San Francisco, CA – On Wednesday November 15th 2017 the API Wellness Center will continue its premier service project aimed at supporting the needs of the homeless population in area, Tenderloin Cares.
Beginning at the start of the holiday season, the health center will hold its second Tenderloin Cares, affectionately called TLC, to community offering a hot meal, flu shots, hygiene kits, haircuts, needle exchange services, mental health referrals and medical care in one convenient location. The pilot project, which launched in October, served over 100 community members and this month is expected to grow much more in efforts to provide critical services to a growing homeless population in San Francisco.
“Many people who live in the Tenderloin have more pressing needs in their lives than their health such as food, housing and hygiene.” Said Dr. Tri Do, chief medical officer of API Wellness. “By providing for basic needs and offering healthcare at the same time, we hope we can make it easier for our neighborhood to be healthy.”
API Wellness has remained a “home” to many of residents in the Tenderloin district and the agency has been long service provider for 30 years known for its HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care. Now, with comprehensive and primary care options that focus on the LGBTQ and homeless population, API Wellness hopes that Tenderloin Cares will be a continuing conduit that provides access to quality healthcare.
“We believe that everyone deserves access to high quality health care. This is the cornerstone of our clinic.” Said Lance Toma, Executive Director of API Wellness. “It is also our intention to be part of the solution to the issue of homelessness in San Francisco. We want to welcome all of our neighbors into our agency with open arms so that they know that we are a resource for them to access health care and other supportive services.”
Tenderloin Cares will continue at API Wellness on November 15 and December 13th from 1:00pm-4:00pm at 730 Polk Street, 4th Floor San Francisco, CA.
About API Wellness
API Wellness is an LGBTQ and people of color community health center that transforms lives by advancing health, wellness, and equality. It believes everyone deserves to be healthy and needs access to the highest quality health care. At API Wellness, health care is grounded in social justice. With two locations, API Wellness is an anchor institution in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood and a comprehensive health home for the LGBTQ community in the Castro. API Wellness operates a fully licensed, federally qualified health center; runs one of the largest transgender community drop-in centers in the country; and is the premier HIV treatment and care provider for people living with HIV in the Tenderloin. For more information please visit www.apiwellness.org.
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under H80CS28978 and Health Center Program for $650,000.00. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
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