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4 Community Health Center, Inc. "I did not have the expertise or experience to deal with these specialized cases, and the volume of cases," Cooke recalls. "I reached out for help, and [Center Medical Director Dr. Marwan Haddad] and CHC responded." A first-of-its-kind initiative, CHC's Center for Key Populations strives to ensure that every patient receives comprehensive care in a respectful manner within a safe environment. No small task, as the populations it serves are individuals who traditionally experi- ence significant barriers to comprehensive health care. e Center, launched last year, brings together healthcare and advocacy for the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) population, people who use drugs, the home- less and near homeless, the recently incarcerated, and sex workers. e Center offers services designed to address health challenges disproportionately affecting these populations with prevention, screening and treatment for HIV, Hepatitis C, and sexually trans- mitted disease; as well as substance-use disorder management and primary care. As HIV has evolved from being predictably fatal to a chronic disease that can be effectively managed, for example, the needs of patients and providers have changed but the health care system generally hasn't kept pace, explains Dr. Haddad. "Treatment is prevention," he said, and if individuals are com- fortable sharing information that leads to effective treatment, they will follow through. Haddad also leads the CHC Project ECHO HIV, Hepatitis C, and Buprenorphine programs, which expand the integration of these initiatives not only within CHC, but nationwide. e model of care uses didactic and case-based learning via weekly video conferences with medical providers, offering support, consulta- tion and guidance. Grant funding initially helped train CHC professionals. ose clinicians grew into learning communities, posing clinical ques- tions and analyzing approaches to care. "You need to have sufficient expertise, and clinical champions at each site," Haddad explained. "We did." "If it wasn't for Oasis I wouldn't be alive," says Arthina Hilton, of Middletown. "I've been coming since 1996, when I was afraid to go in and be seen by the public or risk running into someone I knew. I didn't want anyone to see me … I'm no long embarrassed of my issue and I'm not afraid to share my story anymore. I want everyone to know this is a safe and non-judgmental environment that I am grateful to be a part of." e Center's formation has roots in CHC's historic work to im- prove health care outcomes, even for individuals in the most chal- lenging circumstances. Yvette Highsmith-Francis, eastern region vice president for CHC, recalls her early years as a CHC social worker in Middletown. She reached out to patients "wherever they were" to connect them to healthcare — sometimes people living under bridges. Fast-forward to 2017. "We are building a model that can be a beacon to other health care centers," explains Haddad. e next question, he says, is already drawing affirmative responses, locally and nationally: "Can it be replicated?" n Center for Key Populations "Nowhere was the impact of the Center for Key Populations' work more apparent than in the town of Austin, Ind., (population 4,300) and surrounding counties in 2015. The prevalence of patients with HIV jumped from less than 10 a year to 170 new cases within months, and was climbing. It was, at the time, the largest rural outbreak of HIV among people who inject drugs, ever. Anywhere. And the medical staff in town consisted of one family practitioner, Dr. Will Cooke." - Dr. Marwan Haddad, Medical Director, Center for Key Populations "If it wasn't for Oasis I wouldn't be alive. I've been coming since 1996, when it was by Middlesex Hospital … I was afraid to go in and be seen by the public or risk running into someone I knew. I didn't want anyone to see me. I am where I am today because of Oasis. It's a place to come and be yourself. I'm no longer embarrassed of my issue and I'm not afraid to share my story anymore. I want everyone to know this is a safe and non- judgmental environment that I am grateful to be a part of." Arthina Hilton