25th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

WELCOME from the board chair & ceo

Tonight, as we look back at 25 years of the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, we pause with gratitude for the dedicated women and men who founded Desert AIDS Project. Their early work defined our reason for being and it continues to guide us.

Founded on love, passion, and a commitment to save lives, Desert AIDS Project is a humanitarian organization that opens its doors wider each year. Using the roadmap created during the earliest years of the AIDS Crisis, Desert AIDS Project continues to be led by the communities it serves, to improve the health and well-being of the whole person.

Several of our founders are in the room with you tonight. We look forward to acknowledging them during our program. They include: George Sonsel, Donald Beck, Kathy McCauley, Ron Christenson, and Bruce Lloyd.

We are also grateful for the early guidance of Steve Chase, the man for whom tonight is named. When Desert AIDS Project started in 1984, we had a small office, and then we moved to facility on Vella Road in Palm Springs. It was an industrial building that was a little rough around the edges. Steve used his talent and his contacts to create a space that was comfortable and welcoming to our clients. He wanted people who came in to have a nice environment that affirmed their well-being. Before we spoke of Integrative care, he was thinking about it. Tonight, we’ll honor his legacy of generosity and humanitarianism. The example he set still inspires the friends, co-workers, and non-profit organizations he supported. And we are especially grateful to the community members here tonight. Your attendance signals that you share our purpose and are committed to our bold vision of healthcare in the Coachella Valley.

At Desert AIDS Project, we believe that the work of any humanitarian organization is to remove roadblocks to human potential. In a very measurable way – that’s the impact your attendance tonight, supporting D.A.P. has in the lives of our neighbors, most of whom are living in poverty and facing very real health care challenges.

For the first time since the beginning of the AIDS crisis it is now possible to end the epidemic and eradicate HIV/AIDS. We have medications that allow us to achieve viral load suppression resulting in our HIV positive patients becoming non-infectious. We have PrEP and PEP, which help our HIV negative patients remain HIV negative.

However, despite these advances, ending the epidemic is not possible without providing treatment to everyone who needs it, retaining them in treatment and keeping them non-infectious. This requires a lifetime of care.

In addition to our HIV care, Desert AIDS Project is a Federally Qualified Health Center, which enables us to provide medical services to our underserved communities. Whether the health inequity stems from poverty, disability status, gender identity, race and ethnicity and/or sexual orientation, Desert AIDS project is best equipped to provide comprehensive, compassionate total care for those who need it.

Desert AIDS Project has been successful because of the commitment of people like you who care about providing top quality HIV and primary healthcare services to our community. We have been successful because of our unparalleled programs, dedicated volunteers and staff who provide these critical services daily.

As we look back and honor our history this evening, we also dedicate ourselves to the future of Desert AIDS Project.

It is about continuing the battle to end the epidemic. It is about expanding our physical space to accommodate the rapidly growing number of our neighbors needing access to quality health care.

It is about additional affordable housing to help stem our local homelessness crisis.

It is in short about the long-term health of our entire community.

And it is up to each of us tonight to follow the lead of Steve Chase and our earliest founders by choosing to do what others are afraid to do. By choosing to care deeply for our underserved neighbors looking for quality and compassionate care. Until there’s a cure…

Board Chair

Desert AIDS Project

CEO

Steve Kaufer

David Brinkman, MBA

Desert AIDS Project

25 YEARS A look at

the

Positive Impact of The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

By Jack Bunting

Many would agree, we’ve made so much progress since the earliest days of AIDS, but with conditions. Culturally and legally, being LGBTQ is not as dangerous as it once was, although hate crimes still occur. Living with HIV is no longer a death sentence, but stigma remains. And when it comes to access to care, countless numbers of Americans continue to fall through the cracks, despite better medications and the ACA.

Without community will and leadership from heroes willing to step outside their own comfort zones, the needle doesn’t move enough to change much of anything for the better. It takes someone like the late Steve Chase (1942-1994), renowned interior designer and art collector, and his very public devotion to helping people struggling to stay alive in the choking shadow of AIDS in the Coachella Valley.

Each year through his namesake gala, Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.) acts to keep Steve Chase’s benevolent spirit thriving.

Like so many other wealthy, successful, and handsome gay men of his time, Steve Chase could have opted for the safe comfort of silence. He had a magnificent home with several large closets he could have opted to hide in. He had money and connections across the globe. He could have ignored what was happening.

Instead, he became the most iconic benefactor D.A.P. has ever known.

“Steve could make a connection with anybody,” said Kathy McCauley, one of D.A.P.’s founders and its first RN.

According to many who were there, lesbians worked the hardest to help bring relief to the gay men who were dying of AIDS in the early days of the epidemic. Regardless of their jobs, they orga-

nized and mobilized the community, and were often the first ones to comfort the dying when others were too afraid.

Nurse McCauley liked Steve Chase instantly, and because she wore many hats, finding housing for patients and fundraising were included in her job duties. The two would regularly view apartments they were considering for patients who were either kicked out of their homes or unable to find housing because of their HIV status.

“The apartments are fine,” he’d say. “But they must have remodeled kitchens; the residents will need to have a place where they’ll want to cook and eat.”

Even then, housing and food insecurity represented huge areas of need for the clients of D.A.P., and it remains the same today. But seemingly, Steve Chase knew that the solution is community involvement.

“People living with HIV today have the privilege of a full life expectancy, but only if they are taking medications consistently, have restful sleep, a roof over their heads, nutritious meals, and meaningful engagement with others.”

Despite vacation rentals, casinos, and resorts, the Coachella Valley is a tough place to live for low-earning residents regardless of their HIV status (e.g. $24,000 per year for a single, or $41,566 for a family of three). One accident or illness can mean the loss of employment or housing, leading to a chain reaction that translates into diminished health and functioning.

People living with HIV today have the privilege of a full life expectancy, but only if they are taking medications consistently, have restful sleep, a roof over their heads, nutritious meals, and meaningful engagement with others. Getting behavioral health assistance from a culturally competent psychologist or counselor when necessary is also vital.

D.A.P. is in its largest expansion ever. Currently it serves about 4,500 clients, but by 2020, that number will rise to about 10,000. The need is great, as poverty is a common thread linking all our clients, regardless of HIV status.

By looking at a few of the countless acts of generosity over the last 25 years at The Chase gala, we can honor those who have indelibly changed the lives of those less fortunate, and we can see part of the evolution of Desert AIDS Project as we know it today.

Thanks to The Chase in 1994, D.A.P. was able to open a satellite office in Indio to provide HIV screening, as well as early intervention and case management services. Cultural taboos, language barriers, and distance can make the trip to the D.A.P. campus in Palm Springs daunting. By providing a discreet location with culturally competent staff who understand and empathize with the East Valley community, D.A.P. is using an old tactic from the early days.

According to Kathy McCauley, D.A.P.’s first clinic at 610 S. Belardo Rd. was doing the same thing— operating discreetly. Located behind the same complex where Revivals Palm Springs is today, Sun Plaza was the home to The Desert Sun newspaper back in those days.

Due to stigma, they operated without signage or advertising. “They had no idea what we were doing in there,” said McCauley. “They would have closed us down immediately. It’s funny that there were reporters working there,” and no one seemed the wiser.

Thanks to The Chase in 1998, local philanthropists responded by enabling the acquisition of our current 44,000 square-foot campus in Palm Springs to meet the demand to serve more and more people struggling to get the care they needed. Overcrowding at the old clinic on Vella Rd. was hampering efforts to adequately serve the need.

But the Vella Rd. clinic, opened a decade earlier, had been a breath of fresh air for many reasons. Unlike the Belardo Rd. clinic, which had to operate in secrecy, the Vella Rd. clinic was able to operate in plain sight of the community. In fact, it was resplendent. Steve Chase’s notoriety, passion and financial support had begun changing the lives of those struggling with HIV / AIDS.

Silk wallpaper and near-priceless paintings by artists like Cézanne created an atmosphere so dazzling that, perhaps for just a moment, patients suffering from AIDS were made to feel as though they were important and worthy of beauty.

Steve Chase had built a thriving practice on the magic created by thoughtful interior design. Seeing serenity in the eyes of a D.A.P. client with AIDS as he or she gazed at the features of the Vella Rd. office likely was its own reward.

Thanks to The Chase in 2001, the Morris and Lila Linsky family acted to address food insecurity for patients of D.A.P. Difficulty finding and keeping work is very common for people living with HIV, but thanks to the Linsky family, more than 300 D.A.P. clients are given healthy food, grocery vouchers, and dietary guidance every month.

Bob Edwards, a resident with AIDS living at Fred Hardt’s hotel, told The Desert Sun in 1984

“I ran into prejudice, ignorance, and selfishness among hospital attendants,” he said. “But it wasn’t their fault; they don’t know any better.”

25 YEARS STEVE CHASE HUMANITARIAN AWARDS IMPACT

Thanks to The Chase in 2007, philanthropist Philip Caplin helped fund the new Vista Sunrise Apartments on the D.A.P. campus. This was a major step toward making D.A.P.’s holistic vision for treating the whole individual, a reality. It also was in line with the original vision, shared by Steve Chase.

