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.

L.A. Kings v. Anaheim Ducks (benefiting the National AIDS Marathon Training Program and APLA) -- Thursday, February 4
Root for your favorite in this Southern California match-up at the Staples Center. Buy your tickets through the National AIDS Marathon Training Program, and a portion of the proceeds will support APLA programs and services. Check back in January for your exclusive link to purchase tickets on apla.org.

S.T.A.G.E. on Screen -- Sunday, February 14
View everyone's favorite clips from throughout the 25 years of S.T.A.G.E., the world's longest continuously running AIDS fundraiser. This Valentine’s Day APLA fundraiser will feature on-screen performances by some of the biggest stars of stage and screen who have appeared throughout the event's history. More information available this January on our community calendar. 

From the Executive Director

The advent of antiretrovirals (ARVs) -- and their wide availability for those who cannot afford them -- has changed the landscape of AIDS like nothing else. But, for the first time, we have also begun to see the effects of lifetimes lived with HIV.

Recent studies show a range of long-term problems: higher rates of certain cancers, heart disease, dementia, bone weakness, cholesterol problems and more. The trouble is particularly acute among low-income people, who often lack access to preventive and comprehensive medical care. Some health challenges may be simply linked to the fact that people with HIV are living longer; but others may stem from the longer-term consequences of life with HIV.

Regardless, we know that accessibility to a network of care is vital for people who are HIV-positive. APLA offers the fundamentals of care to address our clients' essential health needs: balanced nutrition through our food pantries; oral health care from our dental clinics; education from our treatment adherence experts; and much more.

Some consequences of long-term survival may be unavoidable -- but with your critical support, we're able to provide our clients the help they need to live well with HIV. Thank you for your support in 2009 and for your continued loyalty in the year ahead.

Craig E. Thompson
Executive Director

What's New

This fall, as international news broke from Thailand of an experimental AIDS vaccine candidate that showed notable promise, APLA continued its own work to support HIV vaccine trials.

APLA is partnering with healthcare providers and community leaders to dispel myths about vaccine trials (for example, the fallacy that one can contract HIV by participating in vaccine research) and to recruit participants for important HIV research to find a viable vaccine. 

Working with community partner AIDS Research Alliance, APLA is recruiting participants for HVTN 505, a new vaccine trial with a site in Los Angeles. APLA’s Treatment Education team will also hold a March 2010 "HIV Matters" town hall forum, which will focus on vaccine progress.

Though questions remain about the validity of the Thai research, it is widely believed that an AIDS vaccine is the best hope to ultimately eradicate the disease.

For more information on how you can participate in the search to find an AIDS vaccine, visit bethegeneration.org.

Profile

Some days, Gadja Johnson spent hours -- or even a full day -- on the city bus. It wasn’t intentional, he says -- but his thinking was so clouded by his crystal meth use that he’d simply lose track of time.

"I'd used meth on and off for years," Gadja explains, "and I became very lost -- sometimes literally. I wasn't being safe, and that put me at risk for HIV and other diseases -- but when I was high, it just didn't matter."

A friend who also used the drug told him about Party Wise, APLA's weekly group for crystal meth users who are concerned about the negative impact of meth on their lives.

"The sessions really appealed to me," he says, "because there was no judgment. Even for people who aren't ready to quit, APLA's staff offers a safe place to get more information about how crystal affects the body and how to lower HIV and STD risk."

For clients like Gadja, who is HIV-negative, Party Wise offers a forum to discuss safer sex, healthy living and the reasons behind why participants use. Attendance at the group, which is offered in English and Spanish, has spiked over the past year, with often more than 50 participants each week. Research shows that gay men who have recently used crystal meth are five times more likely to test positive for HIV.

"Through the group, I've learned how to confront the homophobia -- even in my own family -- that fuels my drug use," he explains. "Before, I turned to meth to cope; now I can talk it out."

Learn more about our Crystal Methamphetamine program -- and the other ways that APLA is putting your donations to work to change lives.

Giving

For many, this past year has been one of the most economically tumultuous in recent memory -- and this is particularly true for APLA’s nearly 10,000 clients, 90 percent of whom live on less than $20,000 per year. Nearly all lack private health insurance.

Programs like APLA's that care for the most vulnerable have experienced many challenges -- most devastating, Governor Schwarzenegger's elimination of more than $80 million in state funding for California’s HIV/AIDS programs. The effects of these shortsighted cuts have cascaded down to APLA, leaving the agency with a $1.7-million gap in funding. The gap, however, coincides with a dramatic increase in demand for many APLA services, like our vital food pantry and dental care programs.

In these challenging times, we ask that you consider APLA in your holiday giving plans. Every dollar counts, and your generous year-end gift can transform lives.

Give now or learn more at apla.org. To discuss other ways you can help (options range from gifts of stock to membership in our socially active Collective Effect group and more), contact Joel Wyatt at 213.201.1564 or send an e-mail to jwyatt@apla.org.

Take Action

Through "In the Loop," our online advocacy center, APLA has mobilized its grassroots network to support The Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act, a bill introduced in the U.S. House on October 29, 2009.

This act would expand education for patients and health care providers, increase access to hepatitis testing and liver cancer screening, improve the capacity of health departments to detect outbreaks and support viral hepatitis prevention and education programs across the U.S.

With many APLA clients living with viral hepatitis -- a disease that can greatly complicate life with HIV -- we are committed to its prevention and treatment.

APLA has co-chaired the Hepatitis C Task Force of Los Angeles County, which was instrumental in securing a viral hepatitis coordinator for the county. APLA is also the principal partner in the countywide Adult Viral Hepatitis Coalition and advocates and educates with CalHEP, the California Hepatitis Alliance, on the state level.

The Viral Hepatitis and Liver Cancer Control and Prevention Act will support the efforts of APLA and other agencies to fight this public health crisis. But cosponsors are still needed for this very important legislation. Contact your Representative now to express your support: It's quick and easy using APLA’s "In the Loop" network.

Photo of the Month

Actress Sharon Stone poses with family of APLA clients including, from left, Desmond Anom Jr. (age 4), Romeo Jackson and Audrenre Brown (both age 11). Stone hosted this year's Macy's and American Express Passport on September 24 and emceed a live auction at the event to raise funds for APLA's Necessities of Life Program food pantries and to provide APLA families with a trip to Disneyland. APLA was the main beneficiary of this year's Passport event.

The Last Word