For Immediate Release

Media Contact: Justin Burke - 213.201.1525

EMAIL:jburke@apla.org

AIDS Project Los Angeles Awarded One of Two Statewide Grants To Study Adoption of Innovative Education Programs Targeting the Latino Community

Los Angeles – Nov. 7, 2002 – Through a University of California Universitywide AIDS Research Program and California State Office of AIDS grant, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) will work with four Latino community-based organizations in Los Angeles County to translate “Street Smart,” an HIV prevention program, from the research setting to the programming level at community based organizations. Dr. George Ayala, APLA’s Director of Education, will serve as Principal Investigator. APLA will partner with the University of California, Los Angeles’ Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services, Alta Med Health Services, Bienestar Human Services, El Proyecto del Barrio and The Wall/Las Memorias. APLA, in collaboration with its partners, will determine how to adapt science-based research and use it effectively in community-based settings. “Street Smart,” originally designed for use with homeless youth in New York City, will target young Latino Young men who have sex with men in Los Angeles County.

This “Technology Transfer” grant will place focus in the adoption process of a scientifically tested intervention that will be adapted to meet the needs of a different target population while keeping intact the core elements that were successful during the research phase. These core elements are tied to specific theories of behavior change. APLA will examine program elements in the areas of prevention training, program execution, technical consulting and consumer input.

“Typically, science-based programs are developed outside of service settings and tested in populations that may be of a different cultural make-up,” said Dr. Ayala. “This program will give community-based organizations the opportunity to integrate proven science-based research into their HIV prevention programs.”

The Street Smart curriculum was originally designed by Dr. Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (UCLA/CHIPTS) and APLA board member.

The Universitywide AIDS Research Program provides state funding for the support of merit-reviewed AIDS-related research to be conducted at non-profit research institutions throughout California.

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), which this year marks 20 years of prevention, advocacy and service, provides direct services to more than 10,000 men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS in Los Angeles County. Services include prevention education, food banks, professional dental care, housing assistance, mental health counseling and case management. APLA is a leader in the provision of bilingual HIV treatment information, in print and on the Internet, and advocates for effective AIDS-related policies and legislation on the local, state and federal level. For more information, please visit www.apla.org.

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