In the earlier days of the epidemic, it wasn’t just residents who faced housing discrimination. Local humanitarians who tried to house them faced just as much backlash, and possibly worse.

Moved by community action, Fred Hardt turned the Palm Springs hotel he owned into a respite for AIDS patients. His residents were isolated and given poor treatment by a medical system that was still years away from understanding the HIV virus or how to treat people who have it.

Dr. Bruce Lloyd, one of D.A.P.’s founders and its first physician, described a time when doctors were either too afraid to treat an AIDS patient, or they were outright forbidden to attend to them. Both he and Kathy McCauly, then an RN, had been told by their supervisors at the County of Riverside that they were not allowed to see AIDS patients. This did not deter them from volunteering and then working full time for D.A.P.

Bob Edwards, a resident with AIDS living at Fred Hardt’s hotel, told The Desert Sun in 1984 “I ran into prejudice, ignorance, and selfishness among hospital attendants,” he said. “But it wasn’t their fault; they don’t know any better.”

Although the Palm Springs City Council eventually rescinded its efforts to close Hardt down, Hardt would soon lose his hotel because of finances and eventually would lose the battle with the virus himself. It didn’t last long, but Hardt’s humanitarian gesture helped spark a movement to ensure those living with HIV / AIDS had housing. Thanks to The Chase in 2008, philanthropists Georgia and Gerald Fogelson funded the first adult HIV-specialty dental clinic in Riverside County.

25 YEARS OF PROGRESS AND POSITIVE IMPACT

THE CHASE | 1994

D.A.P. was able to open a satellite office in Indio to provide HIV screening, as well as early intervention and case management services.

THE CHASE | 1998

Local philanthropists responded by enabling the acquisition of our current 44,000 square-foot campus in Palm Springs to meet the demand to serve more and more people struggling to get the care they needed.

THE CHASE | 2001

The Morris and Lila Linsky family acted to address food insecurity for patients of D.A.P. Difficulty finding and keeping work is very common for people living with HIV, but thanks to the Linsky family, more than 300 D.A.P. clients are given healthy food, grocery vouchers, and dietary guidance every month.

THE CHASE |

2007

Philanthropist Philip Caplin helped fund the new Vista Sunrise Apartments on the D.A.P. campus. This was a major step toward making D.A.P.’s holistic vision for treating the whole individual, a reality. It also was in line with the original vision, shared by Steve Chase.

THE CHASE | 2008

Philanthropists Georgia and Gerald Fogelson funded the first adult HIV-specialty dental clinic in Riverside County.

THE CHASE | 2012

Philanthropist Annette Bloch funded a cancer care center dedicated to specialized HIV-related cancer research, screenings, treatment and prevention.

THE CHASE | 2015

Our community and donors open The DOCK, a walk-in clinic that provides HIV and STD testing, treatment, and prevention.

THE CHASE | 2016

Our community and donors helped launch the D.A.P. Hepatitis Center of Excellence to manage, support and cure those living with Hepatitis C, which kills more Americans today than HIV does.

Steve

Chase had built a thriving, 20-person interior design business based in Rancho Mirage with international clients before his death in 1994.

His

success did not happen overnight.

After beginning in interior design in L.A., Chase was hired by Arthur Elrod, the premier interior designer and founder of Elrod and Associates in Palm Springs.

Thanks to The Chase in 2012, philanthropist Annette Bloch funded a cancer care center dedicated to specialized HIV-related cancer research, screenings, treatment and prevention.

Thanks to The Chase in 2015, our community and donors open The DOCK, a walk-in clinic that provides HIV and STD testing, treatment, and prevention.

Thanks to The Chase in 2016, our community and donors helped launch the D.A.P. Hepatitis Center of Excellence to manage, support and cure those living with Hepatitis C, which kills more Americans today than HIV does.

How Did Steve Chase Build His Empire In Palm Springs?

Steve Chase had built a thriving, 20-person interior design business based in Rancho Mirage with international clients before his death in 1994. His success did not happen overnight. After beginning in interior design in L.A., Chase was hired by Arthur Elrod, the premier interior designer and founder of Elrod and Associates in Palm Springs. For 15 years, Chase was able to further develop his style, his reputation and his cache of international clients who trusted his vision implicitly.

Arthur Elrod and Associates was responsible for the interiors of some of the most notable country clubs, hotels, and midcentury modern homes in the Coachella Valley. Beginning his firm’s Palm Springs legacy with Lucy and Desi’s Rancho Mirage home in the 50s, Elrod was designing the interior of the hilltop Bob Hope Estate in Palm Springs, at the time of his death in 1974 by a drunken driver.

Perhaps most notable is the Elrods’s own home, the Arthur Elrod House, also designed by architect John Lautner. It is featured in the 1971 James Bond movie “Diamonds Are Forever”. As 007 outmaneuvers Bambi and Thumper in the film, viewers can drink in mid-century design elements throughout, as well as footage of a much less developed Coachella Valley floor below. Elrod was close friends with Bob and Dolores Hope, and both of their iconic homes, designed by architect John Lautner, are in the same gated neighborhood overlooking Highway 111.

WELCOME

from the gala co-chairs

As we recognize the 25th anniversary of the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, our recognition of the many supporters throughout the years must be acknowledged. We have a deep and heartfelt respect for the donors, volunteers and supporters of Desert AIDS Project, without whom the mission of D.A.P. couldn’t have succeeded. All across the Coachella Valley, businesses, other non-profit organizations, foundations, chambers of commerce, and residents all play a pivotal role ensuring Desert AIDS Project has the support and funding required to make health happen. We have deep appreciation for our generous sponsors of tonight’s event, ticket purchasers, Partners for Life members, D.A.P. staff and the 100+ volunteers working this evening to make this event possible.

Desert AIDS Project has a wonderful history of community members identifying a need and funding innovative solutions. There have been many changes since 1984 when a group of grassroots activists got together to respond to the emerging AIDS crisis, which was largely being ignored. In fact the community action roadmap, developed by this early group of activists, forms the foundation on which D.A.P. can respond to new and evolving needs of the underserved in our community.

We hope you share our sense of pride in being part of a community that cares. Your generosity ensures D.A.P. can provide confidential HIV testing, medical care, access to medication, and a comprehensive combination of health and wellness services to ensure D.A.P. clients thrive.

Further, your contributions support the mission of Desert AIDS Project – to enhance and promote the health and well-being of our community, and guarantee we can keep pace with newly identified needs requiring innovative solutions.

Kevin Bass

Gala Co-Chair

Patrick Jordan

Gala Co-Chair

D.A.P. Board Member

Lauri Kibby

Gala Co-Chair

PATRICK JORDAN

gala co-chair

Patrick Jordan called the music business home for 20 years after graduating from the University of Arizona in 1987 where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in communications.

Patrick worked with legendary executives, artists and producers overseeing promotions and operations for PolyGram, Island Records and DreamWorks Records. In 2006 Mr. Jordan made Palm Springs his full time residence and began a new career in real estate forming Patrick Stewart Properties at Bennion & Deville Homes. Currently Mr. Jordan is an Executive Luxury Director, a designation given only to 15 agents out of roughly 750 based on sales and leadership.

Patrick Jordan has been a long time AIDS activist helping get the first events off the ground with the Elton John AIDS Foundation and having been a supporter of Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Treatment Action Group and of course Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, CA as well as numerous others.

Also, if you have read this entire bio, Patrick is impressed and would like to buy you a cup of coffee. www.patrickstewartproperties.com

Lauri Kibby has 30 years experience in construction and development, having started her career with Irvine Retail Properties where she worked on the development of 13 community centers and the remerchandising and positioning of Fashion Island, Newport Beach.

She then went on to become CEO of a specialty restoration construction company and adaptive reuse of historic structures completing well over 150 projects in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

In 2006 she left the construction business and went on to develop small single-family residential subdivisions in Southern California as well as entitling several hotel mixed use projects.

She is currently developing the Dream Hotel and Residence project in Palm Springs, consisting of 169 hotel keys and 30 condominiums which began construction in 2018.

Kibby has wide and varied business start-up expertise and enjoys assisting others in bringing their dreams to life.

She has contributed her spare time to act in an executive capacity working with start-ups and small businesses in real estate development, construction, health & beauty, music, Internet, hospitality, and financial services.

LAURI KIBBY

gala co-chair

KEVIN BASS

Kevin Bass moved to Palm Springs in 1992 and immediately began volunteering at Desert AIDS Project. As a result, Kevin has seen many changes and enormous growth in services over the past many years.

Kevin was proud to serve as the Co-Chair of the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards in 2003, 2004 and 2006. He was honored with a Steve Chase Humanitarian Award in 2007.

In addition to DAP, Kevin has been involved with many additional organizations in the Coachella Valley. In 2000, Kevin was elected to the Board of Gay Associated Youth (501C3), and served as President of the Board for 6 years.

In 2008 he joined the National Board of the Human Rights Campaign where he served until 2012.

Kevin is passionate about his professional life as well. He is one of the top real estate agents in Palm Springs and a member of the ASK Team at HK Lane/Christies International.

In addition, Kevin owns 2 Home Health Care Agencies in Palm Springs and Newport Beach.

gala co-chair

THE ART OF GIVING BACK

Local award-winning interior designer, art collector, and philanthropist Steve Chase left nothing to chance.

