All. These values have always been core to our mission; our new name now puts them front-and-center. This evolution is a natural transition for our organization. We are proud of the more than three decades of leading Ohio’s fight against HIV/AIDS. Today, with 13 offices in 10 cities, we are assisting nearly 5,000 HIV-positive Ohioans, including more than 1,900 who receive treatment at our Dayton and Columbus medical centers, and more than 500 Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) patients. Thousands more are reached with our prevention, testing and other services. We are excited to embrace our expanded mission as a strategic step to further that legacy and its reach, by providing care for all—with a focus on a safe and open space and highest-quality healthcare for the LGBTQ community and others who are medically underserved. This annual report covers our fiscal year, July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016. As you will read in the enclosed pages Equitas Health’s continued growth and achievements during this period are remarkable. Our work would not have been possible without the continued support of people like you, our staff, donors, volunteers and allies. Thank you all! We are excited for what the future has in store for us and those for whom we will provide the care and services they need to live healthy and happy lives. William J. Hardy Kathleen Herath President/CEO Chair, Board of Trustees Equitas Health - 2016 Annual Report 3 Last year, Equitas Health providers saw 1,943 medical AGENCY patients, who made 4,102 patient visits through our HIGHLIGHTS Medical Centers in Columbus & Dayton. Additionally our medical social workers served 4,316 clients with HIV supportive services through our 13 offices statewide. SERVICES PROVIDED: Equitas Health Patient/Client Demographics: 235,236 HIV/AIDS SUPPORTIVE Race/Ethnicity White 56% PHARMACY PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED 75,110 Black 39% Multi-Race/Other 3% 43,688 HIV PREVENTION SERVICES Unknown 2% Hispanic 4% 5,080 MEDICAL Gender BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 3,496 Male 81% Female 18% ADVOCACY & PUBLIC POLICY 893 Trans 1% 64 CAMP SUNRISE KIDS Age < 24 4% 25-44 42% 45-54 30% 55 > 24% Patient Insurance Status Medicaid/Medicare 32% Private 21% Uninsured 12% Other/Unknown 34% 4 Equitas Health - 2016 Annual Report The move to expand our mission and services was based on research ADDRESSING focused on healthcare disparities LGBTQ HEALTHCARE that exist in the LGBTQ community. According to a 2015 Kaiser Family DISPARITIES Foundation study and other research, many LGBT individuals report negative experiences when seeking care, ranging from disrespectful treatment, providers’ lack of awareness of LGBT health needs, to outright denial of care, shaming, or blaming the patient’s sexual orientation or gender identity as the cause for an illness. LGBT individuals experience more chronic conditions and a higher prevalence and earlier onset of disabilities than heterosexuals, such as mental health disorders, substance abuse, homelessness, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and suicide. Transgender persons are more likely to live in poverty, less likely to have health insurance, experience the greatest challenges, including stigma, and are often least likely among LGBT individuals to report their health as excellent or very good. And, members of the LGBT community are still most impacted by HIV. To address these disparities, we rebranded and expanded our mission and scope of services to achieve better health outcomes for medically-underserved individuals, including those within the LGBTQ community. An estimated 394,856 Ohioans are LGBTQ, with 39,000 of those estimated to be transgender. The need for culturally competent care in a safe welcoming environment is critical to eliminating these healthcare disparities. In addition, our expanded primary care offerings will enhance our ability to reach populations living with, or most at risk for HIV. To better serve our communities and transform care across Ohio we have launched the Equitas Health Institute for INSTITUTE FOR LGBTQ HEALTH EQUITY LGBTQ Health Equity. The Institute serves as the education, research and community engagement arm of Equitas Health, focusing on reducing health disparities in the LGBTQ community. The Institute is developing and delivering exceptional LGBTQ culturally competent healthcare education and training, engaging with LGBTQ and HIV-positive patients, working with community based organizations and supporting LGBTQ health research efforts in our region. The Institute in collaboration with Transforming Care the Ohio AIDS Coalition organized Midwest Conference on LGBTQ Health Equity and HIV/AIDS the inaugural Transforming Care: Midwest Conference on LGBTQ Health Equity and HIV/AIDS in late October. Over 450 health and social service providers, community members, advocates, researchers, students, activists and community leaders gathered to address the vast health disparities that affect the LGBTQ community and those living with HIV/AIDS. Equitas Health - 2016 Annual Report 5 HIV/AIDS AT THE Equitas Health has been a leader in the battle against HIV/AIDS since the FOREFRONT OF beginning of the epidemic and we OUR MISSION remain committed to continue that work until there’s a cure. Today, as we transform HIV care in Ohio, we remain one of the largest providers of HIV/AIDS services in the state and among the largest in the nation. This year, nearly 1,400 HIV-positive patients received treatment at Equitas Health Medical Center and Pharmacy locations and another 4,310 clients were provided supportive services such as linkage to medical care, housing assistance, emergency financial assistance and health navigation. Increasingly HIV care is being delivered as a subset of primary care allowing for our medical teams to address all aspects of a patient’s healthcare needs. Our patients are achieving successful health outcomes through our integrated care model. 92% 87% of our HIV-positive of our HIV-positive patients patients are prescribed are virally suppressed anti-retroviral drugs compared to a national compared to a national average of 30% average of 37% n Equitas Health n National Average Achieving viral suppression allows our HIV-positive patients to be able to live healthier lives as well as ensure that the risk of transmission is negligible to uninfected partners. This past year our prevention department, with staff across multiple offices in Ohio, reached 43,700 individuals through HIV testing, education and outreach. We provided 4,447 HIV tests and counseling sessions. Those testing positive were provided the opportunity to be linked to care and services through our medical centers, offices and other community resources. 6 Equitas Health - 2016 Annual Report Equitas Health’s HIV/AIDS Health Navigation STATEWIDE program is another area where we are able to help meet critical needs for those living with HIV/AIDS HEALTH HIV. Our offices located in rural and urban cities across Ohio are able to effectively link NAVIGATION clients to medical care as well as provide Equitas Health Patient/Client Distribution: additional supportive services such as housing and emergency financial assistance. Approximately 50 medical social workers assist our clients every day in enrolling clients in the Ohio HIV Drug Assistance Program (OHDAP) which provides medications to treat HIV and Columbus Dayton HIV-related conditions. This program is one of Toledo Akron the important components of the Ryan White Mansfield Athens HIV/AIDS Program supporting those in need of Newark Canton Lima Portsmouth financial assistance for treatment, medications, and vital HIV services not covered by insurance. Increasingly our staff help individuals enroll in health insurance plans available through the Affordable Care Act as well as Medicaid and Medicare to ensure they have the coverage they need. PLAN TO END HIV TRANSMISSIONS IN OHIO Over the past year, the Ohio AIDS Coalition, a division of Equitas Health, drafted a plan to decrease the rate of new HIV infections. It incorporates perspectives from Ohio’s HIV/AIDS community, consumer advocates, and experts in the fields of HIV/AIDS, legal, education, policy and healthcare systems. The plan presents 3 priorities to achieve an end to HIV transmissions: 1. Increase public awareness about the current state of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. 2. Utilize newly available large scale health systems to reduce community viral load numbers. 3. Remove barriers to HIV-positive persons obtaining and maintaining viral suppression.