Fast Facts

There are enough people with HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles to fill Dodger Stadium.

$20 buys five bags of groceries for those living with HIV/AIDS who are most in need.

$100 allows us to provide state-of-the-art dental care to an APLA client in our mobile dental van.

Your donation, large or small, helps us help those in greatest need.

Seventh Annual Hepatitis C Summit For Los Angeles County (Thursday, November 19)
More than 300 healthcare providers and consumers in viral hepatitis will attend the Seventh Annual Hepatitis C Summit for Los Angeles County, the largest annual gathering of people affected by viral hepatitis in Southern California. APLA is a co-sponsor of the event. RSVP now.

L.A. Clippers HIV/AIDS Awareness Night (Wednesday, December 2, 7:30 p.m. tip-off)
Join one of basketball's hottest teams, the LA Clippers, as they host the Houston Rockets for HIV/AIDS Awareness night. Visit the APLA table, compete for autographed items from the players and enjoy a great game! A portion of ticket proceeds benefit APLA. Reserve tickets now. 

From the Executive Director

In a ceremony broadcast online on October 30, President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, extending by four years the largest source of dedicated federal funding for HIV/AIDS. He also announced a final end to the discriminatory HIV Travel and Immigration Ban, which barred non-citizens living with HIV/AIDS from even the briefest stopover in the U.S.

The importance of these steps cannot be underestimated. The fight against AIDS in the United States requires a coordinated and comprehensive national effort, guided by sound research and unswayed by fear. APLA is working to guide this effort with vigorous advocacy, through forums and face-to-face meetings with policymakers, to build national and global networks of HIV care and prevention.

Closer to home, we are humbled by the crowd of more than 30,000 who gathered for AIDS Walk Los Angeles to mark the 25th year of this powerful event. The generosity of each walker will fuel our work going forward in the face of continuing funding challenges.

If you didn't have the chance to join us on October 18, it's not too late! You can still sponsor an AIDS Walker online during the first two weeks of November. As we approach the end of the year, your support is vital.

Craig E. Thompson
Executive Director

What's New

On September 16, APLA collaborated with UNAIDS and members of the The HIV Policy Working Group on Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) and Other Sexual Minorities to convene a successful Congressional Forum on HIV, Human Rights and MSM on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

The event sought to raise awareness of the human rights issues that contribute to disproportionately high rates of HIV infection among MSM and to explore the underlying social, political and economic factors that hinder access to HIV-related resources among MSM, who are chronically underserved worldwide.

In lower- and middle-income countries, MSM are 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population.

Forum panelists included APLA’s own Manager of International Policy Krista Lauer, along with Ambassador Eric Goosby (the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator), Michel Sidibe (the Executive Director of UNAIDS) and other leading global experts.

Over 120 representatives of congressional offices, government bodies and non-profit organizations attended the Forum, including staff from two senate and 15 house offices.

The Forum was held in cooperation with the offices of Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA-28) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-8).

Learn more about APLA's global policy work.

Profile

This summer, APLA client Barry Weiss faced a serious challenge: As medical treatments for his 20-year battle with AIDS became increasingly complex, his existing insurance policy was progressively less capable of handling his critical treatment needs. When his doctor finally urged him to change carriers, Barry found himself, like many, overwhelmed by an array of insurance options that were difficult to sort through.

Because of his need for continuous care, Barry couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. 

"That's when it dawned on me to call APLA for help," Barry says. "Within a 15-minute phone call, John, an APLA Benefits and Work Services Counselor, had explained each policy to me and helped me select the one that best met my complex needs."

And, says Barry, the help didn't end there: "John offered to walk me through each step of the complicated insurance enrollment process to ensure a smooth transition."

Over the months that followed, as Barry's health improved, John also helped him put together a plan to return to school and, eventually, to work.

"Now I feel hopeful and confident that I will be able to gain the tools I need… to get back to work," Barry says. "I can’t tell you how much this has changed my outlook and perspective on my life with AIDS."

Learn more about our Benefits and Work Services Program -- one of the many ways that APLA is putting your donations to work to change lives.

Giving

On Sunday, November 15, APLA's Ambassador Council will host 25 @ 25, a commemorative cocktail reception to honor 25 of today's leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to recognize APLA's 25 years of service to the community.

Join us for an evening of gourmet cuisine, cocktails and entertainment at a private Bel Air estate to celebrate the release of "Action Figures" -- the November / December 2009 issue of HIV Plus which pays homage to 25 LGBT leaders whose work is vital to ensure that HIV's disproportionate impact on gay men is not overlooked.

The event will also serve as a rousing conclusion to APLA's observance of its 25th year of operation. The agency launched in 1983 as an HIV/AIDS hotline housed in a converted closet. By the end of that year, APLA would have more than 100 clients. More than 25 years later, that number is now nearly 10,000.

Buy your tickets to this exclusive commemoration now! 

Take Action

Congress voted in late October to extend the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 for another four years. The bill would have expired at the end of the month.

The new extension will continue the funding and programs that have provided care, treatment and services to people living with HIV/AIDS since the first Ryan White CARE Act was passed in 1990. APLA and other AIDS organizations advocated intensely over the past year to make sure the new bill protects California's funding while the state's names-based HIV reporting system continues to grow and mature.

Ryan White funding is allocated based on both AIDS and HIV case counts. Rep. Henry Waxman of Los Angeles, one of the original authors of the CARE Act, once again led the effort to extend the legislation in his role as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. President Obama signed the bill during a White House ceremony on Friday, October 30, where he also announced a formal end to the 22-year-old HIV/AIDS Travel and Immigration Ban, which barred entry into the United States for people living with HIV/AIDS. For more, view APLA's press release.

Join "In the Loop," APLA's Action Alert Network, to make sure your voice is heard on important HIV/AIDS policy decisions like these.

Photo of the Month

AIDS Walk Los Angeles' "Team APLA" -- comprised of APLA clients, staff, volunteers and friends -- poses for a group shot before the 25th annual event. The team finished among the top five in fundraising -- and there’s still time to give!

Photo: Brian Lowe / APLA

The Last Word

"Hopefully, I don't have to do this for another 25 years."

-- AIDS Walk Los Angeles Star Walker Don Foley, quoted in the October 19 Los Angeles Times, as he crossed the finish line of his 25th AIDS Walk. Foley has completed every Walk since the first, in 1985, when he was one of 4,500 participants who raised $673,000. This year’s event drew more than 30,000 who raised over $3.1 million for the fight against AIDS.
There's still time to support AIDS Walk Los Angeles
by making an online donation now.