40 Years of Health Equity

DAP Health has remained committed to its founding principles based on equitable access to health care.

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1984

When public agencies and the health care system are slow to respond to the HIV epidemic in the Coachella Valley, a community of grassroots volunteers found Desert AIDS Project.

1985

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

1990

Borrego Community Health Foundation (BCHF) is incorporated to operate Borrego Medical Clinic in Borrego Springs.

1992

World-famous interior designer Steve Chase (an early DAP board member and volunteer whose main residence is in Palm Springs) chairs DAP benefit "Heartstrings: An Event in 3 Acts" at the McCallum Theatre. Disco queen Thelma Houston performs.

1994

When HIV care is not available in the eastern Coachella Valley — where language and socioeconomic challenges persist — DAP responds by opening a satellite office in Indio to provide HIV and hepatitis C screening, as well as early intervention and case management services, to underserved and primarily low-income, Hispanic/Latino communities.

Steve Chase dies of complications from AIDS at the age of 52.

The First Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards — which will become DAP's biggest annual benefit gala — are held in honor of their namesake.

1998

DAP's primary facility in Palm Springs is no longer able to accommodate an increasing client load. To meet the growing demand for services and a larger medical clinic, local philanthropists respond with the purchase of the current 44,000-square-foot campus in Palm Springs.

2001

DAP clients affected by HIV suffer from nutritional challenges as a result of their inability to maintain steady employment. The Morris & Linda Linsky family responds by building a food depot on the DAP campus to provide healthy food distribution, grocery vouchers, and dietary guidance to more than 300 people per month.

2004

Borrego Community Health Foundation (BCHF) operates one clinic (Borrego Medical Clinic in Borrego Springs) and receives almost 7,400 visits. In late 2004, it's anticipated that the organization will require substantial growth in order to provide the additional revenue needed to sustain the rural community health center. This begins the decade-long expansion of Borrego Health into San Diego and Riverside counties in order to provide financial stability for the organization.

2005

As part of BH's growth strategy, the private practice of Dr. Keith Merrick in Julian is purchased, becoming the Julian Medical Clinic. That same year, BH is asked by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to take over a Migrant Health Center grant from the Santa Rosa Del Valle clinics. This expands the organization into the eastern Coachella Valley as it absorbs Centro Medico Coachella and Centro Medico Oasis.

2006

BH enters into an arrangement with Dr. Alfredo Ratniewski of Centro Medico Latino for the purchase of clinics in Cathedral City and El Cajon. These two, now known as Centro Medico Cathedral City and Centro Medico El Cajon, remain the largest clinics within the BH network.

2007

When there is a lack of affordable housing for many in the community living with HIV and other chronic conditions, philanthropist Philip Caplin responds by helping to fund Vista Sunrise Apartments on what is now DAP's Sunrise campus.

2008

When clients affected by HIV cannot find culturally competent dentists to care for them, philanthropists Georgia and Gerald Fogelson respond by building the first adult, HIV-specialty dental clinic in Riverside County, on the DAP campus.

2012

When it is discovered during the course of testing that certain types of cancer disproportionately affect persons living with HIV, philanthropist Annette Bloch steps forward to fund a cancer care center dedicated to specialized HIV-related cancer research, screenings, treatment, and prevention, ensuring clients receive timely and effective care.

BH expands its Desert Hot Springs clinic to a new location. The existing site becomes a specialty clinic for HIV and hepatitis C patients, and is now known as Desert Hot Springs Specialty Care Center.

2013

BH's Centro Medico Escondido moves to its new 16,000-square-foot location in an effort to expand services to the community.

Desert Hot Springs Health and Wellness Center opens.

BH begins a dental contract program to expand access to dental services to its patients. The organization also initiates operations at Jay Hoffman Dental in the unincorporated southwestern region of Riverside County: Nuevo, California.

2014

HIV infections remain disturbingly high in the Coachella Valley (more than double the national rate of infection). In response, DAP launches 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 are tested for HIV, and the testing work continues today.

BH opens both Anza Community Health Center and San Jacinto Health Center as part of a New Access Point grant.

Centro Medico Cathedral City expands and implements urgent care.

To create continuity of care for pregnant patients once they deliver, BH purchases women’s health practices in La Mesa and Palm Springs, leading to a medical contract for pediatric services to ensure newborns come back to the network for care.

2015

When it is discovered that a lack of access to sexual wellness information contributes to an increase in sexually transmitted diseases in the Coachella Valley, community volunteers and donors help launch THE DOCK, a walk-in, no-appointment-necessary clinic. It provides HIV and STI testing, linkage to care, and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) medications to prevent HIV.

2016

When a serious and growing need for hepatitis care emerges in the Coachella Valley — especially with regard to co-infection rates among persons living with HIV — community volunteers and donors help support the DAP Hepatitis Center of Excellence to deliver comprehensive, state-of-the-art expertise to manage, support, and cure those living with hepatitis.

2020

More than 50% of Coachella Valley residents live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level ($24k/year). With the support of community volunteers and donors, the bold VISION 2020 campaign is launched. Its success will allow DAP to expand its campus, programs, and services to meet the rapidly increasing need for affordable, high-quality health care of 10,000 potential clients (more than doubling its current scope of community service).

DAP opens the first COVID-19 clinic in the desert.

