COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWS JANUARY 2020
GREG LOUGANIS ON AGING WITH HIV by Jack Bunting
For many DAP clients living with HIV, planning for old age can feel dubious. Long-term survivors, having once believed they would die from AIDS, can still find it hard to trust that current treatments and organizations like DAP are going to see them through to elder care. And for the recently seroconverted, learning how to live with HIV daily can distract them from thinking about this essential planning.
while competing in the Olympics, and his odyssey of selfdiscovery since, helps do this for him. The bold decision to continue in the 1988 Olympics while getting used to the toxicity of AZT was encouraged by his doctor, whom Greg remains grateful for. The medication regime in 1988 was two pills every four hours, around the clock, with very unpleasant side effects.
The audience at the 4th annual Aging Positively conference Nevertheless, he found value in pressing on. in September at the Joslyn Center in Palm Desert learned “I wasn’t focused on the disease,” Greg says. “I was focused valuable information about Medicare and prescriptions, avoiding isolation, and estate planning. But anyone who heard on a potential goal, something outside of what I believed I could do.” Greg Louganis talk about his own journey with HIV (positive since 1988) was presented Even still, there were hiccups. Sufficient They termed me a long- medication adherence was so challenging with a less tangible, yet vital message: term survivor 10 years for Greg as he trained for the games that his thriving with HIV as we age requires hope, humor, and self-love. ago, and I’m still here. doctor had to appeal to his competitive side. “They termed me a long-term survivor ten “You show up early to your 8 a.m. workout years ago, and I’m still here.” prepared,” he says. “Taking your medication is just as important as showing up to your morning workout.” Making it seem as effortless as one of his dives, the five-time Olympic medalist shared a brutally honest accounting of pain Having a doctor who made those kinds of correlations for him and loss, including coping with depression. His was not a made a huge difference, Greg says. story of pageantry; it was about the importance of not giving Paying it forward all these years later, Greg offers moral up, the value of incremental personal changes, and the power support to newly diagnosed people living with HIV (PLWH) of being vulnerable enough to tell on ourselves. whenever they reach out to him. The fear experienced According to Greg, his anxiety from opening up about his HIV when someone finds out they have HIV is something that journey to a global audience dissipated when he considered transcends generations. how it would help others. “By sharing my weaknesses, I was “I remember those feelings,” Greg says. “There was this ringing actually sharing my strength.” in my ears and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna die.” Aside from his dogs, Greg staves off isolation by only Fortunately for all of us, Greg is still here. “I’m aging. Uh, how choosing activities and work that give him a true sense of positively, I don’t know.” That’s OK, Greg. We see you, and meaning and purpose. Sharing about secretly living with HIV you’re doing just fine.
LONG-TERM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ADVOCATE DR. JILL GOVER JOINS DAP DAP’S DECADE OF IMPACT & ACTION by Jack Bunting
DAP is proud to welcome Dr. Jill Gover as Behavioral Health Manager. In this role, she will enrich the department and the agency with her expertise and proven commitment to putting clients first. Affectionately known in the community as “Dr. G”, she brings decades of expertise and compassion in helping people living with HIV / AIDS (PLWHA).
At DAP, she will steer operations of the department and the Behavioral Health clinic, supervise staff, and see clients in a therapeutic capacity.
This is my community and I cannot think of an agency that is a better fit for the work I love to do. Most recently, Dr. Gover served as a clinical psychologist and director of the Scott Hines Mental Health Clinic @ The Center in Palm Springs, providing eight years of tireless service to clients. She has emerged in the Coachella Valley as a steady voice calling for more resources and vigilance around mental health issues facing the LGBTQ community, especially PLWHA.
“We feel immense gratitude to have Dr. Gover join the Behavioral Health staff at DAP,” said David Brinkman, CEO. “Living with HIV is overwhelming for many of our clients, but she has mastered the understanding required to give them the vigilance and support they deserve.” In particular, Dr. Gover is one of this community’s loudest voices calling for heightened awareness around suicide prevention, and there is a compelling reason.
• In the 2014 Riverside County Public Health LGBT Health and Wellness Profile study, LGBTQ+ adults reported having two-to-four times as many suicidal thoughts as heterosexual peers, with bisexuals at highest risk. • In the 2015 Inland Empire Transgender Health and Wellness Profile Report, transgender adults were asked, “Have you ever seriously considered committing suicide?” Seventy-five percent of the participants responded, “Yes” compared to six percent of the general population. These are truly shocking statistics, according to Dr. Gover. But by choosing to join DAP, she plans to continue her lifelong work to help humankind. “I have been assisting people living with HIV / AIDS, both personally and professionally, since the early days of the epidemic as a gay rights and AIDS activist,” said Dr. Gover. “This is my community and I cannot think of an agency that is a better fit for the work I love to do.”
2010 2.7 million people worldwide were newly infected with HIV in 2010. DAP begins the decade focused on ending the epidemic
2011 Joan Collins and
George Hamilton Co-Host the 17th-Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.
2012 Annette Bloch donates
$1 million to fund a cancer care center dedicated to specialized HIV-related cancer research, screenings, treatment and prevention.
2013 The 20th Annual Steve
Chase Humanitarian Awards honors Annette Bloch with a 100 Women Award.
2014 DAP launches Get Tested
Coachella Valley as the nation’s first non-profit-led, region-wide HIV testing, prevention, education and linkage to care initiative.
2015 Federally Qualified Health
Center (FQHC) status granted. DAP launches THE DOCK, a walk-in clinic that provides HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing, linkage to care and access to HIV preventative medication PreExposure Prohylaxis (PrEp) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP).
2016 The DAP Hepatitis Center
of Excellence opens to deliver comprehensive state-of-the-art expertise to manage, support and cure those afflicted with Hepatitis C.
2017 DAP opens Transgender
Health Program offering genderaffirming services and care.
2018 DAP announces $25 STI
testing and treatment at The Dock. DAP kicks off Vision 2020, a capital campaign which will result in the agency more than doubling its ability to provide patientcentered primary, HIV Specialty, Dental and Behavioral Health care to our community.
2019 Desert AIDS Project
Celebrates 35 Years of Caring for our community.