Increasing HIV/AIDS Care in South Florida

Rendering courtesy of Care Resource Health Centers, Inc.

The Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC) completed financing on its first capital investment project in Florida, which will bring integrated primary care, behavioral health, and a variety of supportive services to Miami, especially for people and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

PCDC’s $6 million in debt financing and $10 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocation will allow Care Resource Health Centers, Inc. to nearly double the size of its main facility, resulting in a 49,000-square-foot, seven-story clinic.

Established in response to the AIDS epidemic, Care Resource offers integrated, comprehensive, and culturally competent services to people living with HIV/AIDS and those at high risk of exposure.

PCDC’s wide-ranging project will affect nearly every service offered at Care Resource. The renovation will enable the center to expand its offerings, including primary care, internal medicine, pediatric care, OB/GYN and women’s health, podiatry, urology, dental, and behavioral health counseling. Care Resource also offers a number of supportive services which will be enhanced by this project, such as a pharmacy and food bank.

The new center will be fully integrated, with seamless referrals between primary care and behavioral health providers.

Care Resource is a particularly important asset in Miami-Dade County, where new HIV diagnoses are nearly quadruple the national average, and 56 percent of cases are in the Latinx community. Miami-Dade also has the highest suicide rate in Florida and a chronic shortage of mental health professionals. Care Resource targets these at-risk communities: its patient population is 40 percent HIV positive, roughly 30 percent are better served in a language other than English, and over 50 percent are uninsured.

A Federally Qualified Health Center with four sites, Care Resource sees patients from over 100 ZIP codes, regardless of ability to pay. Its reputation for quality, empathetic care has led to long wait times and overcrowding, which the upcoming expansion will alleviate, enabling Care Resource to better serve more people in the surrounding community.

“Care Resource is a safe and welcoming provider of quality care for all,” said Anne Dyjak, Managing Director of Capital Investment at PCDC. “We are honored to support their growth as they continue to serve Miami’s most vulnerable populations.”