In 1983, AIDS Project Los Angeles (now APLA Health) was founded to help stop AIDS and HIV in Los Angeles County. Our early mission was to educate our community with factual, up-to-date information about AIDS. We launched one of the nation’s first AIDS hotlines, initially housed in an old closet with all that we knew about AIDS — a single page of facts and resources on a clipboard.

We’ve come a long way since that closet and will be moving into a new 10,000 square foot facility next year!

Set on the campus of Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and across from the Martin Luther King Jr Community Hospital, our new federally qualified health will be a location where people can access primary medical, dental and behavioral health care, HIV prevention and support services, STD screenings and treatment. It will also be a training ground for CDU students to get hands on experience in healthcare and advance their knowledge of LGBTQ+ affirming care.

The wildfires surrounding Los Angeles are bringing in smoke and ash to the area. In addition to following COVID-19 safety precautions, if you smell smoke or see ash due to a wildfire, limit your exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or seeking alternate shelter, and avoiding vigorous physical activity. For more tips on protecting yourself during a wildfire, see South Coast AQMD’s Wildfire Smoke & Ash Health & Safety Tips page: aqmd.gov/home/air-quality/wildfire-health-info-smoke-tips

One last call for donations! We’ve already reached our goal of $850,000, but let’s keep pushing toward $900,000! Think of the additional impact you will have in LA County by helping raising $50k more for APLA Health programs! AIDS Walk may come once a year for APLA Health, but these funds help us do our work all year round. We can’t wait to build off the momentum of this year’s digital Walk and make our programs deliver even better results for thousands of people living with HIV or at risk of HIV.

We hope to see you in person at the starting line in 2021 to let you know just how much your support has meant to us this year. Thank you for everything!

To ask for your final donations, or make a final donation yourself, go here:

AIDS Walk Los Angeles

213.201.9255 (WALK) · aidswalkla.org