The AIP BIPOC Network

04/22/2026

The AIP BIPOC Network founder Jamie Nicole joined the Sclero-Sun Podcast by the Scleroderma Foundation California to talk about what it really looks like to navigate autoimmune disease as a person of color, and why that experience is often delayed, dismissed, or misunderstood.

We get into:
▪️Gaps in diagnosis and care for BIPOC communities
▪️ Why representation in research and care matters
▪️ How AIP and a focus on access, inclusion, and prevention work together
▪️ What community-based work like ROCK Wellness Weekend looks like in practice

This is the work. Turning lived experience into tools, access, and real support.

Today, the Foundation sits down with Jamie Nicole, founder of The AIP BIPOC Network that centers BIPOC voices in autoimmune and chronic illness care, and tra...

04/22/2026

Most people don’t know what a flare is.
They just know something feels off, and they blame themselves.

Low energy. Brain fog. Pain.
Plans change. Work gets harder. Things feel out of sync.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆:
What did I do wrong?

For many of us, especially in communities where pushing through is expected, rest is seen as weakness, and symptoms are often dismissed, that pressure runs even deeper.

A flare is not failure.
It’s your body responding.

But it doesn’t just affect your body, it affects how you see yourself.

This is what we explored in our recent 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲 workshop, in collaboration with Positive Express, co-led by Tosha Dearbone.

A different way to understand flares.
A different way to respond.
And a different way to define your worth.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽:

What if a flare isn’t failure, but feedback? This recap of Worthy Beyond the Flare explores autoimmune disease, lived experience, and how community and tools like AIP shift how we respond to our bodies.

04/20/2026

04/19/2026

Hygiene for Hope, hosted by Bee Busy Wellness Center, returns on Saturday, August 8th.

The AIP BIPOC Network, Positive Express, and the
Elusive Ladies and Gents are supporting donation collection for this year’s event.

This is more than a giveaway.

It’s a back-to-school backpack giveaway AND community health fair where families can access school supplies, hygiene kits, health screenings, and connections to care.

Each organization brings years of community outreach into this work.

➡️ The AIP BIPOC Network brings a focus on prevention, culturally relevant health education, and ongoing community connection.
➡️ Positive Express has led ongoing drives focused on hygiene and dignity for girls, including their long-running panties drive.
➡️ Elusive Ladies and Gents has supported families through school supply drives and community outreach, using culture and connection as a way to give back.

This is aligned work, not a one-time effort.
It’s about access, inclusion, and prevention, meeting people where they are before gaps turn into bigger health issues.

We’re currently collecting hygiene items and school supplies.

To donate or coordinate a drop-off, contact:
🟡 Jamie Nicole | info@aipbipoc.org
🟡 Tosha Dearbone | positive.express.14@gmail.com
🟡 Jackie Lilly | elusiveladies@gmail.com

This is one way we show up for the community. Join us.

04/19/2026

If you’ve ever pushed through exhaustion, ignored what your body was telling you, and kept going because you felt like you had to, you’re not alone.

For many people living with autoimmune disease, that’s the pattern. Push through, adjust, keep showing up, until the body forces a stop.

This weekend, The AIP BIPOC Network and Positive Express, founded by Tosha Dearbone, came together in Houston for Worthy Beyond the Flare, our first community workshop centered on that experience.

This was intentional.

Gathering in community is a core part of how we do this work.

This collaboration was grounded in lived experience. Both Tosha and I are navigating autoimmune disease ourselves, which shaped not just what was shared, but how the space was held.

At The AIP BIPOC Network, AIP means Access, Inclusion, and Prevention, and it also reflects the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) as a tool for understanding patterns in the body. This space brought both together.

For many in BIPOC communities, we’re taught early to push through, work harder, and not slow down, even when our bodies are telling us something isn’t right. That pressure shows up physically, in stress, inflammation, and the cycles so many of us are trying to break.

This space was about interrupting that.

➡️Understanding flares as feedback, not failure.
➡️Recognizing patterns earlier.
➡️Using tools like AIP to better understand what the body is responding to.
➡️Separating our worth from what we can produce.

Grateful to everyone who showed up and leaned into the conversation.

This is community care in action.

🟡 Learn more: www.aipbipoc.org
🟡 Stay connected for upcoming sessions

04/15/2026

Yesterday in Sunnyside, The AIP BIPOC Network was there with over 50 seniors, focused on movement, connection, and consistent presence in community.

This is part of our Community Care Collaborative, bringing care, education, and resources into spaces people already access every day.

Learn more about the Community Care Collaborative:
www.aipbipoc.org/community-care-collaborative

04/15/2026

Bringing health directly into the community

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸?

Because access to care isn’t just about coverage, it’s about proximity, trust, and knowing when something isn’t right.

𝗔𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗞 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗼, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁:

🟡 Free blood pressure and glucose checks
🟡 Info on free dental services
🟡 A wide range of community resources and services to support health and daily needs
🟡 Direct connections to Houston Health Department + community partners

But what sets this apart is who shows up.

We’re reaching people who may not recognize their symptoms as something serious, as well as family members and friends who support them.

They become health ambassadors, helping others navigate care, ask questions, and take the next step.

By bringing care into the community, we create a first point of connection that can change the trajectory of someone’s health.

We’re not just raising awareness of resources.
We’re making them visible, accessible, and immediately usable.

Part of a larger effort, ROCK the Block follows The ROCK Summit, where healthcare leaders, researchers, and community partners align on solutions, then bring them directly into the community.

This is what it looks like to move from strategy to action.

This model can expand into other communities where access is limited, including rural areas where specialists and resources are harder to reach.

➡️ Interested in bringing this model to your community or supporting its expansion? Let’s connect.

To learn more about the AIP BIPOC Network, visit www.aipbipoc.org

04/09/2026

This morning at the Peavy Senior Center in Houston, TX.

The AIP BIPOC Network was on site leading one of our health navigation workshops with seniors. We include movement as part of these sessions because managing your health isn’t just information, it’s what you do with your body every day.

Also in the room was Al Green, a U.S. Congressman, who spent time speaking with seniors and sharing information about what’s ahead and what’s at stake for their communities.

He spoke about issues that directly impact the people in that room, healthcare access, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

And that’s where the connection is.

At ABN, we talk about our dual framework, individual health and systemic change.

In that space, both were happening at the same time:

➡️Individual: supporting seniors with movement, education, and tools to manage their health day to day
➡️Systemic: conversations about policy, access, and the programs that shape their ability to actually use those tools

That overlap matters.

Because you can teach someone how to take care of their health, but if access to care or coverage is unstable, it limits what they can do.

And you can talk about policy all day, but if it never connects to people in real life, it doesn’t mean much.

This is what it looks like when both sides meet in community.

04/06/2026

Medicare telehealth was extended through 2027.

But it wasn’t made permanent.

Access still depends on policy decisions, provider interpretation, and where you live. For people living with autoimmune and chronic conditions, that uncertainty impacts how care actually happens.

Telehealth isn’t a convenience. It’s access to care.

We break down what changed, what it means, and what’s still at risk.

🔗 Read the full blog: www.aipbipoc.org/medicare-telehealth-extension-2027-access-uncertainty

04/06/2026

April is full of opportunities to connect, learn, and access support with The AIP BIPOC Network.

This month, we’re hosting health navigation workshops across Houston, offering an in person community workshop, and continuing our virtual autoimmune support group.

Each event is designed to provide practical information, trusted resources, and space for real conversations around autoimmune disease, chronic illness, and long term wellness.

Join us in person or online throughout April.

See the full schedule at:
www.aipbipoc.org/events

04/02/2026