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Health Insights Posts

Eight reasons why now is the best time t …

by Dustin Gruber

Eight reasons why now is the best time to get a COVID-19 vaccine at DAP Health

DAP Health Insights – Monday, June 14, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO 

Eight reasons why now is the best time to get your COVID-19 vaccination

More than half of Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the California Department of Public Health. Many of those who haven’t been vaccinated have reservations, which is understandable. But the good news is these vaccines have been thoroughly tested, and they’ve proven to be safe and effective. 

The CDC recommends that people should get a vaccine as soon as possible. Unlike a few months ago, the state now has millions of doses available and has opened eligibility to those aged 12 and above. DAP Health offers two different COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen). Here are eight reasons why now is the best time to get vaccinated.

Self HIV tests are another tool to treat HIV, protect health

One of the most important things people can do for their health is to learn their HIV status. Self HIV tests are one of the answers, and DAP Health provides them to anyone who asks for one, writes C.J. Tobe.

No one struggling with HIV is alone. Once a person takes a free self HIV test from DAP Health, he/she/they will have a support system on which to rely. And that person will be able to have an open, judgment-free conversation about their sexual practices with an expert educator certified by the state. 

There are treatments available that allow people to thrive with HIV. For example, a person living with HIV can take one pill a day, and their viral load will become undetectable. That means he/she/they won’t transmit the virus. Undetectable is un-transmittable. U=U. 

8 reasons why it’s time to get the COV …

by Dustin Gruber

8 reasons why it’s time to get the COVID-19 vaccine 

Have you gotten the jab? 

More than half of Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the California Department of Public Health. 

Many of those who haven’t been vaccinated have reservations about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, which is understandable. The good news, however, is these vaccines have been thoroughly tested, and they’ve proven to be safe and effective.  

The CDC recommends that people should get a vaccine as soon as possible. Unlike a few months ago, the state now has millions of doses available and has opened eligibility to those aged 12 and above. 

DAP Health offers two different COVID-19 vaccines (Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen). All eligible community members are now able to get one of these vaccines at our health clinic. 

Here are eight reasons why now is the best time to get vaccinated. 

  • Community matters. Be part of the solution. 
  • All COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing COVID-19. 
  • Based on what we know about vaccines for other diseases and early data from clinical trials, experts believe that getting a COVID-19 vaccine helps keep you from getting seriously ill if you get COVID-19. 
  • Getting vaccinated yourself may also protect people around you, particularly people at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. 
  • After you are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, you may be able to start doing some things that you stopped doing because of the pandemic. For example, you can gather indoors without masks with other people who are fully vaccinated. 
  • None of the COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19, so a COVID-19 vaccine cannot make you sick with COVID-19. Learn more facts about COVID-19 vaccines. 
  • Getting COVID-19 may offer some protection, known as natural immunity. Current evidence suggests that reinfection with the virus that causes COVID-19 is uncommon in the months after initial infection but may increase with time. The risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 far outweighs any benefits of natural immunity. COVID-19 vaccination will help protect you by creating an antibody (immune system) response without having to experience sickness. 
  • Hugs feel good. Everyone loves a hug from someone they love, especially if they’re vaccinated.  

If you or someone you know needs to be vaccinated, please make an appointment today at DAPHealth.org/vaccine-request. 

 

Overcoming stigma and shame leads to bet …

by Dustin Gruber

Overcoming stigma and shame leads to better health care

DAP Health Insights – Monday, June 7, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO 

A forty year journey from fear to hope

A lot has changed since AIDS was first reported in 1981. Drugs have now made it possible to suppress viral loads to undetectable levels, which means HIV cannot be transmitted. Undetectable now equals un-transmittable.

The concept of U=U is the foundation of being able to end the HIV epidemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci says. Treatment as prevention combined with pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is turning the tide on new infections.

Embarrassment and shame keep many from getting health care

One of the lessons we’ve learned from the COVID-19 health crisis is shame—not cost or convenience—is causing too many people to avoid medical and mental health care. 

