Eddie

Eddie’s patient navigator was concerned when Eddie, a 47-year-old Caribbean immigrant, missed his appointment a Apicha CHC in May 2020. Just three months before, Eddie was diagnosed with HIV and went on immediate antiretroviral therapy to suppress his viral load, so missing an appointment posed a serious threat to Eddie’s health. Determined to find him and make sure he was all right, Eddie’s patient navigator tried every method of contacting Eddie, including taking a visit to his house. Still, Eddie was nowhere to be found.

A week of outreach later, Eddie’s navigator found him at a homeless shelter in the neighborhood. Eddie explained that he and his partner had gotten into a fight, and he had nowhere else to go. Apicha CHC immediately contacted housing assistance on Eddie’s behalf, and Eddie’s navigator accompanied him to the office. They found him a new single-room apartment the same day. Once Eddie was settled into his new place, Apicha CHC rescheduled his missed appointments, arranged for medications to be delivered straight to his new home, and provided health education. Since then, Eddie has resumed regularly taking his HIV medication and his viral load is undetectable.mitte