Media Contact:
Joe Hui
Director of Communications
jhui@aplahealth.org
213.201.1342
3.1.2021
All APLA Health employees will be paid above the LA County living wage
APLA Health announced a new $20 per hour minimum wage for its workforce, $5 above the Los Angeles County minimum wage and exceeding the estimated County living wage. APLA Health continues to offer paid vacation and sick time, full employer-paid health insurance coverage for all staff, and a 6% match to employee 403(b) retirement accounts.
“APLA Health has earned consecutive Gold-Level Health Center Quality Leader recognition from HRSA (the Health Resources & Services Administration) due to the hard work and dedication of all our staff. Our Board of Director’s decision to increase our minimum wage honors this work, establishes APLA Health as a pay leader and furthers our efforts to provide the best possible care for our community,” said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “As we surpass half a million COVID-19 deaths in less than a year, we’re reminded how much we all depend on the ‘essential’ contributions of frontline workers. In Los Angeles County, the majority of these workers are Black and Latinx. If we are to be serious about reducing racial inequality, then we must promote both long-term systemic change and implement simple, concrete measures. Although the Los Angeles County minimum wage of $15 an hour is significantly higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, it still falls short of the estimated $18.63 per hour needed to live in the County. By raising our minimum hourly wage to $20, we are validating the skills of our frontline workers who care for the most vulnerable in our community.”
The change positively affects more than one third of APLA Health’s workforce, the majority of whom are people of color and women.
APLA Health, led by its Board of Directors, recognizes our social and financial responsibility to promote health justice in the communities we serve and in which our patients and staff live. Providing a minimum salary that exceeds the living wage is just one part of our ongoing efforts at creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce and community-at-large.
APLA Health’s wage increase will take effect on March 1, 2021.
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APLA Health (formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles) restores dignity and trust within underserved communities by providing world-class LGBTQ+ empowering healthcare, HIV specialty care, food, housing, and other essential support services. Since our founding in 1983, APLA Health has remained steadfast in our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic in our lifetime. We operate eight Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) locations in Los Angeles County, serving more than 19,000 people annually, regardless of ability to pay. Our list of comprehensive services includes LGBTQ+ primary care, dental care, behavioral healthcare, HIV specialty care, and Out Here Sexual Health services (PrEP, STD screening & treatment, DoxyPEP, and PEP). For people with HIV, our wraparound support services include housing assistance through the Alliance for Housing & Healing and nutritional support via the Vance North Necessities of Life Program, the largest food pantry in the United States for people with HIV, distributing over 800,000 meals annually. APLA Health’s annual fundraisers include AIDS Walk LA — the world's first and oldest AIDS Walk — and Best in Drag Show. We are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation at the local, state and Federal levels that positively impact the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities. For more information, visit aplahealth.org.
