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AHF's Public Health Division Celebrates Advances in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS With June 9th Re-Dedication Ceremony at Former Los Angeles AIDS Hospice

Posted on: Friday, 6 June 2008, 18:00 CDT

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), operator of the largest non-government HIV testing program in California, will celebrate advances in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with an open house and re-dedication ceremony for AHF's Public Health Division on Monday, June 9, 2008 from 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. The ceremony will take place at the 1300 Scott Avenue, Los Angeles, CA address of Chris Brownlie House, the first of AHF's former AIDS hospices, which now serves as the headquarters for AHF's Public Health Division.

Last September, AHF announced the formation of its new Public Health Division. Formerly known as AHF's 'Prevention and Testing Department,' the Public Health Division is the organization's community health education and public health policy arm. The new name reflects the department's expanded charter as it continues to build on the organization's history of providing effective and innovative HIV testing and counseling services, social marketing campaigns, public health policy and legislation development.

WHAT: Open House -- Celebrating AHF's Public Health Division; Rededication of Former L.A. AIDS Hospice to new Mission WHEN: Monday, June 9th, 2008, 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. WHERE: Chris Brownlie House 1300 Scott Avenue, Los Angeles (Elysian Park, near Dodger Stadium) WHO: Whitney Engeran, III, Director, AHF Public Health Division Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation President and other AIDS Healthcare Foundation Officials, Testing Counselors & Other Public Health Professionals

The Public Health Division name change also demonstrates the expansive reach of AHF's services as the organization continues to keep pace with changes in the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly within those populations considered most at-risk. The Division originated with the primary purpose of operating AHF's HIV testing and counseling programs targeted to the gay male populations of Los Angeles and West Hollywood. Its reach has evolved as the epidemic has changed, to include heterosexual men and women, as well as underserved communities of color. One example of AHF's broader reach is the Public Health Division's participation in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS) program in Los Angeles, a peer-led, skill-building intervention project to prevent HIV infection in African-American women.

Geographically, the department has also expanded to include more areas within Los Angeles County, including South Los Angeles, San Bernardino County, the Bay area in Northern California, and most recently in South Florida. Additionally, AHF offers HIV testing, counseling and referral services in Tijuana, Mexico. Originally offering services solely aimed at HIV testing and counseling, the department has increased the scope of its services to include screening for other sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea and syphilis, often co-factors in HIV transmission.

"We are honored to celebrate AHF's Public Health Division and its new charter to provide expanded services with a broader reach both in the U.S. and abroad," said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "We believe that the best way to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic around the globe is to take a public health approach that offers both access to treatment as well as public education and testing services. As a provider of HIV/AIDS treatment in 22 countries, we are in a unique position to offer this breadth of services. With the Public Health Division's new expanded mission, AHF looks forward to not only building on our existing services but also continuing to advocate for sound public health policy with the aim of reducing new infections and getting more people into treatment."

As part of its growth in response to the changing demographics of HIV infection, the Division has expanded its services to include the development and implementation of highly effective social marketing campaigns funded by the CDC and Los Angeles County, aimed at HIV education and risk reduction. A post-campaign survey of AHF's most recent "Stay Negative" HIV prevention social marketing campaign, found the initiative achieved extraordinary success in reaching its targeted Los Angeles County audience with renewed awareness that HIV infection is still a serious threat.

The Public Health Division's current roster of services includes: mobile HIV testing and counseling services using mobile testing vans to reach target communities in the greater Los Angeles area; non-traditional venue HIV and STD testing at AHF's 'Out of the Closet' thrift stores; partner counseling and referral services; a Men's Wellness Center; Bay Area outreach programs targeting high-risk populations; and HIV testing in Los Angeles County jails. Service enhancements under the Division's new charter will include expanded HIV testing initiatives, public policy formation and advocacy, best practice modeling, HIV/STD Counselor training and technical assistance, as well as targeted minority health initiatives.

"The Public Health Division's broader reach, in terms of populations served and location, as well as the inclusion of STDs beyond HIV, and the public education, testing and treatment initiatives surrounding them, reflects AHF's growth in public health policy and influence," said Whitney Engeran III, Director of Public Health Division for AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "We look forward to bringing our expertise in developing and implementing testing models, innovative targeted health initiatives and public health policy formation to best serve populations in need, both here in the U.S. and around the world."

Headquartered in the former Chris Brownlie Hospice, the first licensed AIDS Hospice in the nation, which served as a refuge for over 1,500 people who died there with dignity, AHF's Public Health Division will re-dedicate the fitting and poignant legacy of the facility to its vital and ongoing mission of HIV/AIDS and STD control & prevention.

About AHF

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the nation's largest non-profit HIV/AIDS organization. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 70,000 individuals in 22 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia. Additional information is available at www.aidshealth.org

Source: Business Wire

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