2021

DAP expands its mission to became DAP Health. The name now more clearly conveys the organization's commitment to the greater good and the diversity of more than 9,700 people calling DAP Health their health care home. It also retains and honors our founding, with the letters D-A-P.

2023

DAP Health announces its acquisition of Borrego Health. The two health care systems now operate as one integrated system, with some 850 employees serving 85,000 patients of all ages, genders, ethnicities, orientations, and socioeconomic status at 25 fixed locations and eight mobile units across 240 urban and rural zip codes in Riverside and San Diego counties.

2024

DAP Health marks 40 years of protecting and expanding health care access, launching a listening tour of employees, community partners, and patients to define the path it will take over the next five years.

What is DAP Health's vision and mission?

Vision: DAP Health envisions a world where every person achieves their full potential.

Mission: DAP Health provides comprehensive health care and support services where all people are seen, heard, and affirmed.

What is DAP Health?

For four decades, DAP Health has remained committed to its founding principles based on equitable access to health care. Guided by the voices and needs of the diverse communities it serves, the nonprofit has protected and expanded access to quality programs and services for people of all ages, genders, ethnicities, orientations, and socioeconomic statuses.

What does DAP stand for?

DAP is not an acronym. It stands for health equity, for service to all people, and for high-quality, patient-centered care.

How is DAP pronounced?

Dee-ay-PEE. It does NOT rhyme with words like cap, map, or nap.

Why does DAP Health focus on culturally competent care?

Because that focus leads to better health outcomes. Culturally competent health care refers to the ability of health care clinicians and institutions to deliver services that are respectful of and responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of diverse patient populations. It involves understanding and addressing the unique cultural factors that influence patients’ health beliefs, practices, and behaviors.

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Why is the patient's experience important at DAP Health?

DAP Health’s team puts its patients’ individual needs first as an acknowledgment that each person requires customized communication and care to ensure comfort and ease along their health care journey, and to improve health outcomes.

What are social drivers of health, and why are they important to DAP Health?

Social drivers of health, AKA social determinants of health (SDOH), are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, worship, work, play, and age that affect their health outcomes. These factors influence a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Some key SDOH include economic stability, education (language, literacy, access to higher learning), social and community context (discrimination, incarceration), and environment (housing, food, transportation, safety).

What medical services does DAP Health provide?

DAP Health ensures access to care by removing barriers and offering a sliding scale fee for income-qualified individuals who are uninsured. Our range of services helps address urgent needs, as well as provide a foundation for patients to achieve positive health outcomes and fulfill the goals they have for their lives.

Those services include dentistry, family medicine, gender-affirming care, HIV/AIDS care, infectious disease care, LGBTQ+ care, mental health care, pediatrics, pharmacy services, primary care, radiology, recovery services, sexual wellness services (such as HIV testing, STI testing and treatment, PrEP and PEP, pregnancy testing, and birth control consultations — all free of charge), urgent care, and women’s health, including OB-GYN.

What social service programs does DAP Health provide to eligible patients?

A total of 141 units of onsite affordable housing (81 units for people with HIV/AIDS at Vista Sunrise I, and 60 units for unhoused individuals and those suffering from chronic illness at Vista Sunrise II) at its Sunrise campus in Palm Springs, case management, home care, social support groups, employment assistance, food assistance, and transportation assistance. Learn more about social service programs at DAP Health.

How many locations does DAP Health have?

A total of 25 fixed locations and eight mobile units. Find a location near you.

In which communities does DAP Health serve?

DAP Health’s reach extends across 240 urban and rural zip codes in Riverside and San Diego counties, from the Coachella Valley to the San Diego coast. Just some of the Southern California cities served include Anza, Borrego Springs, Cathedral City, Coachella, Desert Hot Springs, El Cajon, Escondido, Indio, La Mesa, Nuevo, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, San Jacinto, Thermal, and Vista.

In what languages does DAP Health serve?

Employees deliver direct care in English, Spanish, Arabic, and Farsi. They procure translation services for other languages, as needed.

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How are volunteers changing the world one hour at a time?

DAP Health has never lost touch with its volunteer roots, nor its expertise and dedication to combating the AIDS/HIV epidemic. In fact, its donors and volunteers are essential to its growth and expanded capacity to meet the needs of those facing economic disadvantage. As DAP Health continues to strive to become fiscally self-sustaining, we are so grateful to more than 400 volunteers who contribute over 60,000 hours of service annually – the equivalent of almost 30 full-time employees. In fact, two volunteers each worked 2,000 hours in the last year alone! Volunteers receive neither a paycheck nor other paid benefits. Become a volunteer.

What is Revivals?

Revivals is DAP Health’s own brand of resale shops. Staffed primarily by dedicated volunteers, 100% of the profits from all four locations (Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Palm Desert, and Indio) goes directly back to fund the organization’s programs and services. Revivals’ slogan is “Re-love the Pre-loved.”

How does fundraising play a role in health care?

DAP Health relies on major donors, fundraising events, and grants to fund medical and social services for the 8,400 uninsured patients and 75,000 low-income patients it serves. Learn more about how you can support the mission of DAP Health.

What are DAP Health’s three major annual fundraising events?

They are the Health Equity Walk in October, the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards gala in March, and Dining Out For Life in April. See all events.

Call: (760) 323-2118

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