The Mission of Care Resource: A Chat With Jonathan Welsh
(Photo by Rafa Carvajal)
For more than 10 years, Jonathan Welsh, a University of Miami alumnus, has been actively engaged internationally and locally. In addition to serving in South Africa with the United States Peace Corps, he has campaigned for various environmental and health initiatives both in Washington D.C and in Tallahassee. Jonathan is the new Marketing and Development Manager with Care Resource, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit community health care provider.
Rafa Carvajal: What is the mission of Care Resource?
Jonathan Welsh: The mission of Care Resource is to improve upon the health and overall quality of life of our diverse South Florida communities in need.
RC: Tell our readers about the different services provided by Care Resource.
JW: Services include child services, gynecological care, general adult primary care, oral health, HIV primary care, research, diagnostic laboratory and X-ray, screenings, immunizations, voluntary family planning and referrals to obstetrical and other specialty care services. Support services include case management, outpatient mental health and substance abuse counseling, HIV and STI testing, wellness screening, outreach, nutrition and referrals.
RC: Tell our readers about your position and the scope of your responsibilities at Care Resource.
JW: Regarding public relations and marketing, I manage our website, our marketing and media plans, the production and distribution of our newsletters, media releases, direct mail pieces, our social media activities and our advertising. Regarding development, I oversee the planning, implementation and execution of all our special events including, but not limited to, the upcoming 26th annual AIDS Walk Miami and the annual White Party Week.
RC: How do you feel about the opportunities presented in your position at Care Resource?
JW: I have an enormous amount of energy. I think it derives from both my green smoothies and yoga in the morning. I feel blessed that I can utilize this energy and pour it into an agency that performs an array of good work. In addition to the upcoming AIDS Walk Miami and White Party Week, my team and I have to organize a series of health initiatives that benefit our community. Some of these health initiatives include Women’s Health Month, LGBT Health Month, Nutrition Month, Prostate Cancer Month, Mental Health Month and more.
RC: What do you see as the organization's greatest challenges and how do you feel Care Resource can meet them?
(Photo by JR Davis)
JW: Like Charlotte York from Sex and the City, I am an eternal optimist. I see the word “challenge” and I think “opportunity.” We are South Florida’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization. With that stated, many in the community think that our services are only HIV related. There needs to be more awareness that our offices have been designated as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). We now provide comprehensive health and support services to address the full health care needs of children, adolescents and adults. We can certainly meet this challenge of generating awareness about our expanded services. For more than 30 years, our work in the community has earned us the confidence of our clients as well as public and private funding at local, state and federal levels.
RC: What new or current initiatives are you currently at work on and what are your goals with these?
JW: Right now, my biggest initiatives are the upcoming AIDS Walk Miami on April 27 at the Miami Beach Convention Center and the upcoming Women’s Health Month in May. For AIDS Walk Miami, I would like for a minimum of 3,000 people to come out and walk. The epidemic of HIV continues to grow and change, therefore, the support of the Miami community is crucial now more than ever. Numbers recently released from the Miami-Dade HIV/AIDS Surveillance found that right here in Miami Beach, the number of newly reported cases of HIV rose by about 35 percent from 2012 to 2013. For Women’s Health Month, I would like for more women to make an appointment at one of our offices for a check-up. Each year, an estimated 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and of those, about one-third will die as a result of the cancer. However, cervical cancer is also a highly preventable and treatable cancer, thanks to improved screening and vaccination. During the month of May, new female clients and existing female clients who have not received a pap smear in the last 12 months are eligible for free cervical cancer screenings. Those that refer a client are eligible to receive either a $25 or $50 gift card.
RC: What would you like to accomplish in your position at Care Resource?
JW: I oversee the SoBe Thrift Store over on 1435 Alton Road. They are in need of donations and visitors. The store has been hurting lately because of the traffic reconstruction. I want to make the store become incredibly profitable. After all, the proceeds from that store provide critical funding for our clinical programs. I would like to break records with the AIDS Walk in terms of attendance and fundraising. Most importantly, I would like to see an increase in people from the community visit one our offices and schedule an appointment. I want to help people in my community receive the highest level of medical care and support services that match their needs.
