30 Years of AIDS is Enough

To contribute your names for the APLA Memorial Wall, please send an e-mail. Allow two to three days for names to appear.

To make a donation in memory of a friend or loved one, please use this special tribute donation form.

Events

TEAM TO END AIDS (T2)

Run a full- or half-marathon and fight AIDS! You will train to complete the 2011 Honolulu Marathon or the Santa Barbara International 1/2 Marathon with people who have the same level of experience as you while we help you raise money to end AIDS in L.A. Learn more and register: TEAM2ENDAIDS.com

Training programs begin:

Honolulu Marathon 
Saturday, June 4

Santa Barbara International
1/2 Marathon
Saturday, July 9

From the Executive Director

What's New

Mpowerment Returns to APLA

Mpowerment, a youth-run HIV prevention group focusing on young men of color who have sex with men (MSM), is ramping up again, thanks to new funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. APLA's Education Division has built a core group of about 10 young men --  ages 18 to 24 -- who will guide the program as it creates its new look and logo and conducts outreach at schools, clubs, bars, and other places where young gay men spend time. Core members will work to expand the group, which will ultimately hold twice-weekly meetings on a range of topics like dating and relationship health, diversity, spirituality, fitness, and more.

Mpowerment will be paired with two other interventions -- "M" Groups, which will more exclusively focus on HIV education and prevention, along with RESPECT, which features one-on-one counseling sessions on HIV risk reduction and healthier behaviors.

"Not everyone enjoys a group dynamic," explained Donta Morrison, the APLA program coordinator who runs Mpowerment. "RESPECT will offer one-on-one interaction with an eye toward encouraging an HIV test," he said. "M" Groups, meanwhile, will hit the road soon, bringing a unique spin to HIV education to places where young people tend to gather. Program staff also plan to roll out an Mpowerment track especially for young people who are already living with HIV/AIDS.

To learn more about Mpowerment, visit our Web site.

Profile

Saving A Life: APLA Nurse Takes Action

Nothing quite prepared APLA nurse Jeannie Acdan for what she would find one afternoon as she arrived at an APLA client's Hollywood-area apartment for what she thought would be a routine assessment.

"I was filling in for another nurse that day," Jeannie explains. As a registered nurse who works in APLA’s Home Health Program, Jeannie is partnered with an APLA social worker. Together, they coordinate care for housebound clients who are too sick to come to APLA.

"We bring APLA to them," she says. "Many of our clients live alone but are too weak to care for themselves. So we arrange for in-home care -- help with bathing, personal hygiene, cleaning, and shopping. We can set up transportation to medical appointments, arrange for in-home counseling sessions, and even call their doctors to clarify questions about treatments or side effects." Jeannie and her social work partner regularly visit clients at home to conduct a routine assessment -- a head-to-toe review of the client’s health status.

On this particular day, her assessment of a client named "Alex" was anything but routine.

"I walked in the door, and Alex was sitting in a chair, slouched over. I asked a few times if he was okay -- and then I realized that he couldn’t speak," she recalls.

Her nurse’s training quickly took over: "He was severely diabetic," she says, "and I realized that he was having a hypoglycemic reaction" -- a medical emergency that results from dangerously low blood sugar. If not treated, the condition can progress within minutes to coma and even death.

The client's partner, who was with him, started to panic.

"I helped him focus and quickly talked him through the process of preparing an injection of glucagon," she says. "As a nurse, it's critical that I help the client's caregiver know exactly what to do in a crisis." Alex received the injection, and within minutes, he was sitting up and talking.

Jeannie's work didn’t end there: "We gave him something to eat and drink, and then I called his doctor to report what happened. Once Alex was stable, we all talked about how to prevent this from happening again -- like eating on schedule and dealing with nausea from his HIV drugs."

Jeannie is reluctant to take credit for Alex's quick recovery: "If anything, his partner saved him," she says. "That’s the real story."