By Daniel Vaillancourt

To understand just how famous he was, hear this: In the late ’80s, legendary former first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, multimillionaire oil magnate Armand Hammer, and the man himself were among the handful of well-heeled passengers awaiting takeoff from New York City to Paris on the Concorde. Upon glimpsing the trio, the flight attendant excitedly exclaimed, “Oh, my god! You’re interior designer Steve Chase!”

Then in his late thirties, the desert-based Chase— with his lanky frame, bronzed skin, and silvery coif— effortlessly exuded star quality, to be sure. But his worldwide notoriety came courtesy not only of his countless celebrity and corporate clients (for instance, he designed the interior of the first Lear jet) but of his numerous appearances in Architectural Digest. By his 1994 death to AIDS in Palm Springs at age 52, Chase’s image and work had been splashed across that glossy almanac’s pages more than that of any of his contemporaries.

Born in New Hampshire but raised in Southern California, only child Stephen Barrett Chase evinced an innate flair for design early. After graduating from both Providence’s Rhode Island School of Design and the Art Center School in Los Angeles, he was recruited by distinguished desert designer Arthur Elrod to join his eponymous Palm Springs firm in 1967. It was there that

Chase began to hone his signature, contributing to the creation of the crisp yet opulent California style, whose cornerstones include the showcasing of natural elements such as wood, granite, glass, and leather. When Elrod died in an automobile accident in 1974, Chase remained with the practice until 1980, when he broke out on his own, quickly rising to great, lasting heights.

THE PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM Retired Palm Springs Art Museum Chief Curator Katherine Hough—who’d earned an undergraduate degree in architectural interiors—worked alongside Chase at Arthur Elrod Associates, and the two developed a fast friendship lasting more than 20 years. “He was just an extraordinarily creative, outstanding person,” she says. “Not your average kind of guy at all. He’d walk into a room—dressed beautifully, with great style— and have this presence that no one else had. No one could keep up with him. He was go, go, go. Always openly gay. A real individual. A leader. Never a follower.” Hough also remembers how the exceedingly generous Chase would give Alaskan cruises or trips to Hawaii to his staff as a Christmas bonus. This magnanimity extended to Hough in the form of a promise he made to her early on in her tenure at the museum.

“Steve was a designer who liked to choose every single object in a client’s home, including all the accessories and all the artwork,” she begins.

“He worked with a few major art galleries in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He would select contemporary art and encourage clients to buy it for their home—or homes! At the same time, he started collecting himself for his own residences. He told me he wanted to build a considerable collection that would complement the museum’s— one that he would eventually leave to the museum. And that’s exactly what he did.

“Through the two decades we knew each other, he would always check in with me. He didn’t want to duplicate work we already had. He’d say, ‘I won’t buy such and such an artist if you already have a really great example of them.’ Later, when he became a member of our Contemporary Art Council Acquisitions Committee, if the museum could afford to purchase only one of a selection of desired works, he would buy the others, knowing that one day they would eventually make their way back to us.”

True to his word, Chase bequeathed 132 works of art—ceramics, glass, sculpture, and paintings by artists such as David Hockney, Ellsworth Kelly, Helen Frankenthaler, Ed Ruscha, Sam Francis, and Nathan Oliveira—to the museum. He also left $1.5 million to literally raise the facility’s roof and build a third story. The Steve Chase Art Wing and Education Center was dedicated in November 1996.

“Without Steve Chase, we’d probably still be a natural science museum with desert animals and desert dioramas,” says Hough of the institution that began as the Palm Springs Desert Museum in the ’30s. “His collection launched us into a different realm, quality- and quantity-wise. It brought us into a new era. That’s when people—donors, other collectors—started taking us seriously.”

THE LIVING DESERT ZOO AND GARDENS

The only paintings Chase did not bestow upon the Palm Springs Art Museum were the 49 tableaux in his collection of plein air landscapes by 23 California Impressionists. Those he donated to The Living Desert Zoo

“Steve exemplified the power of leveraging one’s life’s work and community of clients and friends to do something greater than themselves for humanity. He understood the art of giving back, and more than a quarter century after his death, his legacy is still very much alive.”

David Brinkman CEO | Desert AIDS Project

DESERT AIDS PROJECT

Good things come in threes, always. Yet another charitable agency upon which Steve Chase left his mark is Desert AIDS Project. “Prior to his involvement, we were in a church basement, so to speak,” says CEO David Brinkman of the non-profit, which was founded in 1984, and on whose board Chase also sat. “We were in the warehouse district of the city in very meager facilities that did not reflect how people who were living and dying with HIV should be surrounded and treated. In those early days, even powerful men like Rock Hudson, who were very accomplished, were in hiding, shielded from the public, because they were wasting and covered in KS lesions. Steve was not that person. He had the extraordinary courage to get out of the house, take meetings, and spend time shopping with and for his clients, many of whom were deeply moved by his spirit.”

One such client was Joan Kroc, third wife of McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc. Not only did she routinely use Chase’s singularly stellar services, they were neighbors at Thunderbird Cove in Rancho Mirage. “Legend has it that shortly after Steve’s death, Joan arrived at her desert home from her house at the beach to find that a bighorn sheep had apparently used its horns to break through a plate glass window, and had happily munched on the back of a sofa Steve had designed,” says Brinkman. “Joan, taking this as a sign she was done with the desert, donated the house and everything inside it to Desert AIDS Project in memory of Steve.”

When volunteers from Revivals came to the house to box up its contents, they found a shiny Rolls Royce still parked in the garage. Calling Kroc inform her the car had been left behind, and to ask how they should return it to her in La Jolla, they were told, “When I said I’m giving you everything, I meant everything. The car’s yours!”

and Gardens, another group in which he believed and on whose board he sat from 1989 until his death. The entirety of his gifts—some $2.5 million—enabled the organization to erect not only its Eagle Canyon and Meerkat Café but the Stephen B. Chase Administration Building. “We are honored to have been the recipient of Steve Chase’s generosity,” says The Living Desert President and CEO Allen Monroe. “His contributions, vision, and support helped a young organization grow on many levels. His legacy has helped set us on a path to become the education and conservation leader we are today.”

“The Kroc gift was the seed money that permitted DAP to purchase its current campus at Vista Chino and Sunrise Way,” continues Brinkman. “All of a sudden, because of Joan and Steve, there was a true medical home for people with HIV.”

THE STEVE CHASE HUMANITARIAN AWARDS

In recognition of what Chase did to change its fate and that of its clients, DAP named its most important yearly benefit after him.

“Steve exemplified the power of leveraging one’s life’s work and community of clients and friends to do something greater than themselves for humanity,” concludes Brinkman. “He understood the art of giving back, and more than a quarter century after his death, his legacy is still very much alive.”

THE NEXT ERA OF HEALTH CARE

Through the years: A look at Desert AIDS Project’s Evolution as a health-care provider

By Denise Goolsby | The Desert Sun

1984

At a time when public agencies and the healthcare system were slow to respond to the HIV epidemic in the Coachella Valley, a community of grass-roots volunteers founded Desert AIDS Project (D.A.P.).

Aug. 14, 1984

With the approval of California Secretary of State March Fong Eu, the Community Counseling & Consultation Center became an official nonprofit corporation which would provide the government funding channel to Desert AIDS Project.

Sept. 5, 1984

First official Desert AIDS Project meeting was held at 7 p.m. at Desert Hospital in the Mezzanine Room of the Sinatra Center. The first D.A.P. office was at 610 S. Belardo Road in Palm Springs.

Oct. 20, 1984

First fundraiser – hosted jointly with the Desert Business Association (DBA) – at the Palm Springs High School Auditorium. “Broadway Lights & Hollywood Nights,” presented by the Great American Yankee Freedom Band and the L.A. Gay Men’s Chorus.

1985

Upon FDA approval of the first test to detect HIV antibodies in blood, Desert AIDS Project responded immediately by initiating its own HIV/ AIDS testing program in the Coachella Valley.

APRIL 26 | 1987

First gala benefit for Desert AIDS Project – “Palm Springs – A Day in the 30s” at the Palm Springs Marquis Hotel. Honorees: Desert AIDS Project founders and desert area AIDS doctors. Sponsorship: $1,200 – included eight reception tickets and two dinner tickets.

JUNE

| 1988

D.A.P. moves into new offices at 750 S. Vella Road. The project provides health education and prevention programs on AIDS, HIV testing, social services and counseling support services to AIDS victims, their families and friends.

MAY 4 | 1989

The Desert Sun produced a 20–page special section – “AIDS in the Valley” – in conjunction with the inaugural Desert AIDS Walk. The section featured stories of people living with AIDS; AIDS education in the community and schools; updates on medical treatments and research; national and local AIDS statistics; and countless advertisements expressing support for the work of D.A.P. and the gay community.

MAY 7 | 1989

First Annual Desert AIDS Walk, a 10K held in downtown Palm Springs. Dr. David Kaminsky and wife Janice were event chairmen. Actor Kirk Douglas and wife Anne participated in the walk.

