Nueva Luz Urban Resource Center

Programs: Medical case management (mcm)- medical case managers and clinical supervisor perform psychosocial assessments, work with the client to develop an individual treatment plan (isp) to reach specific goals, coordinate services to implement the isp, monitor the plan, and adapt it as circumstances dictate. Currently, there are 530 active clients. Nlurc continues to serve those identified as target populations and 55% of clients identify as african american, 23% latina/o, and 41% as men who have sex with men (msm). Mcm's client encounters include home visits, office visits, telephone contact, and culturally appropriate correspondence, and account for the import of a strong therapeutic alliance in improving client outcomes. Medical case management includes the provision of treatment adherence counseling to ensure readiness for - and execution of - complex hiv/aids treatments. It also includes client-specific advocacy and/or review of utilization of services. Nlurc adheres to ryan white case management requirements and qualifications in staffing its medical case management positions.

non-medical case management (housing and nutrition) housing case management- nlurc funding enabled 3 housing case managers (hcms) to fulfill the formal requests of medical institutions to provide housing services for their patients. Housing case managers assist clients in navigating a complex housing voucher system, accessing utility assistance programs, and budgeting. Housing case management is designed to secure permanent, affordable housing. Research shows that stable housing is one of the strongest predictors of health outcomes for plwha. Hcms accompany spanish-speaking clients to housing-related appointments to provide translation (25% of clients identify as latinas/os and 15% are limited english proficient (lep). Foodbank- funding enables the nutrition program at nlurc to continue to serve clients who are actively enrolled in direct services with food supplies. Because so many clients face poverty and economic marginalization, many also face the basic need for food. To help clients meet this fundamental need, nlurc provided over 65,408 pounds of food to 323 clients. This equates 54,507 meals annually. Providing access to food has many benefits to improving a client's overall health outcomes, such as: keeping the client engaged with the direct service staff (keeping important appointments), reviewing treatment regimens and adherence to those regimens (having food when taking medications), and providing nlurc staff access to client homes to assess their current living situation.

other professional services (legal)- services that the attorneys provide to plwha include but are not limited to: representing clients include landlord /tenant disputes - including eviction cases, completing healthcare directives, estate planning, assisting with social security benefits applications and appeals,and sealing and expunging past criminal records. Attorneys also provide assistance to clients in reinstating driver's licenses, investigating identity theft, assisting with specific financial matters, and resolving simple immigration problems. . When clients present legal problems beyond the scope of services provided at nlurc, those clients are provided with financially feasible and culturally competent referrals whenever possible. All activities are provided with the primary goal of removing barriers to care that impact the stability clients need to maintain their treatment regimens and manage their disease. Currently we have an average of 63 clients a month accessing legal services.

highlights for 2017 include: 1. Better data collection due to our specialized systems that gather information for the clients we serve. 2. A very succesful fundraiser, fiesta de luz which provided us with much needed unrestricted funds. The most successful fundraiser in our agency's history. 3. The strengthening of our footprint in lorain county, which includes local funders and stakeholders supporting our mission. 4. Increase in clientele -- we are now the largest, community-based, hiv/aids service organization independent of a medical institution in cleveland and lorain. 5. A culturally competent, linguistically adequate and extremely committed staff.