30 Apr A Step Forward Understanding HIV
GUEST SPEAKER for May 4. Joy Winheim is the Executive Director of EPIC (Empath Partners in Care), a member of Empath Health, steering the recently-expanded agency that combined the HIV expertise and compassionate care of ASAP (AIDS Service Association of Pinellas) and Francis House. For almost 10 years Winheim has worked in a variety of capacities serving the HIV community in Tampa, most recently as Executive Director of Francis House. She holds a bachelors degree in social science from St. Thomas Aquinas College.
EPIC is a nonprofit integrated network of care supporting those challenged by chronic and advanced illness in the Tampa Bay region.
The state of Florida now has the highest number of new HIV infections in the country with Hillsborough County leading the state with a 63 percent increase from 2012 to 2014. William Harper, Executive Director of the AIDS Service Association of Pinellas, was recently featured in a Tampa Bay Times article exploring why there is an increase, how HIV had and does affect those infected with the disease and how the younger generation views the disease.
A wide variety of medical care, counseling, support and prevention services are offered at the ASAP and Francis House campuses and other locations in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. EPIC aims to provide seamless care and support that helps clients maintain healthy and self-sufficient lives, assistance to families, and HIV testing and education in the community.