Kirk spoke to the crowd before the participants hit the street. “Let’s walk, run, do whatever we can to eradicate AIDS,” he said. Former President Gerald Ford and former first lady Betty Ford attended the post-walk picnic event held on the patio area of the Desert Fashion Plaza.

FEB. 15 | 1991

Desert AIDS Project expands its Vella Road offices and opens a medical clinic, which is staffed, full-time, by physician Bruce Lloyd and nurse practitioner Kathy McCauley, both formerly of the Riverside County Health Department’s clinic in Palm Springs. A full-time nurse, receptionist, lab technician and clinic manager were also hired.

FEB. 14 | 1993

A Valentine’s gala honoring former first lady and recovery advocate Betty Ford, philanthropist Joan Kroc and international interior designer Steve Chase “for their support and generous

contributions” was held at the McCallum Theatre. Singer Jane Olivor cq headlined the event.

1994

When HIV care was not available in the eastern Coachella Valley where language and socio-economic challenges persist, Desert AIDS Project responded by opening a satellite office in Indio to provide HIV and Hepatitis C screenings, as well as early intervention and case management services for underserved and primarily low-income, Hispanic/Latino communities.

FEB. 13 | 1995

First Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards was held at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert. Actress Mary Steenburgen and Luc Montagnier, president of the World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, were honored for their individual efforts in the fight against AIDS. Tom Hanks, who presented the award to Steenburgen, read a congratulatory letter from then-first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

1995

The very first Revivals store was opened in a back corner of the Desert AIDS Project office on Vella Road. Since those earliest days, the funds raised through selling donated goods at Revivals have gone back to support client services at D.A.P., while also providing a great volunteer opportunity for those who wanted to support the organization with their time and retail talents.

1998

When the primary facility in Palm Springs was no longer able to accommodate an increasing patient load, local philanthropists responded with the purchase of the current 44,000-square-foot campus in Palm Springs, at 1695 N. Sunrise Way, to meet the increasing demand for services and a larger medical clinic.

MAY | 1999

Desert AIDS Project moves to its new location at 1695 N. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs.

2001

As patients affected by HIV were suffering from nutritional challenges as a result of their inability to maintain steady employment, the Morris & Lila Linsky family responded by building a Food Depot on the Desert AIDS Project campus to provide healthy food distribution, grocery vouchers and dietary guidance to over 300 clients per month.

FEB. 11 | 2002

Gov. Gray Davis made the opening remarks at the eighth annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards Gala. “You’re doing God’s work,” Davis told the crowd of 1,300 participants at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The governor called Desert AIDS Project an oasis of hope and help for thousands of people in California. Jeanne White, the mother of Ryan White, whose boyhood battle made him an international symbol for the care of people living with AIDS, was among the honorees.

JUNE 2003

Desert AIDS Project launches its website, www. desertaidsproject.org.

APRIL 27 | 2006

Desert AIDS Project launches “Dining Out for Life” – which has become an annual fundraising event, where, for one day, participating local restaurants donate a percentage of their sales to D.A.P.

2007

When there was a lack of affordable housing for many in the valley living with HIV and other chronic conditions, philanthropist Philip Caplin responded by helping to fund Vista Sunrise Apartments on the Desert AIDS Project campus.

2008

When patients affected by HIV could not find culturally competent dentists who could care for them, philanthropists Georgia & Gerald Fogelson responded by building the first adult, HIV-specialty dental clinic in Riverside County on the Desert AIDS Project campus.

SEPT. 24 | 2011

Desert AIDS Project’s inaugural “Dancing with the Desert Stars” fundraiser is held at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Actor Leslie Jordan and singer Thelma Houston participate as judges.

2012

When it was discovered during the course of HIV testing that certain types of cancer disproportionately affected persons living with HIV, philanthropist Annette Bloch stepped forward with a $1 million donation to fund a cancer care center dedicated to specialized HIV-related cancer research, screenings, treatment and prevention, ensuring that patients would receive timely and effective care.

2014

HIV infection remains disturbingly high in the Coachella Valley, more than double the nation -

al rate of infection. In response, Desert AIDS Project launched Get Tested Coachella Valley as the nation’s first nonprofit-led, region-wide HIV testing, prevention, education and linkage to care initiative. Over 81,000 Coachella Valley residents were tested for HIV, and the testing work continues today.

2015

When it was discovered that a lack of access to sexual wellness information contributes to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in the Coachella Valley, D.A.P.’s community of volunteers and donors helped launch THE DOCK, a walk-in, no-appointment-necessary clinic that provides HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing, linkage to care and access to HIV preventative medication Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).

2016

When a serious and growing need for Hepatitis care emerged in the Coachella Valley, especially with regard to co-infection rates among persons living with HIV, D.A.P.’s community of volunteers and donors helped support the D.A.P. Hepatitis Center of Excellence to deliver comprehensive, state-of-the-art expertise to manage, support and cure those afflicted with Hepatitis C.

OUTLOOK

More than 50 percent of Coachella Valley residents live at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($24,000 a year). With the support of the community of volunteers and donors, Desert AIDS Project’s new capital campaign will allow it to expand its campus, programs and services to meet the rapidly increasing affordable and quality health care needs of 10,000 potential clients. It will more than double D.A.P.’s current scope of service to communities in need. It’s slated to be completed by 2020 or 2021.

Sources: Desert AIDS Project, The Desert Sun, Los Angeles Times

KAREN & TONY BARONE

CREATORS OF THE 2019 STEVE CHASE AWARD

KAREN & TONY BARONE are a legendary couple working side by side in the execution of their very large-scale sculpture & paintings. Their sculptures can be experienced throughout the Palm Springs Valley. They are local artists with a global reach. This extraordinarily creative husband and wife team’s works have been exhibited and acquired by cities, individuals, corporations, & museums worldwide.

The Barones were both born in Chicago where they met, fell in love, merged, married and achieved a high level of success: “Chicago was very good to us.” The next stop on their artistic and romantic journey took them to New York City where “we got our stripes.” Working out of their sprawling 4th floor loft, they were known as “Soho pioneers.” A hillside studio on their horse farm in East Tennessee became their next artistic environ before heading west to become a powerful artistic presence disseminating art and producing one couple shows from their massive canal-side studio in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach.

Early in the new millennium, they moved their high voltage creativity to the Palm Springs California desert community of Rancho Mirage in the Coachella Valley, where larger-than-life public art began to dominate their oeuvre.

Karen & Tony Barone possess a formidable wit. They create mind-boggling works of art that challenge our sense of scale and spatial reality. They place us in an Alice-In-Wonderland state of disbelief and visual adventure. They believe art can be a powerful force for good and human enrichment and they support many causes to that goal.

A principal public art initiative is a series of giant 6’-2” brightly colored Dalmatian puppy sculptures titled “R. HERO”. The “R. HERO” sculpture was conceived to honor Firefighters & First Responders. A recent accomplishment includes an expansive swooping 50’ sculpture known as the “Forks”. It dominates the front façade of Acqua California Bistro @The River and the mega ensemble art installation of 9 ginormous rabbit sculptures in an open field. The “Rabbits” and the “Forks”.

The Barones believe art can be a powerful force for good and they support many causes to that end. In addition, they continue to create art in support of Animal Shelters. Their sculptures are viewed by thousands of people each day in pubic places and museums across the USA, South America, Europe and Middle East.