For example, feeling embarrassed over finances might keep someone from seeking help even when that care is free or low-cost. Discrimination—against the poor, LGBTQ individuals and racial minorities—also increases the likelihood people will avoid essential care.

To break down barriers, DAP Health is making it easier for people to ask for help. And DAP Health’s dedication to cultural humility has its caregivers leaning in to getting to know their patients, instead of assuming a one-size-fits-all approach works.

COVID-19 vaccine available to those over 12

COVID-19 vaccines are now available to everyone who is 12 and above. Three vaccines have been approved by the FDA. They are made by Pfizer-BioNTech (two doses), Moderna (two doses) and Johnson & Johnson (one dose). Each vaccine has been vigorously tested and deemed safe by the FDA.

If you are a DAP Health patient and want to get the vaccine, please be sure you are registered in MyChart. When DAP Health has available vaccines, you will receive a message via MyChart and will be able to set up an appointment. Or pre-register for a free vaccination today.

A forty year journey from fear to hope

by Dustin Gruber

A forty year journey from fear to hope 

By Robert Hopwood 

After 40 years, public health officials and activists see a pathway to end the AIDS epidemic. It starts with treatment. 

With proper medical care, those living with HIV can reduce the viral load in their blood to an undetectable level. When HIV can’t be detected it can’t be transmitted, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Health officials and activists are now championing the message that undetectable equals un-transmittable, or U=U.  

“The concept of U=U is the foundation of being able to end the epidemic,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in 2019.  

The U=U campaign also aims to end the stigma around HIV. That stigma keeps too many people from getting tested for HIV or obtaining the care they need to stay healthy. The result of 40 years of research is that people living with HIV can suppress the virus and live long lives with medication. 

“They can have sex, babies, love—all with no risk,” says HIV activist Bruce Richman, who founded the Prevention Access Campaign, which started the U=U message. 

But if a person doesn’t know they have HIV, that person won’t get access to the medication to stay un-transmittable, Richman says. 

“If we really want to end the epidemic and save lives, we’re going to make sure that we invest in the wellbeing of people living with HIV, so they can stay healthy and prevent new transmissions,” Richman says.

DAP Health’s integrated model of services supports those people living with HIV on their journey to U=U, says C.J. Tobe, DAP Health’s director of Community Health. 

“At DAP Health we learned through the AIDS crisis that becoming undetectable is more than taking daily medication,” Tobe says. “It is a combination of factors such as a roof over your head, food in your belly, staying on top of your mental health, and following through on routine oral health exams.” 

It’s been 40 years since the AIDS crisis began. 

In 1981, Dr. Michael S. Gottlieb, an assistant professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote about a new syndrome that was causing rare infections in otherwise healthy gay men. The piece, published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, was the first official report about what would become known as HIV and AIDS. 

Following that report, the media started to write about the mysterious illness. No one knew what to call it or how it spread. In 1982, the CDC named it AIDS. 

The following year, playwright, author and film producer Larry Kramer called the disease “terrifying” in a screed he wrote for the New York Native, a gay newspaper. Kramer, who founded the advocacy group ACT UP, blamed the health care community and politicians of ignoring the epidemic.  

“If this article doesn’t rouse you to anger, fury, rage, and action, gay men may have no future on this earth,” Kramer wrote. His screed encapsulated the fear and anger of many as AIDS continued to spread.  

It was “an ugly time in America,” actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph recalled at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards 2021. She says the disease “blew out the flame of creativity up and down Broadway.” 

The cause of AIDS was found in 1984. It came from a retrovirus. 

Only two people are known to have been cured of HIV. In 2007, the “Berlin Patient” had no detectable HIV infection following a bone marrow transplant. And in 2019, the “London Patient” became second person cured through the same method. 

Despite a prediction in 1984 by Health and Human Services Secretary Margaret Heckler that an HIV vaccine would be ready within two years, none have been created despite many attempts. 