RC: What are your goals and aspirations for White Party?
JW: Ideally, I would like to see an elegant White Tie Party Gala during White Party weekend that brings together a fuller spectrum of the South Florida community.
RC: Do you have plans or aspirations to augment or improve other community events, such as White Party, and if so, what are those plans?
JW: Regarding White Party Week, my team and I are gathering input from our clients, volunteers and our community partners to ensure that it not only caters to their wishes, but that it also continues to be an event that Care Resource can be proud of. After all, nothing gets done in a vacuum, so we are in the listening and research phase. Right now, we are exploring venues, theme ideas, market trends, etc. I can say that the ticket systems will be electronic and more streamlined. Regarding other community events, once I start getting my feet more wet, I would like to start organizing smaller educational fundraisers around some of our health initiatives.
(Photo by JR Davis)
RC: How would you describe the level of need for Care Resource services; and is the need increasing?
JW: I see the level of need for our agency continue to grow. More than 57,000 people in the Miami-Dade County and Broward County areas live with AIDS. Tens of thousands more people are estimated to be infected with HIV. In fact, Miami-Dade County currently ranks number one in the nation, logging the highest number of new AIDS cases per capita in the United States. The agency currently has about 15,000 unduplicated clients and conducts more than 11,000 HIV tests annually. As a Federally Qualified Health Center with offices in Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade and Miami Beach, our services have grown to provide more general primary care services.
RC: From where does Care Resource receive its funding and how can people support it year-round?
JW: Our funding is a mixture of government grants, pharmaceutical sales, special events like our White Party Week and AIDS Walk Miami, our thrift store, direct contributions and other sources. If one wants to support Care Resource, they can register for the AIDS Walk at www.aidswalkmiami.org. To make a donation online, one can visit www.careresource.org and click on the Donations tab.
RC: Tell us about this year's AIDS Walk.
JW: The Walk starts outside the Miami Beach Convention Center and ends at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens for a post-walk celebration co-sponsored by MTV. To show solidarity, walkers are encouraged to wear their red shoes. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The walk begins promptly at 9 a.m.
RC: What are the most important goals of AIDS Walk this year?
JW: Last year, approximately $250,000 was raised. I want to beat that. Our agency continues to grow and the more funds we can raise and the more teams we can mobilize, the more clients we can serve, the more screenings we can perform, the more meals we can deliver and the more dental services we can provide.
RC: Who are this year's AIDS Walk grand marshals and why were they chosen?
JW: Joining the Walk this year as Master of Ceremonies is Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and our grand marshal is television personality Alexia Echevarria from Bravo's hit reality show The Real Housewives of Miami.
Mayor Levine was chosen because he believes in both community and in making a positive difference. Plus, he is a pretty amazing guy. Alexia personifies Miami fashion and Latin-American culture. Many more young people have registered for the first time and are coming out just to see her, so that is pretty neat.
RC: Is there anything else you would like to share with Wire Magazine readers?
JW: Ultimately, I just want to leave a positive legacy. Who knows, down the road, I may even try to run for a Miami Beach Commission seat. Like John Wesley, I just want to do all the good I can, by all the means I can, in all the ways I can, in all the places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people I can, as long as I ever can. I would also like to share that my kitty cat, Oscar, is amazing and that the “Bosh Frieze Frenzy” ice cream from The Frieze Ice Cream Factory is pretty remarkable.
Walk For Life
Care Resource is set to present the 26th Annual AIDS Walk Miami: One Step Closer to the Cure, on Sunday, April 27, 2014 beginning at the Miami Beach Convention Center located at 1901 Convention Center Drive and ending at the Miami Beach Botanical Gardens.
The 26th Annual AIDS Walk Miami is a 5K (3.1 miles) walk-a-thon fundraiser benefiting Care Resource and the Food for Life Network. All funds raised from the Walk help benefit Miami-Dade and Broward County's diverse communities in need.
To show solidarity, walkers are encouraged to wear their red shoes. Registration begins at 8 a.m. The Walk begins promptly at 9 a.m. To register online, visit www.aidswalkmiami.org.
This article was originally published in Wire Magazine, Issue 17, 2014