For more about the art of Karen & Tony Barone visit: BaroneArt.com

STEVE CHASE HUMANITARIAN AWARDS LEAD STAFF

DARRELL L. TUCCI, CFRE

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

CHRIS RUETZ

DIRECTOR OF MAJOR AND PLANNED GIVING

STEVEN HENKE

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

DEBBIE CHAPMAN

DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING EVENTS

CHRIS WYANT EVENTS MANAGER

BETH NEWTON

DATA BASE AND PROJECT COORDINATOR

D.A.P. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

STEVE KAUFER CHAIR

PATRICK JORDAN VICE CHAIR

MARK HAMILTON SECRETARY

FRED DREWETTE TREASURER

KEVIN BASS

JERRY FOGELSON

BARBARA KELLER

DR. TERRI KETOVER

ATHALIE LAPAMUK

BERTIL LINDBLAD

KYLE MUDD

DAVID PEREZ

GREG RODRIGUEZ

STEVE ROSE

ANN SHEFFER

SPECIAL THANKS TO

RICHARD DESANTIS AWARDS GALA PRODUCER

SCOTT MCGILLIVRAY BRANDING AND GRAPHIC DESIGN

AUCTION COMMITTEE

JIMMY BOEGLE

SCOTT BALSON

BRAD FUHR

BARBARA FROMM

JON-ERIC LEHMAN

ERIC NICOLL

JEFFREY NORMAN

DAVID KEESEY

AMANDA SMITH

THANK YOU TO OUR AMAZING SPONSORS

PRODUCING SPONSOR

The Auen Foundation

Walgreens

25TH ANNIVERSARY

Mark Adams

Elgart Aster & Paul Swerdlove

Annette Bloch

Desert Care Network

Eisenhower Health

Desert Sun

El Paseo Jewelers

Grace Helen Spearman Foundation

Living Out

Harold Matzner

Reaction Marketing

Walgreens

STAR

Acqua & Lulu California Bistros

Brush Palm Springs

Jean-Daniel Kermelly & Gerry Battle

Lauri & Charles Kibby

Here Media

Edward & Marie Lewis

Natural Retreats

NBC Palm Springs

SUPPORTING

Steven Anders / The Elizabeth Firth Wade Endowment

Bank of America

Blackbook

Jim Burba & Bob Hayes

Chill Bar

Desert Oasis Healthcare

Diageo

Gilead Sciences

Lynn Hammond

Heather James Fine Art

ITEX of the Desert

Barbara & Jerry Keller

Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs

Neil Lane Jewelers

Dorothy and Melvyn Lefkowitz

Palm Springs Personal Concierge

Patton Design Studio

Rabobank

Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel

UC Riverside School of Medicine

Vaso Bello Celebrations

Wells Fargo

White Cross Pharmacy

BENEFACTOR

29 Palms Band of Mission Indians

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians

Coachella Valley Health Personnel

Freehold Communities

Gay Ad Network

Grit Development

Annette Guzman

Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Image360

Patrick Jordan

Kaiser Permanente

Koffi

Frank Kurland

Donald Lorack

Laboratory Corporation of America

Perry McCay

Morongo Band of Mission Indians

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez

Renova Energy

Revive Wellness

Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler

Sysco Riverside

Union Bank of California

MEDIA

CV Independent

Gay Desert Guide

LOCALE Magazine

Palm Springs Life

PromoHomo.TV

Rage Monthly

The Hollywood Times

The Standard

As of January 17, 2019

PLATINUM

Mark Hamilton and Juan Francisco

Patrick Jordan GOLD

Robert Bennion and Bob Deville

Hugh Donaldson

Norman Halliday and Douglas Jones

Donald and Judith Lorack

Steve Tobin and Johnny Krupa

STERLING

David Brinkman and Dr. Will Grimm

Christopher Brown and Ruben Moreno

Kenith Goodman and Brad Lagore

Dana Guarnera and Salvatore Sorrenti

Lynn Hammond

James Burba and Robert Hayes

Geoffrey Kors and James Williamson

Perry McKay

Dr. David Morris

Kyle Mudd and Louis Smith

Barry and Michael Nadeau

Loren Ostrow

Kenneth Remitz

Dr. Ronald Steigerwalt and Michael Carson

Rich Weissman and J. D. Horn

William C. Wheeler, Jr.

Nia Yates and Theodore Avery

SILVER

Pablo Aleman

Robert Ashby

Carl Baker

Kevin Bass and Brent Bloesser

Bruce Bastian and Clint Ford

Phil Burgess and Jim Nutter

Robert Burke and Michael De La Rosa

Thomas Burnett and David Muth

Harold Clumeck and Steve Wickson

Marlin Connole and Ron Rishky

Keith Cornell and Mark Duebner

Vince Corsaro

Dr. Jim Cox

Bill DeHart and David Kamimoto

Phillip Doolittle

Michael Eicksteadt and Nicholas Lawson

Grant and Kevin Elder

Larry Espinosa

John Evans

Michael Feddersen and Thomas McClay

Gary Gaiser and Rick Mantle

Randy George and Chuck Collins

Steven Henke and Greg Probst

Sean Heslin and Stephen Heslin

Roy Huebner

Diana and Jonathan Kallis

Steve Kaufer and Young Chu

Barbara and Jerry Keller

Dr. Terri Ketover and Dr. Bart Ketover

Stephen Lachs and Michael Ruvo

Eugene Leyval and Daniel Varela

Andy Linsky

Mark Loeffler

Bob Machado and Michael Crick

Jim Mallory

Michael Malone and Brian O’Connor

Dr. Mark Maslack

Scott Mason

Valerie Milano

Joseph Miller and Dima Pevzner

Eric Nicoll

Scott Palermo and Jim Sanak

Nicholas Pepper

David Perez

Dr. Gary Petrauski and Dr. Barbara Schlager

Willie Rhine and Albert Gonzalez

Alan Richardson

Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler

Hector Vizoso and Jorge Zaiden

David Vogel and Larry Fulton

Daniel L. Warn and Ricard Aguilar

Dave Weigle and Mark Yacko

David Zippel and Michael Johnston

BRONZE

Luc Agosta and Bud Sydenstricker

John Paul Allen and Paul Granados

Rich Alther and Ray Repp

Alan Armstrong and Gordon Rock

Jeffrey Bach and Chris Campbell

Scott Balson and Mark Lechter

Leslie Barclay

Christopher Bates

Darrell Baum and Sam Sagara

Jeffrey Bellamy and Bret Jacobs

Jeffrey Bernstein and Dr. Oscar Chamudes

Nathan Bleidt

Nancy Bleiweiss-Nevil and Charles Nevil

Annette Bloch and Andrei Muresan

Jimmy Boegle and Garrett Dangerfield

Senator Barbara Boxer and Stewart Boxer

Tracy Boomer and Robert Downing

Trent Broadus and Marcelo Martinez

Fred Brugal and William Breto

Karl Buchberg and Patrick Cooney

Joseph Burgo and Michael Eha

Carolyn and Daniel Caldwell

Iain Campbell and Rick Moran

Kevin Campbell and Greg Smith

Philip Caplin

Ken Carls and Nick Valenziano

Gerard Carpency

Joshua Cazares and Thomas Rivera

Don Cecil and Mark Gilbert

Douglas Chadwick

Deborah Chapman

Keturah Chisholm and Dr. Bruce Chisholm

Joanne Chunowitz

Stephanie Cienfuegos

Larry Colton and John McCoy

Roberta Conroy

Peggy Cravens

Christie Moon Crother

Don Curtis and Stephen Winters

Anthony and Tiffany

Dalton Capobianco

Al Keve and Larry Deitz

Dr. Rene Dell’Aqua

David DeMuro and Chris Longobucco

Dr. Andrew Dietz and Christian Slotter

Timothy Hohmeier and Charles Diodosio

Doug Donenfeld

Brian Douglas and Jim Hodgkins

Timothy Duffy and Ernest Ellison

William Duffy

Reynaldo Duran

Rick Edgcumbe and Jim Davis

Edwin Ellis

Darryl English and Paul Leite

Joel Epstein

Felipe Espinoza

Owen Fair

Matt Farokhmanesh

David Feltman

Dennis Flaig and Clinton Moore

Cesar and Mercedes Flores

Daniel Flournoy and Shannon Bartley

Jerry Fogelson

Dr. Christopher Foltz

Brian Fox and Claude Malenfant

Carol & Ron Fragen

Jason Freed and John Meyer

Barbara and Bernard Fromm

Robert Frydrych and Bruce Senesac

Brad Fuhr

Helene Galen

Robert Geisler and Robert Berey

Dan George and Paul Hodapp

Craig Gibson and Les Brown

Alexandra Glickman and Gayle Whittemore

Evan Goldfarb

Frank Goldstin and Paul Clowers

Shelli Goodman

Carolanne Graff-Radford

Lady Janet Green

Edith Groesbeck

John Hager and Ron Geatz

Ryan Halquist and Kyle Winn

Richard Halton and Jean-Marc Frailong

Scott Harbin and Phil Corrigan

Jan Hawkins

Michael Hayes

Tamara Hedges

Scott Hedin

Ira Helf and John Knoebel

Sean Hennen and Paul Wright

James Hering and Michael Hughes

Chris Heritage Esq.

