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Free Health Fair & Market For Underserved Populations

October 18, 2024

DKBmed, an integrated continuing medical education company, and Sunshine Cathedral, located at 1480 Southwest 9th Avenue, Suite#: 7 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33315, the world’s largest progressive LGBTQ+ Church, have joined forces to launch the “Feeding Souls, Protecting Bodies: HIV Outreach in South Florida” Initiative with a FREE Health Fair and Farmer’s Market on Saturday, November 2nd, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Noon. This quality-of-life improvement program special event will offer Complimentary HIV Screenings and health check-ups plus free, fresh produce and pantry staples from local vendors.

The “Feeding Souls, Protecting Bodies: HIV Outreach in South Florida” program aims to educate providers who serve populations with higher rates of HIV due to social determinants of health by addressing those disparities to improve patient outcomes, particularly regarding testing rates and PrEP utilization. Delivered in partnership with Sunshine Cathedral, the program is designed to reach underserved communities in South Florida through a series of Fresh Farmer’s Markets and Health Fairs, providing FREE access to nutritious food and health screenings. Sunshine Cathedral’s current food sharing ministry reaches 750+ people each week through a Wednesday morning food pantry and weekend distribution; those they reach are 80% BIPOC, largely senior citizens, queer-identifying, lower-income, and/or formerly unhoused veteran's.

While the incidence of HIV in the United States has been declining and progress in HIV Prevention is being made, the progress is not uniform, and significant disparities based on race, ethnicity, and region exist. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida, specifically, has one of the nation’s highest rates of HIV diagnosis, with 21.7 per 100,000, compared with national rate of 12.7 per 100,000.4 AIDSVu relates that In Fort Lauderdale, the rate is 36 per 100,000.5.

Additionally, according to Feeding America, the Fort Lauderdale area has a significant population of people with food insecurity. Food insecurity is associated with poor nutrition, chronic disease, and lack of healthcare access. Between 25% and 80% of people living with HIV experience food insecurity, and they have significantly worse HIV-specific health outcomes. Screening people who attend a Food Pantry/Farmer’s Market may identify people living with HIV who are either unaware of their diagnosis or not engaged in care.

“By concentrating and targeting our efforts on Fort Lauderdale’s underserved population, we hope to help break the barriers to care for people who have inadequate access to food and, possibly, unstable housing and employment,” said David Serota, MD, MSC, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “Initiatives like the ‘Feeding Souls, Protecting Bodies: HIV Outreach’ program allow us to close the gaps in HIV care and move us closer towards ending the HIV epidemic.”

At the “Feeding Souls” Farmer’s Market, medical staff from Holy Cross Health will be on-site to offer health education, pamphlets (in English, Spanish, and Creole) and free screenings for HIV, as well as Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis. Referral coordinators will also be present to help patients schedule follow-up visits with healthcare providers. Event visitors are encouraged to engage with the various partners through a fun health passport game. Holy Cross will offer a $10 Visa gift card for those who get a stamp in their passport plus they will be entered into a raffle to win a $100 Visa gift card.

For more information about the Health Fair and Farmer’s Market, contact Anne Steele, Sunshine Cathedral at: anne@sunshinecathedral.net. Or Matt Miller, DKBmed at: mmiller@dkbmed.com.

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