Printer Friendly Format Email a Friend


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 222-04
August 12, 2004

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG AND HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONER VERNA EGGLESTON OPEN FIRST MODEL OFFICE FOR HIV/AIDS SERVICES IN NEW YORK CITY

$3 Million HASA Model Office Incorporates Spectrum of Services and Technological Innovations

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Human Resources Administration (HRA) Commissioner Verna Eggleston today opened the first “model office” for the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA), located in the Amsterdam Center at 400 Eighth Avenue in Manhattan.  HASA is the largest and most comprehensive city-run HIV/AIDS service program in the country, providing a wide range of financial benefits, case management, housing and support services.  The Amsterdam Center, which also houses HASA’s Serviceline, is the gateway to HASA services for many clients from throughout New York City.  Councilmember Christine Quinn, Councilmember Bill de Blasio, Peter Avitabile, a senior HASA manager and person living with AIDS, and Dr. Mathilde Krim, Founding Chair & Chair of the Board of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR) joined the Mayor and the Commissioner at the announcement.

“We aim to make New York City a national model for AIDS care and treatment,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “HRA has responded to the current challenges and opportunities by undertaking an examination of service delivery and developing a ‘model office’ concept to ensure that its 31,000 clients, and their l4,000 family members who receive related support, get the best care and service in a customer-oriented environment.”

“HASA was one of the first municipal agencies in the country to help people with AIDS when it was created in the mid-l980s, and it remains one of the most comprehensive,” said Commissioner Eggleston. “Today, as the disease moves into its third decade, the needs of people with AIDS have continued to change. HRA has sought out and pioneered best practices in response to that change. We are determined to provide the highest quality services for our clients and their families.” 

“HASA's model office is a major step forward for people with AIDS in our City,” said Councilmember Quinn.  “For far too many years people with AIDS, their advocates, the City Council and others have been calling for exactly this type of reform and forward movement. I am thrilled and encouraged to see such a comprehensive client focused initiative in my district.”

The new client-focused approach incorporates a spectrum of services and technological innovations that support multi-faceted service delivery at a single location.  These include:

  • Reception staff and state-of-the-art reception area tools to orient and direct clients in a professional, efficient and caring manner
  • Expanded vocational rehabilitation and employment services
  • On-site disability assistance staff to help clients obtain Social Security Administration benefits
  • On-site Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASACs) to provide screening, assessment and referrals to treatment
  • On-site mental health professionals to provide screening, assessment and   referrals to treatment
  • Expanded access to medical services through the on-site presence of representatives of Medicaid Special Needs Plans (SNPs) for people with HIV/AIDS

Technological enhancements, such as a new routing system to manage client intake, connect clients more quickly with assigned workers, and identify future appointments; and bilingual kiosks providing self-service information, answers to common client questions, and locations of community resources.

The $3 million HASA Model Office, funded mainly by the City’s capital budget, is the result of an extensive planning process involving hundreds of HRA staff, clients and community advocates.  The “model center” concept will be extended to all 11 of HASA’s offices.  HASA is simultaneously implementing other service reforms in the areas of benefits continuation, housing, and health care access.

HRA provides a wide range of benefits and services to low-income and other individuals in New York City.  In addition to HASA, HRA operates the City’s public assistance and welfare-to-work programs, its public health insurance programs, and its food stamp program.  HRA is implementing the Model Office initiative across its Job Centers, Medicaid community offices, and HASA offices.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk   (212) 788-2958

David Hansell   (HRA)
(212) 331-6225




More Resources
View photos
Watch press conference in 56K or in 300K