Michael Hilgenberg and Heath Hilgenberg

Stefan Hill

John Hueste

Randy Isaacs and Tom Scrocco

Leslie Sholl Jaffe and David Jaffe

Dr. Tim Jochen and Lee Erwin

Allison Jones

Tom Judge and Larry Ausburn

Larry Kampf and David Dunn

David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard

Suzy and Bennett Katz

Dr. Shubha Kerkar and Jay Kerkar

Lauri Kibby

Michael Killian and Justin Ceeko

Keith Kincaid and Chris Harms

Robert Kincaid and Rick Hutcheson

Daniel Kitowski

George Knott and Scott Gulledge

Dane Koch and Eric Scott

Susan and Bruce Konheim

G. P. Paul Kowal and Jefferson Hills

Rosanne Kumins

Marc Kutten and John Kelly

Athalie Laguerre

Avner Lapovsky

Thomas Laurita and Harry Nussbaum

Lawrence Lazzaro

Chuck Leachman and

Mickey Feigelson

Francois LeClair and John Farrell

Leo Lee and Brian Jones

Dorothy and Melvyn Lefkowitz

Jerry Levin and Bill Huff

James Lewis and Paul Watson

Bertil Lindblad

James Lindquist and Ken Shafer

Bruce Lindstrom

David Lockwood and Michael Paxton

Cary Lowe and Allan Ames

Denise Luckman-Eyer

Norman Luke and Daniel McIntyre

Donna MacMillan

Randy Mair and Jonathan Bickel

Michael Malfavon

Raymond Manci and Kevin Tabor

Stephen Manookian and Al Johnson

Rick Manzano and Dr. Suzanne M. Quardt

Cheryl Markovitz

Keith Markovitz and David Locke

Eileen Mason

Ogniana Masser

Michael Mathews and Joseph Seiver

Ed McBride and Tad Green

Michael McCartney

Kevin McCausland and Greg Sadoian

Jim McKenna and Marco Aguiar

Jesse McManus and Daniel Apodaca

Jose Mendez Fernandez and Casey Colley

Susan Mesenbrink and

Margo Fitzgerald

Marvin Meyers and Roger Bredahl

Kent and Kimberly Miller

Thomas Morgan

Angela Morris

Ken Morris

Michael Muller

Jeff Nakano and Ryan Harlow-Nakano

Stefany Nelson

Jim Neuman and Dick Shapero

Jeffrey Norman

Edward Oehler and William Haines

Rabbi Sally Olins

Jonathan Olow and Nick Toledo

Michael O’Malley

Scott Patrick and Greg Vick

Marshall Pearcy and Douglas Woodmansee

Richard Pennacchi and Jared Trexel

Marietta and Karen Perkins

David Perry and Alfredo Casuso

Darrel Perry and Jerry Marmon

Bridgette Picou

Valerie Powers Smith, Esq. and Dr. Mark Smith

Mindy Reed

James Reed

Malcolm Riggle

Curtis Ringness and Barry Ralph

Brian Rix and Jack Farmer

Greg Rodriguez and Alejandro Flores

Gil Rose and Stan Russell

Stephen Rose

Christopher Ruetz

Russ Russell and Kevin Vorwerk

Ronnie Saavedra and Mark Schroepfer

Sheri and Lonnie Saenz

Dr. Osmundo Saguil and Craig Mann

Bob Sanderson and Eric Branthoover

Tara Sandler and Jennifer Davidson

Becky Sandlin

Dr. Stephen Saponaro and Tim Schneider

Phyllis and Gary Schahet

Herb Schultz and Stuart Leviton

Chris Sears and Michael Polk

Gregory Seller and Blade Branham

Lori and Aubrey Serfling

Nancy Sinatra

Dr. Tulika Singh

Amanda Smith and Gordon Ferren

Gary Soto and Matt Tully

Jim Stake and Liam Harvey

Brian and Steve Stanford

Ron Stange

Fred Stark and Roman Shi

Susan Stein

Robert Stelzl and Stephen Fanelli

Matt Stocker and Tom Oliver

Roger Stoker and Michael Ostrow

Bruce and Anne Strohm

Dr. Marcos Suarez

Hector King Tamayo

Nancy Tapick and Marilyn Benachowski

Tom Tarr and Rob Woronoff

Russell Taylor

Trent Tiecke and Keith Binkley

Dr. Richard Torban

Tom Truhe and Chuck Hasse

Darrell Tucci

Robert Van Roo

Bill VanHemert and Robert Graham

Sven Vennen and Andrew Merskin

Kathleen Von Dehn and Jonathan Reiss

Tanner Voskamp and Johnny Dawson

George Waffle and Tom Dolle

Todd Walcott

Robert Walker and Ernie Phinney

Thomas Troy Walsh and Dennis Cooke

Andy Warren

Brian Webb and Rolando Ramos

Gary Weinstein

Bruce Weiss

John Wendell and Mark Okun

John White and Travis Smith

Brad White

Robb Whittlef

Randy Wiemer and Michael Larson

Michael Williams

Art Williams and Gene Leone

Ron Willison

Dr. Jennifer Winesburg

Ellen Wolf

Tim Wood and Jim Scheibel

Randy Woodman and Frederick Psaki

Jeffrey Wright

Christopher Wyant

Stefanie and Peter Young

Rabbi Barbara Zacky

BARRY MANILOW

Philanthropist / icon musician / legend

With worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, Barry Manilow’s success is a benchmark in popular music. His concerts sell out instantly. He is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard Magazines. Rolling Stone crowned him “a giant among entertainers… the showman of our generation.” Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters stated that “Barry Manilow is the coolest motherf***er in the world,” and Frank Sinatra summed up Manilow best when Ol’ Blue Eyes told the British press, “He’s next.”

Music is Manilow’s passion -- both in the studio and in the classroom. While he has released over 40 albums, Manilow has also raised millions of dollars through his Manilow Music Project. In response to drastic budget cuts in arts programs across the U.S., the Manilow Music Project is keeping the music alive by ensuring that middle school and high school students have instruments in their hands to use in their music classes.

Manilow’s roots are in his native Brooklyn, where music was an integral part of his life. By the age of seven, he was taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor’s piano. Choosing a career in music while still in his teens, he attended New York College of Music and the Julliard School of Music while working in the mailroom at CBS. He subsequently became musical director for the CBS show “Callback” (the predecessor of American Idol), which led to a lucrative sideline on New York’s advertising jingle circuit. In 1971, Barry Manilow met Bette Midler and became her music director, arranger and pianist. The following year, he signed with Bell Records to record his debut solo album.

Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records), with 50 Top 40 Hits.

To date, 29 of Manilow’s albums have been certified platinum, while BARRY MANLOW/LIVE (1977), EVEN NOW (1978), and GREATEST HITS (1978) are each certified triple platinum.

Every album produced by Manilow for other artists – including Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, and Dionne Warwick – has been nominated for Grammy® Awards.

A winner of Grammy®, Emmy®, and Tony® Awards, Manilow’s film credits include the Oscar®-nominated song “Ready To Take A Chance Again” (from 1978’s “Foul Play”), the production of Bette Midler’s “Perfect Isn’t Easy” (from Walt Disney’s “Oliver and Company”), and writing and scoring the soundtracks for the animated features “Thumbelina” and “The Pebble and the Penguin.”

In June 2002, Manilow was inducted into the National Academy of Popular Music’s Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Ashford & Simpson, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman, and Sting. In 2012 he was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame.

After spending an unprecedented 10 years at the top of the pop music charts, this multi-talented producer, arranger, musician, composer, singer and performer has succeeded with albums focused on 50’s Jazz, Techno-Jazz, Big Band Swing, Show Tunes, Sinatra Swing, songs from the Great American Songbook, Christmas music and rock ‘n roll. Makes one’s head spin. No wonder Rolling Stone dubbed him “The Showman of Our Generation”.

CONGRATULATIONS!

GEOFF KORS & JAMES WILLIAMSON partners for life HONOREES

GEOFF KORS

Geoff Kors is Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Palm Springs, having been elected to the City Council in 2015. As a member of the City Council, Geoff has drafted ordinances to advance financial stability, small business growth, gun safety, equal benefits, civil rights, ethics and government reform, and environmental sustainability. Geoff works to promote tourism and locally owned businesses and was appointed to serve as the City’s liaison to the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, Palm Springs Hospitality Association, P.S. Resorts, and the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau where he was recently elected to the role of Vice Chair. Geoff also co-chairs Palm Springs Homelessness Task Force.

A graduate of Stanford Law School, Geoff has had a distinguished career working in non-profits and government, focusing on policy and law. Geoff served for nine years as Executive Director of Equality California where he led the effort to transform California from a state with almost no legal protections for the LGBTQ community to the state with the broadest protections in the nation. Under his leadership, Equality California also advocated for non-discrimination protections for people living with HIV/AIDS and funding for HIV/AIDS organizations and patients. During his tenure, Geoff helped pass more than 70 bills, many of which he conceived of and drafted. In 2009, Geoff opened Equality California’s Palm Springs office, marking the first time a statewide or national LGBTQ rights organization provided an office and field/education staff in the Desert.

Geoff’s experience includes representing local government as a lawyer, working as a senior legislative staffer for a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors/City Council, and serving as an Assistant Regional Counsel for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Geoff is the architect and author of San Francisco’s (first in the nation) equal benefits ordinance which is credited with dramatically expending health insurance for LGBTQ employees. Geoff led the ACLU of Illinois Gay and Lesbian Rights and AIDS and Civil Liberties Projects where he won key court cases prohibiting dentists from discriminating against patients with HIV, ending the Chicago Police Department’s

practice of testing and refusing to hire HIV positive recruits and securing the first co-parent adoption for a same-sex couple. He also served as Government Policy Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights where he spearheaded work on local, state and federal legislation and government policy and focused on efforts to ban conversion therapy and expand non-discrimination protections.

Geoff has been an active member of the Palm Springs community and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Mizell Senior Center and the Palm Springs Boys and Girls Club. He also serves on the Digicom Advisory Board, Sanctuary Palm Springs Advisory Board and Desert Stonewall Democrats Steering Committee. Geoff previously served on the national board of directors of Freedom to Marry and on the board and as PAC Chair for the SF League of Conservation Voters.

Geoff is a member of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce, Desert Business Association, Mizell Senior Center Stars Club, Desert AIDS Project Partners for Life, AIDS Assistance Project Angel, Palm Springs Museum Theater Council, PS Mod Com Preservation Partner, HRC Federal Club, Equality California Capitol Club and many other community organizations.

JAMES WILLIAMSON

A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, James emigrated from Scotland to the United States in 1989. He became a proud US citizen in 2008. Prior to “retiring” to Palm Springs, James had a successful 25 year career in financial management, working in executive management positions for companies in the retail and private equity sectors and for organizations in the nonprofit sector.

