Partner Spotlight: Vivent Health

Each month we celebrate a local business or organization that supports Radio Milwaukee. This month, we chat with Vivent Health .

Hi, what is your name and title at Vivent Health?

Dan Mueller, Chef Development Officer, Imani Sloan, PrEP Supervisor, Keshonda Willis, Administrative Assistant to the COO and Executive Vice President, Leslie Cockerham, MD, MAS, Vice President of Medical Affairs

What is one song you can't stop listening to and why?

Dan Mueller: "Cool With It" by REYNA

What are you passionate about in regards to our community and what is Vivent Health doing for the community?

Leslie Cockerham: "I think Milwaukee as a community is really trying to improve the health of all its citizens and realizes there are specific areas where we see significant racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes that need to be addressed. New HIV infections is one area where we know people of color are disproportionately affected. That is why I really love our Stay PrEP’d Up campaign that we launched in 2019, which aims to increase the awareness of PrEP, an HIV prevention medication, in the community. It was a campaign that was really developed based on the feedback we received from the community itself. The campaign strives to give people the information they need to take control of their health. Vivent Health is committed to making PrEP accessible and affordable to whomever in our community that needs it, regardless of insurance status."

Keshonda Willis: "I am excited about the economic growth happening in our community. From new developments and efforts to support small businesses, to job opportunities, to the better access to education and healthcare, Milwaukee is truly making strides to put people in a position to better care for themselves financially. I believe that Vivent Health is supporting those we serve by providing financial education and assistance with some of life’s most basic needs. By helping our patients understand, reduce or even eliminate debt, as well as providing food, rental and utility assistance, we are helping our patients to understand that being economically healthy is possible."

How did Vivent Health get started and what are some highlights from 2019 and what's in store for 2020?

Dan Mueller: "Only in Wisconsin could this happen. The idea for Vivent Health came about because in the mid 1980s Milwaukee’s First Lady, Karen Lamb and Milwaukee’s Archbishop, Rembert Weakland used their considerable influence and convened community leaders for the sole purpose of ensuring that when this epidemic hit Milwaukee we would be able to coordinate services community-wide. Out of those meetings sprang the idea for Vivent Health. We were known by a variety of names—the Milwaukee AIDS Project, the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, and now Vivent Health."

Imani Sloan: "Some highlights from 2019 for me personally include opening a PrEP clinic at Keenan Health Center in partnership with the City of Milwaukee Health Department. I helped launch the State's first PrEP marketing campaign. We also created a financial assistance program for under-insured individuals to ensure cost barriers would not restrict clients’ access to the HIV prevention tool, PrEP. Our new brand and new commitment in the fight against HIV. We aim to be leaders and innovators in this space. One way we are doing this is by sharing our integrated care model with more locations across the country."

Why do you chose to support 88Nine?

Dan Mueller: "88Nine, like Vivent Health, is a community necessity. When we do our jobs well, year after year, we not only provide an important service, but we become a high-quality community asset. We make the fabric of Milwaukee better, stronger."

Leslie Cockerham: "Milwaukee is a great city that can be under-appreciated at times. I love how 88Nine highlights all the great events and initiatives that are taking place in our community. Radio Milwaukee embraces the diversity in our community and showcases the small businesses and organizations and ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things. And I can stream it anytime!"