To learn more about APLA’s Home Health Program, visit our Web site. To help support this and our direct services, please consider a generous gift.

Giving

In a word, Carmen Chic is busy.

The 21-year-old APLA volunteer donates her time to the agency each weekday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -- the equivalent of a 40-hour work schedule -- and then heads to her other full-time job, as a student at Los Angeles City College.  Most days, she doesn’t turn in for the night until nearly 3:00 a.m. -- but she’s always eager to begin her APLA shift the next morning.

Chic considers volunteering at APLA to be an integral part of life. The experience offers both important professional and personal fulfillment. Chic says, "I'm really here for the clients -- because I know the time I offer ultimately benefits those who depend on APLA."

"Carmen’s dedication and commitment to APLA is exceptional," says APLA Volunteer Resources Program Manager Jim Williams. "One day, she’s bagging groceries in our food pantries, and the next, she’s greeting guests at one of APLA’s signature special events. We simply couldn’t provide the level of care that APLA clients depend on without the support of volunteers like Carmen."

In Carmen’s own words, "I am very grateful to have met APLA's wonderful clients and staff, and it’s gratifying to see that people of all backgrounds can come together to fight AIDS and make an impact."

Photo: Adam Bouska

Did you know that APLA volunteers contribute more than 65,000 hours of service each year? Find out more about our fun and diverse volunteer opportunities!

Take Action

Defend Safe Housing for People with AIDS!

APLA’s Government Affairs Division is working to defend programs that provide safe and stable housing for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.

In a recent "In the Loop Action Alert," we urged advocates to contact their U.S. Representative’s office to ask that they sign the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) "Dear Colleague" letter now circulating in Congress. The letter requests an increase in HOPWA funding to $362 million for the upcoming fiscal year. This represents a modest, $27 million increase over last year, simply to keep up with cost-of-living increases. Without this additional funding, people living with AIDS may become homeless, risking their health.

In the midst of the economic downturn, funding for HOPWA is more important than ever. People living with HIV/AIDS are already disproportionately affected by homelessness and unemployment. Programs like HOPWA provide those in need with housing support and stability, allowing them to lead healthier and more productive lives.

Improvements in housing status are strongly linked to lower rates of behaviors that can transmit HIV, along with a better chance to access and stick with care. A recent study in the journal AIDS and Behavior found a close link between housing status and whether or not an individual would start and stay in medical care. Those who were homeless were less likely to receive care when healthy -- raising the risk of more expensive and less effective care in the future. That’s why programs like HOPWA are cost-effective and ultimately life-saving.

APLA, along with other national advocates, will continue to work to ensure that this vital program is fully funded and supported by federal leaders.

Keep pace with efforts to defend HOPWA and other life-sustaining HIV/AIDS programs in California and nationwide -- and don’t miss opportunities to share your opinions with legislators -- by joining APLA's "In the Loop" online advocacy network.

Photo of the Month

Above (center stage), Broadway darling Carol Channing performs in “Original Cast 2" -- the 2011 Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), benefiting APLA. The show featured Broadway stars recreating the roles they made famous. Organized in 1984 and billed as the world’s longest running AIDS benefit, S.T.A.G.E. is an all-star musical revue that has raised more than five million dollars for AIDS service organizations across Southern California, including APLA.  S.T.A.G.E. has become a venue for the community to raise consciousness while expressing love, concern, sadness, and support.

View photos from this year's event on APLA's Facebook page.

Photo: Chris Kane

The Last Word

"Through all of this work, she was remarkably modest and humble. Whenever she was thanked, she would say, 'I should have done more.'"

- APLA Executive Director Craig E. Thompson, as quoted in LA Weekly remembering actress and longtime HIV/AIDS activist Elizabeth Taylor after her death on March 23. Taylor worked on the front lines of HIV/AIDS activism for decades and got her start when she organized APLA’s "Commitment to Life" event in 1985. The gala raised more than $1.3 million for the agency and attracted a "who's who" of celebrity supporters.