During his professional career, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for a chain of educational bookstores and a for private equity firm. He also held executive positions with a US State Department funded international relations organization and a nonprofit community development organization focused on inner-city development.

James has served as a board member and held board leadership positions in numerous nonprofit organizations over the past 25 years. He has also volunteered and served as a consultant on numerous political campaigns and for candidates for office who share his belief in diversity, equality and justice.

After moving to California in 1991, James became extremely active in the LGBTQ community, volunteering for numerous organizations including the Shanti Project, where he served as an emotional support volunteer to people with end stage HIV/AIDS, and as a member of the LGBTQ Advisory Committee to San Francisco Human Rights Commission. In 2002, James joined the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center, where he served on both the Executive Committee and as the organization’s Treasurer. After two terms of service on the API Wellness board, James joined the board of the Horizons Community Foundation where he served as the organizations Board Co-Chair. During his tenure, Horizons granted millions of dollars to a broad spectrum of LGBTQ community and HIV/AIDS non-profit organizations. In 2009, James joined the Board of Directors for the San Francisco LGBT Community Center where he served as Chair. In Palm Springs, he served on the City’s Historic Site Advisory Board from 2001 to 2015. James was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Palm Springs Unified Scholl District in 2014, and served as President in 2018. Most recently, James managed the successful campaign to expand the Desert Healthcare District into the east valley (Measure BB).

James currently serves on the boards of Planned Parenthood (PSW), Equality California, the LGBT Center of the Desert, Desert Stonewall Democrats, and Qchella Media. He is a member of the Desert AIDS Project Partners for Life, AIDS Assistance Project Angel, Palm Springs Museum Theater Council, PS Mod Com Preservation Partner, HRC Federal Club, Equality California Capitol Club, Desert Business Association, Mizell Senior Center Stars Club, and many other community organizations.

18|8 Fine Men’s Salon - Palm Springs

533 Viet Fusion

AC3 Restaurant + Bar

Mark Adams

Alexander McQueen

All About Massage

Acqua California Bistro

Barking Beauties Dog Grooming

Barkingham Pet Hotel California

Joseph & Nan Benincasa

Between The Sheets

Billy Reed’s Restaurant Bakery & Bar

BNP Paribas Open Tennis Tournament

Nathalie Boisvert

Bradford Renaissance Portraits

Brand g Vacations

Brien O’Brien Salon

Brooks Brothers

Brush Salon

Castelli’s Ristorante

Chef Hang of Fusion Flair

Ryan Clary

Coachella Valley Repertory

Christopher Comés

Dr. Jim Cox

Coyote Stageworks

Dr. René Dell’Acqua, DDS

Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours

Desert Ensemble Theatre Company

Desert Rocks Indoor Climbing Gym

Desert Town Hall

Desert Winds Freedom Band

Dezart Performs

Diptyque Paris

DJ Baz

Dream Hotel

Eight4Nine Restaurant & Lounge

El Mirasol Villas Resort

El Paseo Jewelers

Elena Bulatova Fine Art

Equality California

AUCTION DONORS

Escape Room Palm Springs

Evzin Mediterranean Cuisine

Randy Ferguson

Filsinger Fine Art Gallery

Fit in 42, Palm Springs

George Thomas Godfrey Hotel, Hollywood

Dana Guarnera & Salvatore Sorrenti

Heather James Fine Art

Henry Mancini Estate

Human Rights Campaign

Hyatt Palm Springs

Justin Eat & Drink

Barbara & Jerry Keller

Dr. Terri Ketover

Charles Kibby

Kiehl’s

Kimbals

Kimpton Hotels

KnottingHill Bow Ties

Frank Kurland

Johannes Restaurant

Johnny Costa’s Ristorante

Kaiser Family of Restaurants

Jean-Daniel Kermelley & Gerry Battle

La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts

Laser Med Spa

Laugh Factory

Le Vallauris Restaurant

Los Alamitos Race Course

Los Angeles Dodgers

Loyd/Ford

Lulu California Bistro

Lynn Hammond Catering

MAC Cosmetics on El Paseo

MANILOW: Las Vegas

Chip Marler

Maximum Security

McCallum Theatre

Miracle Springs Resort & Spa

Mischief Cards and Gifts

National Center for Lesbian Rights

Natural Retreats

NBC Palm Springs

Eric Nicoll

Nothing Bundt Cakes

Oliver Peoples

Olivia Riegel

On The Mark Palm Springs Pala Casino Spa & Resort

Pinocchio in the Desert PIRCH Rancho Mirage

Poway OnStage

PS212 Home

Rancho Mirage Florist

Richard Reed Interiors

Renova Energy

Revel Public House

Revive Wellness Center

Revivals Stores

Rick’s Desert Grill

Rick’s Restaurant & Bakery

Ristretto for Coffee Lovers

Roclord Studio

Rowley Portraiture

Saguaro Palm Springs

Saks Fifth Avenue

Sardi’s

Savory Spice Shop, Palm Desert

Sephora

Shabu Shabu Zen

Silver Spur Vineyard & Winery

Skinn Cosmetics

SoCal Electric Bikes & Scooters

Dr. Mark Sofonio

Sunn

Sunny Dunes Barber Shop

Taylor Medical Massage

Ted Guice Fitness

The Actors Fund

The Body Deli

The Desert Rose Playhouse

The LGBT Community Center

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage

The Tropicale Restaurant & Coral Seas Lounge

Tim Courtney Photography

Tommy Bahama Restaurant, Bar & Store

Townie Bagels

Trina Turk & Mr. Turk

TRIO Restaurant

True You Medical

Two Bunch Palms

Villa Bahia Puerto Vallarta

Paula T. Webb, Ph.D.

Laurie & Larry Weitz

west elm

Wil Stiles

Zin American Bistro

Gunilla Carlsson joined UNAIDS in February 2018 as the Deputy Executive Director for Management and Governance and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. She leads UNAIDS’ work in promoting effective governance of the Joint Programme and provides strategic direction to management functions in the areas of human resources, finance and budget, information and communication technology and administration in order to enhance UNAIDS’ capacity to implement its mandate and vision.

Before joining UNAIDS, Ms Carlsson served as an elected member of the Swedish Parliament from 2002 to 2013 and as the Minister for International Development Cooperation from 2006 to 2013. She also served as an elected member of the European Parliament from 1995 to 2002. Ms Carlsson was the Chair of the Swedish-initiated Commission on Climate Change and Development in 2007. She was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to a high-level panel for global sustainability ahead of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2012 and served on the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

A strong leader in global health and development, Ms Carlsson was a member of the UNAIDS and Lancet Commission: Defeating AIDS—Advancing Global Health and a member of the World Bank High-Level Advisory Council on Women’s Economic Empowerment. She also served on the African Development Bank’s three-member High-Level Panel on Fragile States in 2013 and 2014, advising on strategies related to the Horn of Africa. She is an affiliated member of the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and has served as its Vice-Chair since June 2017.

Ms Carlsson has worked on policy development on foreign policy, human rights, employment, research, security and defence. In addition, she has extensive experience in the development and implementation of policy reforms and efficiency and accountability in complex organizations, including the private sector.

Ms Carlsson was born, raised and educated in Sweden.

GUNILLA CARLSSON SCIENCE & MEDICINE HONOREE

DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE, UNAIDS, ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

LESSONS FROM THE FRONTLINES

New Models for Primary Care Emerge from Decades of HIV Experience

By Will Dean

When celebrated author and alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra visited Palm Springs in early February, he had an epiphany. Invited to be a featured speaker in the Palm Springs Speaks lecture series, he visited Desert AIDS Project before his event that evening. While touring the campus Chopra realized he was seeing the real-life manifestation of what he’d been advocating for decades.

“For 35 years I’ve talked about health and well-being, a holistic approach, integrative approach — this is it,” Chopra said in a video interview with D.A.P. CEO and President David Brinkman and Chief Medical Officer David Morris. In the soft-spoken yet authoritative voice he’s known for, Chopra described an “amazing experience” exploring D.A.P.’s housing complex; sexual health clinic; acupuncture, yoga and meditation services; and more.

“Now I realize if you have enough love, compassion, joy, if you’re grateful, then abundance follows,” he added. “This is really a good example of abundance consciousness. I hope that everywhere people in the world will be inspired by the Desert AIDS Project.”

Chopra’s optimism that holistic health care can be globally beneficial is shared by many in the positions to implement it. Increasingly, D.A.P. and other organizations that traditionally have brought a whole-person approach to serving clients who are HIV-positive are applying their hard-won victories and lessons learned to primary care patients.

Since it was founded 40 years ago, Chase Brexton Health Care in Baltimore, Md., has seen a dramatic change in patient makeup. In the early days of the AIDS epidemic, every patient sought HIV care. Now only about 10 percent of its 30,000-plus patients are HIV-positive, said Dr. Sebastian Ruhs, director for infectious diseases. Primary care services were added for adults with HIV in 1988, then extended to all adults

in 1995. In 1999, Chase Brexton became a federally qualified health center.

Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, D.C., made the shift about 11 years ago when what had been an HIV care facility joined forces with a community health center. Though people with HIV still account for a third of the patient population, the melding of services was a natural step in the organization’s growth, according to Dr. Sarah Henn, director of health-care operations. She recalled that providers would treat patients who had developed side effects from HIV medications, instead of referring them to a primary care clinic. “You want to treat the whole person,” she added.

