DAP Health will host the DAP Health Equity Walk, formerly called the Desert AIDS Walk, on Oct. 28. The event will take place across Palm Springs, starting at 9 a.m. from Ruth Hardy Park, according to a press release.
“Because DAP Health now works on behalf of such a large swath of individuals, it makes sense to broaden our walk’s mission to reflect the totality of our patient population,” said DAP Health CEO David Brinkman in a press release. “While compassionate, state-of-the-art HIV care and prevention is in our organization’s DNA, and will forever be at the heart of our work. The truth is that today, our lifesaving efforts are carried out on behalf of everyone in disciplines that include primary care, OB-GYN, pediatrics, gender affirmation, mental health, harm reduction and recovery, to name but seven. The walk, one of our biggest annual fundraisers, is now representative of the incredible diversity of services we offer.”
Presented by Desert Care Network, the walk was rebranded this year to reinforce its dedication to breaking down all obstacles to health care. Featuring a Health & Wellness Village sponsored by Walgreens, the annual fundraiser is open to pets and children and will give residents across the Coachella Valley a chance to advocate for health equality within a more just system.
“When we were founded as Desert AIDS Project almost 40 years ago, there were no HIV medications, advocacy was in its infancy and the prognosis for those sickened by the disease was inevitably grim. Four decades later, our work to end HIV continues through prevention and education, but our measurable successes have enabled us to also create a unique patient-centered model of care we can replicate in other marginalized communities, removing barriers for those who need it most. Honoring our past to create health equity is part of our history and how we plan to continue making history for decades to come,” Brinkman said.
DAP Health recently solidified its commitment to this cause through the acquisition of the Borrego Health system. This move has expanded the organization's protective healthcare umbrella to cover over 100,000 patients representing diverse populations, genders and age groups. Spread across 25 clinics within 240 rural and urban zip codes stretching from the Salton Sea to San Diego, these patients are now beneficiaries of DAP Health's compassionate care.
For more information about the event and DAP Health's mission, visit daphealth.org.