Negotiations went on quietly for months, and the implementation quietly began at the start of the year.

But the big, public announcement didn’t happen until March 18 at the AIDS Walk & Music Festival. AHF (AIDS Healthcare Foundation) has made SunServe its newest affiliate.

“This makes it easier for our clients to go from medical health services to mental health services,” SunServe CEO Tony Lima said.

The hope is that by becoming a part of AHF, both entities will benefit from what the other brings to the table. SunServe provides dozens of services throughout Broward County, including trans, youth, and addiction treatment. But the main focus benefit for AHF will be access to SunServe’s mental health services and vast network of clinicians.

“We’re at the forefront of healthcare, but we also need those wrap-around services. That’s part of our affiliation program that we run throughout the country,” Russell Walker, Deputy Chief of AHF’s southern bureau, said.

Lima said they believe the affiliation will let SunServe expand their mental health services, first into Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties and eventually throughout the state and possibly beyond.

“We become the mental health arm of AHF’s Southern Bureau in Florida.”

On The Move

SunServe clients will see some changes. After 17 years at its prominent spot on Wilton Drive, they will move into AHF’s facilities in downtown Fort Lauderdale. They are renovating the third floor of the southwest building of the campus.

Once completed, they will provide nearly all services from that location, including Youth Services, which currently operate out of Sunshine Cathedral. (Their senior services will remain on the Sunshine campus.) Lima hopes to keep a small intake center in downtown Wilton Manors.

By sharing space, the goal is for mental and physical health services to be just steps away from each other, rather than across town.

AHF and SunServe believe the central location, with its easy access to public transportation, will make it easier for clients to keep appointments and stay in treatment.

“The fact that we’re expanding here in South Florida, which is a hotspot for HIV and LGBTQ issues that are here in Florida, is a continuation not a change in mindset,” Walker said. “Youth services, HIV prevention and care, PrEP, and all those are things we bring to the table. But transgender and mental health services that SunServe has been so focused on will expand to us.”

A Growing Network

SunServe isn’t AHF’s only affiliate in South Florida. Broward House joined as an affiliate more than a year ago. CEO Stacy Hyde says it’s improved their abilities to provide services.

“It’s bringing our teams together so there’s so much talent with AHF staff and Broward House staff,” she said. “Uniting our skill sets we’re able to serve clients in a more seamless way. We learn from each other. AHF is an expert at things. Broward House is an expert at things. Bringing that expertise together allows the client to have a better experience and get real help.”