And then there was the federal funding concern. “At the same time, we were realizing that our Ryan White funding was decreasing,” Henn said. “We couldn’t support ourselves as a Ryan White clinic. We had to become a modern health center that is sustainable.”

Reaction from the LGBTQ community to these organizations’ new emphasis on primary care generally has been supportive. It “helped to decrease stigma,” Henn said about the change. “That has made patients feel more accepted.”

Ruhs agreed. “Coming here, being seen here, getting a letter from here does not have stigma anymore,” he said. “We’re offering everything to everybody.”

Well-established in larger cities, this practice has a growing footprint in the Coachella Valley. In February, D.A.P. announced it would extend its varied services to more residents in need who may not have HIV, and would take on a $35 million expansion of its Palm Springs campus to accommodate them. Eisenhower Health and Borrego Health also all have embraced a more comprehensive approach to primary care, buoyed by varying degrees of experience with people living longer with HIV and grappling with health issues related to aging.

AGING WITH HIV

“At Eisenhower, we have a slightly different perspective of how to approach primary care and HIV,” said Dr. Ken Lichtenstein, an infectious disease specialist with 35 years of HIV care experience. “For a while it was, and this was the trend in the nation, ‘Gee, people are doing better with HIV, so you don’t need specialists anymore. You can now have primary care providers doing this and they can handle it just fine.’ As it turns out, it’s probably the other way around. Our philosophy is you need HIV specialists who are now having to do primary care for their patients.”

The Eisenhower staff providing care to people with HIV includes board-certified infectious disease specialists and primary care physicians who’ve elected to specialize in it by taking the American Academy of HIV Medicine boards, Lichtenstein said. He estimates that 82 percent of patients seeking HIV care, roughly 1,300 to 1,500 people, get it through Eisenhower’s Rimrock clinic in Palm Springs. It’s among the larger of Eisenhower’s 40 or so health centers on its main hospital campus in Rancho Mirage and elsewhere in the valley. Lichtenstein, who joined Eisenhower in July 2015, primarily works at Rimrock.

Many patients who have HIV are living to a full life expectancy, and that presents a different set of chal-

lenges, according to Lichtenstein. “We’re seeing a lot of the diseases of aging which are occurring with increasing frequency,” he said. “Let’s say the incidence is higher at the same age in people who are HIV-infected versus those who are not HIV-infected.”

One of the main reasons for this is the high amount of inflammation that HIV causes in the body. Lichtenstein refers to inflammation as “the driving force in the diseases of aging.” For example, HIV clients may be affected by cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, frailty and non-AIDS-related cancers sooner than their peers who don’t have HIV would be, he said.

Treating both HIV and diseases of aging also can get complicated, as the anti-retroviral drugs for HIV don’t always interact well with prescription and overthe-counter drugs for other conditions. St. John’s Wart and grapefruit juice, as examples, can prevent anti-retroviral drugs from being absorbed, Lichtenstein said. Also, statins taken to reduce cardiovascular disease react with some classes of anti-retroviral drugs in a way that boosts the toxicity of statins. Adjusting dosage is one of several issues which Lichtenstein said require a physician who can provide more than knowledge about internal medicine and an anti-retroviral prescription.

FRONTLINES LESSONS FROM THE

ATTUNED TO PATIENTS’ NEEDS

The insights gained from decades of working with people affected by the AIDS epidemic “absolutely” inform primary care practices, Lichtenstein said. “Probably one of the things that I felt strongly about is that all of those people who have died of AIDS did not die in vain, because of what general medicine has learned from this population,” he said.

The development of Hepatitis C drugs is one such medical advancement. Patterned after anti-retroviral drugs, Hepatitis C drugs have a 99 percent cure rate in eight to 12 weeks, Lichtenstein said. Desert AIDS Project officials cite that 200 of their clients were cured with the new drugs during the past year.

Another lesson from HIV care points back to inflammation and its effect on general health. For example, more physicians now understand that inflammation is a key factor in health challenges around obesity. “It turns out that fat tissue is the second most inflammatory tissue [after lymphatic tissue] in the body,” Lichtenstein said. When people lose weight through diet and exercise, measurable biomarkers of inflammation go down. “Does this have an application to the general population? You bet it does,” he added. “We learned this because of the chronic information associated with HIV.”

High levels of inflammation also are a factor in recurrent sexually transmitted inflections like syphilis, according to Lichtenstein. Six months to a year ago, Eisenhower Health started a sexual health clinic that addresses STIs; HIV prevention through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative people engaged in high-risk sexual practices; and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment as prevention for HIV-positive who engage in high-risk sex. The latter are asked to visit the clinic every three months.

Eisenhower has made a concerted effort to serve the whole person in other ways, including the recent addition of psychiatrist Dr. John Roberts. Bringing in a social worker and dermatological and urological services also are being considered, Lichtenstein said. And there are plans to attach a pharmacy to the Rimrock facility for patients’ convenience.

“We’d like to have a nationally recognized HIV program,” Lichtenstein said. “Part of it has to do with having a lot of additional things.”

With 22 clinics serving nearly 180,000 people across the valley and Southern California, Borrego Health also offers a smorgasbord of services. They range from dental, behavioral health and women’s health services to HIV/AIDS, transgender health, trans pediatrics and PrEP/PEP specialty clinics.

Before Dr. Clayton Barbour joined Borrego in 2011, it

was predominantly a primary care organization with about seven clinics. An internist who provided HIV and primary care at D.A.P. for 17 years prior, Barbour was drawn to Borrego’s philosophy of identifying a community’s health needs and establishing a clinic there to address them. “We’re trying to go where the people live,” he said.

Other programs and services that are in the works include infusion therapy, and Barbour would like to provide more direct care such as an oncology program and indirect services like re-employment help. Many of these ideas stem from experience caring for HIV-infected patients.

“Dealing with HIV, you’re more attuned to patients’ personal lives,” Barbour said. “People in general are not very comfortable discussing sexual issues. Physicians with HIV care experience are more in tune to picking up clues in what people say and what they don’t say,” which is helpful in recognizing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, mental health needs and other concerns.

A FULL SPECTRUM OF CARE

When it comes to integrating a patient’s physical, emotional and mental health with basic lifestyle amenities and overall well-being, Desert AIDS Project has created a unique health-care model in the valley. Unlike Eisenhower Health and Borrego, D.A.P. started as an AIDS organization 34 years ago in Palm Springs. Over the years its primary care services and programs evolved to meet its HIV clients’ changing needs. The multimillion-dollar campus expansion is expected to accommodate recent and projected growth. In 2015 alone, the number of clients D.A.P. serves increased by 65 percent, chief development officer Darrell Tucci said.

With more than 200 staff and 400 volunteers, D.A.P. currently provides care to 4,500 clients living and aging with HIV. It reaches across 11,000 square miles of California. The new expansion will allow D.A.P. to extend primary care to residents who are living in poverty and/or are underinsured. Ultimately, it will have a capacity to serve 10,000 people. Beyond that, D.A.P. has a network of resources for referrals.

Expected to be completed in 2020 or 2021, the reconfigured D.A.P. campus will continue to offer dental, behavioral and mental health services; nutritional and social support; jobs and substance abuse counseling; and transportation — more than medications. The multitude of services will be accessible to primary-care patients who qualify, irrespective of HIV status or sexual orientation.

Something else that distinguishes D.A.P. from Eisenhower, Borrego and many AIDS organizations offering primary care in urban areas is its centralized location. “It’s done all under one roof and all on one campus,” Brinkman said. “When somebody travels to receive care here, they can get all of their needs met at one time.”

That’s reinforced by a centralized data base of electronic health records that are shared among caregivers, according to Brinkman. An example he recently gave involved a patient revealing a housing need during a visit to the dental clinic, which prompted the dentist to alert a D.A.P. case manager to help resolve the problem — mitigating any negative impact to patient health because they all were on the same campus and the problem could be handled in a timely manner.

“We want to leverage what we’ve learned works and bring it to more people,” Brinkman said. “We have proof; we have it scientifically in our data, but we also have testimonials [among the] 4,500 people we’re caring for.”

This more comprehensive approach to health care comes with a hefty price tag. During his interview with Deepak Chopra, Brinkman said D.A.P. currently brings in about $38 million a year to care for its existing clients. Expanding its campus to provide services to more people is estimated to cost $35 million. All of the $12 million that has been raised so far — except for a $3 million public gift from Tenet Healthcare Corp., parent company of Desert Regional Medical Center — came from private donations, Brinkman said. A capital campaign is underway to raise the $20 million balance.

While advances in HIV medications cannot be denied in relieving what was once a short-term death sentence, many health-care providers agree that investing in a full spectrum of care also pays off for patients.

“We care for people who have been diagnosed with HIV since the late ’70s, and against all odds they’re here today,” Brinkman said. “They’ve been to more funerals than they’ve been to weddings in their lifetime. Yet today they have purpose in life, they have the ability to contribute back to life. They have lived beyond what any scientist or physician said they could, and part of that is treating the whole person in a holistic way.”