However, breakthrough drugs developed since the 1980s have turned HIV into a treatable disease. They have made viral loads undetectable. And they’ve made HIV un-transmittable. One of those drugs, Truvada, was approved by the FDA in 2011 for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. According to the CDC, the daily pill cuts the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent. Among those who inject drugs, the risk falls by at least 74 percent if taken daily. 

Between U=U and PrEP, we are starting to turn the tide on new infections, and HIV numbers across the country are going down for the first time in many years, Tobe says. 

“We have the tools to help end HIV in our community—but only if we resist the urge to forget just how deadly it has been in our community for decades,” Tobe says. 

Health Equity at The Chase and Sunnyland …

by Dustin Gruber

Health Equity at The Chase and Sunnylands 

DAP Health Insights – Monday May 17, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO  

Health Equity Won at The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards 2021 

The 27th Annual Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards was a testament to the healing power of hope, inspired by mothers, as well as all DAP Health frontline workers and their tireless commitment to HIV care, COVID relief, and access to ongoing medical and mental healthcare. 

Mother’s Day 2021 was a perfect day to celebrate and raise awareness about increasing health equity and improving the public health at a time when our community needs it the most. You can read more here.   

Sunnylands Opens DAP Health Storytelling with Deepak Chopra Meditation  

We kicked off our Health Equity Series at Sunnylands Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage last week, and the weather could not be better for strolling through this iconic location while pondering messages of health access. NBC Palm Springs covered the opening, and you can watch it here. 

Different Voices of Health Equity

by Dustin Gruber

Different Voices of Health Equity 

DAP Health Insights – Monday May 10, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO  

Health Equity Storytelling at Sunnylands Center & Gardens 

Shame over asking for help is keeping people from getting healthcare. But we are partnering with Sunnylands Center & Gardens to make understanding health equity easier. Audio and visual exhibits will explore how shame about race, ethnicity, being LGBTQ, or financial status can prevent people from accessing the healthcare they need. The Health Equity Series includes a special meditation from Deepak Chopra, and will be available from Wednesday, May 12 at  Sunnylands, plus online at DAPHealth.org. You can read more here. 

Honoring Dr. Shubha Kerkar for Business Leadership 

This pandemic has healthcare professionals exploring uncharted territory for the first time, but Dr. Shubha Kerkar’s medical experience from the worst years of the AIDS crisis has made her invaluable to the public’s health. Palm Springs Life just recognized her outstanding achievements, innovations, and contributions to the community. You can read more here. 

Art, Activism and The Steve Chase Humani …

by Dustin Gruber

Art, Activism and The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards 

DAP Health Insights – Monday, May 3, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO  

Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards 2021 Is This Sunday 

Experts warn us that during this pandemic, too many people are falling out of essential medical and mental healthcare. Meeting these challenges is driving this year’s Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, this Sunday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m. PT. Registration is still open by clicking here. 

You can participate by tuning in to NBC Palm Springs or by joining us on any of DAP Health’s social media channels (Facebook, YouTube or Twitter).   

Noticing the Impact of Our Work  

Our ever-expanding patient population needs us to focus on health equity, COVID, mental health, and ending HIV. The work is already underway to make accessing these things a reality for more people in our Valley. You can hear C.J. Tobe, our director of Community Health, talk about how we are meeting patients for health in 2021 in an interview with Out Agenda here.  

Sheryl Lee Ralph: Art Can Be Activism  

We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. Sheryl Lee Ralph began working to raise health equity for others after witnessing continued indifference to the suffering of people dying of AIDS.  

As she introduced everyone to the first Deena Jones in Dreamgirls on Broadway, she coped with losing a third of her original fellow cast members to AIDS. This galvanized her to use art and activism to raise awareness about access and care. You can read more here. 

 

Working Together for Care

by Dustin Gruber

Working Together for Care 

DAP Health Insights: Monday, April 19, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO  

United Lift Rental Assistance Through DAP Health 

Housing insecurity is getting worse for people, especially as the pandemic continues to challenge our local economy. We have joined forces with Lift To Rise and United Way to help Riverside County residents who are having trouble paying rent because they’ve been impacted by COVID. Through June 30, 2021, people can come to DAP Health to enroll in the United Lift 2021 Rental Assistance Program. You can read more here.  

