CAN Community Health has been serving the needs of the HIV community in Florida and now the southern part of the country, since 1991. We are a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the treatment, care and continual wellness of people living with HIV, hepatitis C, STDs and other diseases. Our clinics offer medical, dental, psychological and lifestyle counseling to all patients, regardless of their financial situation, insurance status, or ability to pay. Services vary by location. We provide HIV specialty care by board-certified Infectious Disease trained physicians. CAN has also become a part of the LGBT community offering education, assistance and support to other local organizations.

CAN owns and operates 34 medical clinics – non-profit clinics are located in Clearwater, Daytona  Beach, Ft. Lauderdale,  Jacksonville,  New Port Richey,  North Port, St. Petersburg, Ybor City,  Orlando (2), Palmetto (testing facility), Plantation,  Miami (2), Sarasota (2), South Beach (2), Columbia, SC (2), Hampton, VA, Norfolk, VA ; satellite clinics are located in Avon Park, Bradenton, Brandon, Gainesville, Oakland Park (2), Sarasota, Tampa (3), Wesley Chapel and Winter Park. All of our clinics offer various services which can be found under each location under “Locations” on the menu page. As CAN continues to grow, so will our services and clinic locations.  (See Rates of Persons Diagnosed with HIV)

Across America, every 9 1/2 minutes one teenager receives transmission of the HIV virus, and one quarter of new HIV diagnoses are people under 25.  In 2016, Florida was #2 in the country for a number of HIV cases diagnosed and #3 for HIV rates. HIV can strike at any age and the only way to know for sure whether you have HIV is to get tested. Knowing your status is important because it helps you make healthy decisions to prevent getting or transmitting HIV. Even though there is no cure for the HIV infection, there are treatment options that can help people living with HIV experience long and productive lives.

 There were 4,972 HIV cases diagnosed in Sarasota in 2016, 6% more than those diagnosed in 2015 (N=4,708). None of the statistics take into consideration the number of people living with HIV who are untested and undiagnosed. With the rate of HIV incidences on the rise, we must continue to spread the vision of hope and healing. We envision a world without HIV, achieved through our mission to save lives by treating and preventing the incidences of HIV, hepatitis C and STDs.

In order to generate additional savings for the general program services for CAN, its “Preferred Pharmacy Program” was implemented. The 340B Drug Discount Program*, which is administered by the Office of Pharmacy Affairs within the Health Resources and Services Administration, provides funding generated from the drug discount received from the pharmaceutical manufacturers. (*340B is not a federally funded program.)