About Us
A Lettter From The Executive Director
As many of you are aware, 2006 was a very challenging year for providers and People Living with HIV and AIDS. Cuts to Ryan White Funding have forced us all to re-examine program priorities and how scarce resources can best be utilized. In order to determine how to best meet the needs of our clients over the next three years, BATF clients, staff and Board of Directors embarked on a Strategic Planning process in 2006.
BATF’s current goal is to provide a seamless continuum of HIV prevention, treatment and care services that are constantly assessed and evaluated for cost effectiveness and impact. To this end, BATF will focus on service expansion, finding and providing services for hard to reach populations, enhancement of health and wellness programs in order to destigmatize HIV, provision of family based services, and access and maintenance in HIV care services. BATF will focus its work in 2007 on reaching the 25% of HIV positive individuals in Brooklyn who are unaware of their HIV status or who are not currently in care. BATF will utilize its’ new mobile van to test 2,500 individuals annually in order to provide access to primary health care, which has been identified as one of the greatest needs for Central Brooklyn.
BATF will also increase mental health and housing programming for all at-risk and HIV positive populations with a focus on the Seriously Permanently Mentally Ill (SPMI) and Mentally Ill Chemical Abusing Clients (MICA), by providing congregate housing for our dually-diagnosed clients. Housing continues to be the greatest unmet need for people living with HIV/AIDS throughout New York City. Our long term goal to purchase a building where a clinic can be located on the storefront level, and housing units could be available on the upper floors, has begun through our new grant from NYNY III (New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene).
BATF is also committed to providing families with additional services, including parenting skills, job training programs, pre-adolescent and wellness programs for adolescents who are at high risk of substance abuse and or HIV/AIDS. Over the next three years, we will also expand resources and programming for recently incarcerated individuals and Criminal Justice Populations. Our commitment to serve the most disenfranchised populations in Brooklyn remains as strong in 2006 as it did twenty years ago, when we first opened our storefront in Brooklyn.
Sincerely,
Elaine Greeley
Executive Director
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