988 Established for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Counseling 

People in our community are concerned about suicide. Fortunately, the FCC established 988, a new easy-to-remember 3-digit phone number for anyone in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. 

In addition to calling 988, people can call (800) 273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline today. Veterans should press 1 to be connected with the Veterans Crisis Line. You can read more here (PDF). 

Raising Our Voices at The Chase and Addi …

by Dustin Gruber

Raising Our Voices at The Chase and Adding a Revivals 

DAP Health Insights – Monday April 12, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO 

Entertainers We Know and Love at Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

This year’s entertainment lineup for the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards is bringing Broadway and a lot of heart as we honor women, mothers, and all our frontline workers. 

Broadway stars Shoshana Bean and Sheryl Lee Ralph will hit a high note for health equity. And hometown favorite Keisha D will bring humanitarianism with heart and soul from our local music community. You can read more here.

Revivals Indio Is Opening 

We heard it loud and clear that our community wants more of what Revivals Stores has to offer. We are opening Revivals at Indio Plaza on May 15. This popular shopping center has ample parking and will meet increased demand from the community for the thrill of the hunt.  And with stores like Food 4 Less, Sally Beauty, and dd’s Discounts, visiting Revivals Indio will be easy when shopping for the family. Read more here.

RELATED: Advancing Our Values for Impact 

RELATED: Through Empathy, Uplifting and Healing is Possible

Raising Our Voices at The Chase and Adding a Revivals 

DAP Health Insights – Monday April 12, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO 

Entertainers We Know and Love at Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

This year’s entertainment lineup for the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards is bringing Broadway and a lot of heart as we honor women, mothers, and all our frontline workers. 

Broadway stars Shoshana Bean and Sheryl Lee Ralph will hit a high note for health equity. And hometown favorite Keisha D will bring humanitarianism with heart and soul from our local music community. You can read more here.

Revivals Indio Is Opening 

We heard it loud and clear that our community wants more of what Revivals Stores has to offer. We are opening Revivals at Indio Plaza on May 15. This popular shopping center has ample parking and will meet increased demand from the community for the thrill of the hunt.  And with stores like Food 4 Less, Sally Beauty, and dd’s Discounts, visiting Revivals Indio will be easy when shopping for the family. Read more here.

RELATED: Advancing Our Values for Impact 

RELATED: Through Empathy, Uplifting and Healing is Possible

Advancing Our Values for Impact

by Dustin Gruber

Advancing Our Values for Impact 

DAP Health Insights – Monday March 29, 2021, from David Brinkman, CEO  

Coping with Recent Violence in the News 

Recent reports of gun violence across our country leave many struggling to cope with feelings of helplessness and grief, and experts tell us there are steps we can take to get through the painful feelings.  Dr. Jill Gover, our Behavioral Health manager, urges everyone to acknowledge how they feel, and offers helpful insight and practical steps that can help everyone. You can hear / see her talk to KESQ’s Peter Daut here.  

Mobile STI Testing with Care Begins 

To increase health equity, we are bringing services to patients who face barriers with traditional healthcare settings, including for STI testing and treatment. After almost two years of planning and help from a grant from Direct Relief and Pfizer last winter, our Mobile STI unit launched testing off-campus for the first time last week. 

In just one day, we were able to see 12 patients for vital testing and treatment, including linkage to ongoing medical care. You can read more here.    

Celebrating Carol Wood’s Advancement to Chief of Clinical Operations 

DAP Health is delighted to share the advancement of Carol Wood to Chief of Clinical Operations, after she served as Director of Clinical Administration since 2017. Carol’s decades of experience in healthcare, coupled with her dedication to the mission of DAP Health, have enabled her to lead operations during this pandemic so that we could continue serving our 9,700 patients without fail. You can read more here.