OPCA-Annual-Awards-2022-Health-Equity-&-Social-Justice-2In the four years he has been with the Lancaster Family Health Center, Dr. Seth Alkire has recognized and worked to change the large gap in care for HIV/AIDs patients in the patient population we serve. Before Dr. Alkire took it upon himself to dive into HIV/AIDS care and further his education on the care of this population, most of our HIV/AIDs patients were referred outside of our clinic to seek care for their HIV/AIDS. This created additional concerns to receiving care including language, transportation, and cultural barriers, which often resulted in less-than-optimal outcomes.

When these patients were referred out, they lost the continuity of care with their PCP and did not have all the other services connected and housed under one umbrella. Our clinic offers multiple services under one roof including pharmacy, Registered Dieticians, mental health services, onsite lab and dental. Many of these services are very valuable especially to our patients living with HIV/AIDs.

Over the last four years Dr. Alkire has built a patient panel of over 200 HIV/AIDS patients and manages not only their HIV/AIDS but is also their primary care provider. This is an invaluable asset to these patients and community. Our patients no longer must travel to multiple clinics or have multiple providers, all is addressed with Dr. Alkire, and the continuity of care is incredible. From our mental health providers, dental providers, and all other staff across the clinic, they all work as an integrated team to meet the patient’s needs. Previously, when these patients were referred out, this integrated care team was lost.

“Through Dr. Alkire’s work with the HIV/AIDS community he has broken a stigma in our clinic that HIV/AIDs care is something that needs to be referred out to a specialist. Through this work he has accomplished, our HIV/AIDs patients have been able to stay at their home clinic and seek the care they need and now he is growing the number of community health primary care providers that offer this service.”

-Lori Kelley, VP of Quality & Compliance, YVFWC

He has worked tireless with the local HIV/AIDS agencies and has built many partnerships; he is a very active participant in the HIV/AIDs medical community and an on-call resource to many. He continues to build his patient panel, with many the local HIV/AIDS referring patients to Dr. Alkire to establish with him as their PCP because of the importance of the continuity of care.

There is a shortage of primary care providers in community health that are willing to take on this patient population. Dr. Alkire knowing the importance of this has taken it a step further. He is now training APCs within our clinic on HIV/AIDS care to increase the access in our clinic and community to this patient population. He is mentoring these APCs and helping them build their HIV/AIDS patient panel as well to ensure we have enough access for all those in need of care.

Through Dr. Alkire’s work with the HIV/AIDS community he has broken a stigma in our clinic that HIV/AIDs care is something that needs to be referred out to a specialist. Through this work he has accomplished, our HIV/AIDs patients have been able to stay at their home clinic and seek the care they need and now he is growing the number of community health primary care providers that offer this service. This has made such an impact on this patient population! They can seek care for all their needs at one clinic, receive the support of the additional services the clinic offers and feel safe and comfortable in a clinic where all individuals are accepted.

Submission made by Lori Kelley, VP of Quality & Compliance, YVFWC