Programs & Services Header_Cutting Board

If you need services, contact  us at info@billskitchenpr.org or 787.754.6525.

We provide delicious food that is also recognized as Medical Nutrition Therapy. We also provide a sophisticated approach to case management and evaluation. Clients benefit from our expertise in navigating the local healthcare and social services systems, and our reputation as a tenacious advocate, trusted partner and source of reliable, compassionate care. Case managers help connect clients to other services such as housing, medical and legal assistance. Daily food pick-ups and weekly meal deliveries mean frequent contact with clients and the ability to observe changes in their physical well-being, their home environment and their financial situation. Client absences prompt follow-up phone calls and home visits to see if additional assistance might be needed. Timely professional intervention by our staff has saved client lives.

Our latest program “Conectaté” help clients navigate the challenging medical and social services establishment with peer navigators trained by Bill’s Kitchen.  Our nutrition team conducts workshops on nutrition, food safety and medication adherence, as well as client empowerment workshops focused on client rights and what clients should expect from insurance carriers and healthcare providers.

 

Nutrition Services
Good nutrition and food security help clients participate in their own health care by providing the energy needed to visit doctors and adhere to medical regimens. Bill’s Kitchen provides prepared meals and fresh food to clients for daily pick-up, as well as frozen meals for storage and subsequent re-heating via weekly delivery. Each client receives an initial evaluation of their nutritional status, a personalized nutrition plan with checkups every six months and regular trainings on food safety cooking, and nutrition as it relates to HIV/AIDS and other diseases

Our services help clients maximize the impact of their medication, reduce their nutritional risk, avoid other AIDS-related conditions, develop the strength to combat their disease, and ameliorate the side effects of their medications. We bring our nutrition expertise to workshops offered at several PR Health Department clinics throughout San Juan.

Who can participate?

People living with HIV/AIDS must present:

  • proof of an HIV/AIDS diagnosis;
  • proof of residence within one of our service areas;
  • proof of income (priority is given to clients who demonstrate significant financial need).

Clients are required to bring recent results of laboratory blood tests. Contact us at info@billskitchenpr.org or 787.754.6525.

What to expect

Potential clients meet with staff dietitians for an interview using a comprehensive intake form. Each new client is assessed for nutritional risk, food security and other at-risk factors. Dietitians write up nutrition plans for each client that establish benchmarks for progress. This plan identifies special dietary needs (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure), as well as indications for one-on-one nutrition counseling, workshops on nutrition, food safety and medication adherence.

Depending on their condition and their personalized plan, clients see the dietitian anywhere from once a month to every trimester. In this way, Bill’s Kitchen staff monitors the progress of the individual client’s nutrition plan.

Clients also see a personal case manager who evaluates their overall living and medical situation, identifies areas where the client needs support in navigating the medical system in Puerto Rico and assigns them a peer navigator who is also a client trained to work with other PLWHA. When clients come to the agency site for the initial assessment, it helps build a personal relationship with each client and often with their caregivers. Homebound clients are seen by dietitians and case managers in their home and individual nutrition education and food safety seminars are conducted in the home.

Case management
Potential clients speak with case managers in a comprehensive interview. Based on this data, any referral needs for other services, such as housing, medical, legal, etc., are identified.
Clients are contacted by the case manager periodically to monitor their health, progress and any need for additional services.