From the Executive Director

May was Mental Health Month, which was observed all across America and tied to the theme, "Get Connected." For people with HIV/AIDS, physical and mental well-being are quite closely connected. Yet that link is sometimes forgotten, and mental health concerns are too often overlooked in HIV prevention and care programs. This is troubling, when you consider that three out of four people with HIV/AIDS will need mental health support in their lifetime.

At AIDS Project Los Angeles, we offer a broad range of mental health services: everything from individual, couples or family counseling to addictive behaviors counseling to support groups of all kinds. All of our mental health programs are conducted in English and Spanish, in a culturally competent manner. Your support of APLA helps us create connections for our clients, so they can manage life's pressures and live better with their HIV.

Craig E. Thompson
Executive Director

What's New

APLA's Benefits & Work Services Program has recently refocused its efforts to help people with HIV/AIDS who have been on disability in their quest to return to work. With funding from the Social Security Administration, APLA runs the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program, which helps connect people to new job opportunities and supports those who are already working to remain independent and stable. The Department has also just issued the 2008 HIV L.A., a one-stop, bilingual print and online guide to HIV/AIDS services throughout Los Angeles County. This fifth edition of the directory lists over 1,600 HIV/AIDS programs and services in 33 categories. A team of volunteers has reviewed each entry -- and has added hundreds of new listings -- for this updated edition. The guide covers everything from medical resources to drug treatment programs to Women’s Services and includes prevention education programs and HIV/AIDS testing sites across L.A. County.

Profile

When Beverly Williams learned in 1991 that a close friend who was living with HIV needed support, she suggested that he visit APLA. But when her friend admitted that he was too embarrassed about his HIV to seek help, Beverly realized the intensity of the stigma surrounding the disease. That’s when she began donating her time to APLA.

"I knew that I had to do something," she explains, "and APLA was working hard to support people living with HIV. I knew that’s where I was needed."

Seventeen years later, Beverly has become a familiar face to APLA supporters. She's staffed APLA's Summer Party™; she's greeted guests at the agency's annual Oscar® viewing event; and she's volunteered at 10 consecutive AIDS Walks ("It’s poured rain, but a little soaking won’t stop me!"). Since 2004, Beverly’s daughter, Antoinette, has joined her mother at many APLA events: "She's learned the value of giving her time to a very important cause," Beverly says.

"I’m retired, and I have modest means," she continues, "but I'm blessed each day that I’m able to help others."

Giving

For Rodney Gould, the fight against AIDS is a very personal one.

"In 1993, I lost my first partner to AIDS," he explains. "For all of us who have been affected by the disease, it's so important to do what we can to help."

While living in San Francisco, Rodney served on the board of directors at a local AIDS fundraising organization -- and when he moved to Los Angeles four years ago, he began looking for new ways to contribute to the fight against AIDS.

"APLA's reputation as a strong, well-run AIDS organization was well known throughout San Francisco and in Washington, D.C., where I lived previously" he says. "APLA has a deep understanding of its clients' needs, as well as outstanding HIV prevention programs for crystal meth users, youth and other at-risk groups."

Rodney initially became involved in organizing S.T.A.G.E. (the world's longest continuously running AIDS fundraiser) and, most recently, he joined APLA's board of directors.

Rodney adds: "It's so important to share the AIDS awareness message with a new generation, and APLA is doing that."

Take Action

May 17 marked International Day Against Homophobia, and APLA issued a call to action encouraging support for the Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 2221/S.1328), a bill that would enable U.S. citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for U.S. immigration. Currently, only opposite-sex couples are permitted to sponsor a foreign spouse or fiancé for immigration. Gay and lesbian Americans whose permanent partners are foreign nationals must face a heart-wrenching choice: leave the United States to live with the partner they love or remain here without their foreign partner. Read more about the Act and take action now. And be sure to stay in the loop on this and other important advocacy efforts by signing up to receive APLA action alerts! 

Photo of the Month

On May 29, more than 400 APLA supporters became the first to see New Line Cinema’s “Sex and the City” movie as SKYY Vodka presented an advance charity screening of the film to benefit APLA. Above from left, Dave Karraker (SKYY Vodka) and APLA Executive Director Craig E. Thompson join film co-star Kristin Davis and writer-director Michael Patrick King before the screening.

The Last Word

"It's proven to be a good way to bring the topic up."

 -- Marissa Freeman, an HIV-positive resident of Santa Monica who is discussing her HIV status for the first time as she trains for the 2008 San Francisco Half Marathon.
[Source: Santa Monica Daily Press]