Media Contact:
Joe Hui
Director of Communications
jhui@aplahealth.org
213.201.1342
12.23.2022
APLA Health is thrilled to announce that it will be receiving $500,000 to expand LGBTQ+ health care services in Long Beach as part of the federal spending bill signed by President Biden today. The funding comes courtesy of a request for community project funding from retiring Long Beach Rep. Alan Lowenthal (pictured above, center). Through community project funding, members of Congress can request funding for critical health, public works, and other specific projects in their districts.
The new funding will support the expansion of APLA Health Center, Long Beach located on the campus of St. Mary Medical Center. APLA Health is one of the only providers of comprehensive health care services in the South Bay dedicated to serving the LGBTQ+ community. The expansion will allow APLA Health to double the number of exam rooms, accommodate additional clinical and support staff, and build APLA Health’s first in-house pharmacy.
“Rep. Lowenthal and his staff were invaluable in securing this additional funding for APLA Health,” said APLA Health CEO Craig E. Thompson. “The new funding will not only expand our current facility, but it will also allow us to provide care, treatment, and prevention services to even greater numbers of LGBTQ+ patients, people with HIV, and other underserved communities in the Long Beach area.”
“This funding is a tribute to Rep. Lowenthal and his ongoing support for APLA Health during his entire Congressional career and before that when he served in the state Senate and Assembly,” continued Thompson. “With Rep. Lowenthal’s retirement, we now look forward to working with his successor, newly elected Rep. Robert Garcia, formerly the Mayor of Long Beach and also a strong ally of APLA Health, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with HIV.”
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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.
