ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Immunology Center (OIC) is launching a new nonprofit, OIC Inspired, to broaden access to sexual health care and infectious disease services in Central Florida.
When Dr. Edwin DeJesus founded OIC, he had a goal of getting HIV medication to those who needed it.
“Many people were succumbing to the disease, and we didn’t have any of the life-saving treatments that we already knew existed, [because] they were only available to university centers with large research facilities,” he said.
“So, when I came here and I realized what was happening, I figured we needed to do something to change the tide. And we decided to create a state-of-the-art research facility.”
Over the years, OIC has been involved in countless clinical studies for HIV and hepatitis medications.
“Before we knew it, we had all these drugs that were lifesaving to our patients, and they were very instrumental in saving the lives of hundreds if not thousands of patients that we saw back then,” DeJesus explained.
[VIDEO: Orlando Immunology Center seeking functional HIV, AIDS care (from 2022)]
Now, they are taking a step further with OIC Inspired, a nonprofit that will offer expanded services including an on-site pharmacy with delivery, labs, case management and care navigation. Some services will be available regardless of patients’ ability to pay.
“We’ve built one of the most respected infectious disease clinics in the country,” DeJesus said. “Now, OIC Inspired will allow us to continue this mission under a nonprofit model, offering more services, expanding access and reinvesting in the health of our community.”
In its first year, OIC Inspired plans to add 20 new staff members. Current physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and support staff will continue providing care within the new nonprofit clinic model. Patients will benefit from additional services and increased community access, all at the same location.
“We’re going to expand and reach out to other communities that we were not able to reach out to before, and they were not able to benefit from the services that we provide,” DeJesus said. “We’ll be able to have the resources to then go out and reach out to that community and bring all those people into a more sophisticated care because the same medical experience with all the expertise medical team will remain here, the same staff, the same location.”
The nonprofit model will reinvest revenue directly into patient care and community-based services. DeJesus says it will create a sustainable path forward for health care delivery in the region.
OIC Inspired will open later this summer and will be located at 1707 N. Mills Ave. in the same building as the center itself.
To see what services OIC offers, head to the center’s website.