DAP Health and Queer Works Receive Support from City of Palm Springs to Research and Design a Guaranteed Income Pilot

Two nonprofit organizations are partnering to study best practices of successful initiatives nationwide and design pilot program.

On Thursday, March 24^th, the Palm Springs City Council unanimously approved the request of local nonprofit organizations DAP Health and Queer Works for $200,000 in funding to support the initial research and program design of a guaranteed income pilot program.  The objective of the pilot program will be to provide direct financial assistance to marginalized local individuals in need for a likely period of 18 months.

The initial financial support from the City of Palm Springs will enable the two organizations to study best practices of successful initiatives nationwide, conduct local research, and gain local input to inform their design process. The organizations are also receiving pilot design guidance from the national agency Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI).

The potential guaranteed income pilot’s research and design phase is expected to last up to six months. One of the key outcomes of this phase will be a proposal that the two organizations will use to engage potential government and philanthropic financial underwriters for the pilot, including the State of California.  The current state budget includes $35 million in funding for guaranteed income pilot programs. The California Department of Social Services is in the process of finalizing their funding criteria and is expected to issue their formal request for applications in the next several months. They have preliminarily indicated that a 50% funding match from other donors will be required.

“Based on the early success of other guaranteed income pilots around the country and state – including Stockton, San Diego, San Francisco, L.A., and West Hollywood – we’re eager to pilot this approach here,” said David Brinkman, CEO of DAP Health. “Helping people in need to better their life circumstances by directly providing them with income is an approach that’s showing great promise.”

“We hope that the pilot we design will inspire the City of Palm Springs to join together with DAP Health and other funders to bring significant state funding to Palm Springs,” Brinkman continued. “Our goal is to develop a model that impacts the greatest number of individuals possible. We hope our pilot will help confirm that guaranteed income is a cost-effective way to create positive outcomes.”

While the research and design phase for this pilot is now at the starting line and most specifics have yet to be determined, DAP Health and Queer Works have already indicated their intent to prioritize support for local individuals who are Transgender and Non-Binary.

“People who are Trans and Non-Binary are highly marginalized in our society in general, especially economically,” said Jacob Rostowsky, CEO of Queer Works.  A recent study by McKinsey & Company confirmed that Transgender adults are twice as likely as cisgender adults to be unemployed, and Transgender individuals who are employed make 32% less money than their cisgender counterparts – even with similar education levels.

About DAP Health 

DAP Health is an advocacy-based health center in Palm Springs, CA serving over 10,000 patients, offering medical and mental healthcare, STI testing and treatment, dentistry, pharmacy, and lab services. A variety of wraparound services enable patients to experience optimal health, including social services, support groups, alternative therapies, and other wellness services. Excellent HIV care is provided by the largest team of specialized clinicians in the area.  Click here to read more about our commitment to health equity.     

DAP Health opened one of California’s first COVID clinics and hotlines to offer screening, testing, and treatment. DAP Health is also working to address social determinants of health that are causing negative health outcomes during this pandemic, like food and housing insecurity, joblessness, isolation, and access to ongoing health care. 

DAP Health’s sexual health clinic offers STI testing and treatment, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and HIV and HCV testing. DAP has earned Charity Navigator’s highest rating for the twelfth consecutive year – landing DAP Health in the top 6% of nonprofits rated. The distinction recognizes that DAP exceeds industry standards in terms of financial health, accountability, and transparency.     

Visit www.daphealth.org to  learn more.     

About Queer Works

Queer Works, a 501c (3) organization with headquarters in the Coachella Valley, works towards ameliorating disparities faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community in Southern California. We are especially focused on those who are homeless, impoverished and in need of access to mental health and medical services. In July of 2021 we launched the "TransPower Project", which gives completely free therapy and housing navigation services to the transgender and non-binary community. Visit www.queerworks.org to learn more.

Mental Health Impacts Physical Well-Being 

Mental health was at the forefront of the sports world in 2021 as two of the most prominent athletes had to withdraw from major competition.  

Naomi Osaka, the highest-paid female athlete in the world according to Forbes Magazine, announced she would not participate in press conferences at the French Open to preserve her mental health. But as backlash built, Osaka decided to withdraw from Roland Garros, one of tennis’ four major championships.  

A few months later, American gymnast Simone Biles, who was supposed to be the poster child for the American Olympic contingent, withdrew from the competition because of mental health despite being the gold medal favorite.  

Both incidents were a microcosm of how mental health is treated in this country.  

Dr. Jill Gover, the Director of Behavioral Health at DAP Health, said if an athlete suffered a sprained ankle that prevented them from competing, no one would blink an eye. When Osaka and Biles withdrew because of their mental health, they were roundly criticized.  

“They would punish her like somehow, she was weak, or that, that she was letting down her team. This is something you just pull yourself up by your bootstraps and you keep going. It is not as real as a physical injury. But in every sense, it is,” Gover said. “The fact that she recognized that she needed to take care of her mental health in the same way that she would need to tend to a sprained ankle was really, truly brilliant of her.” 

Through the criticisms, Biles and Osaka helped trigger a larger discussion about mental health and how it is critical, especially in these challenging times. 

Osaka returned to the Coachella Valley this month to compete in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, the world’s fifth-largest tennis tournament and the site of her breakthrough title in 2018. 

“It always helps when celebrities come forward and speak openly about their personal struggles with mental health issues,” Gover said. “It normalizes the experience and gives others permission to come forward and acknowledge their need for help. When famous people talk about mental health issues, it reduces stigma.”  

And Osaka triggered a change. The WTA women’s tennis tour designed a program for the players’ mental health. And credit to Osaka’s sponsors, they stuck by her despite taking a break from the tour and televised matches.  

In fact, she added 10 more brand sponsors, according to Forbes.  

But if two beloved athletes who are set financially for life and at the top of their professions are suffering mental health, what does that mean for the rest of the population? 

Gover thinks the anxiety people face is unprecedented. Americans are dealing with the pandemic and there’s uncertainty about the war in Ukraine. On top of that, there are economic inequities that are plaguing the middle class, such as student debt and inflation on top of challenging work environments for many professions during the pandemic.  

“There are so many things to be incredibly anxious about,” Gover said. “We live in a very anxiety-provoking time period with so much going on. I cannot think of a more critical issue. There needs to be what I call mental health parity. We need to recognize that it is equal to our physical health and integrated with our physical health. There is no way you can have one without the other.” 

In fact, Gover points out that mental health issues impact physical well-being.  

“Mental health issues manifest somatically in the body,” Gover said. “For example, when people suffer from anxiety, they often have heart palpitations, dizziness, and other physical symptoms that are caused by their anxiety. When people are depressed, they frequently manifest the depression with fatigue and lethargy in the body.”  

In addition to DAP Health, local mental health resources include: 

RUHS Mental Health Urgent Care: 2500 N. Palm Canyon Drive Suite A4, Palm Springs, CA 92262 

No need to call or schedule an appointment Open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day 

Phone: 442-268-7000 

Riverside County Crisis/Suicide Line:  951-686-4357 (951-686-HELP) 

Riverside County Mental Health Outpatient and Crisis Clinic: 47825 Oasis Street, Indio, CA 

Phone: 760-863-8455 

Riverside Country “CARES” Line/Substance Abuse Referrals: 800-499-3008 

DAP Health Leans in with Client Advisory Board 

It takes more than good intentions to offer medical care that changes a person’s life. With an emphasis on listening, doctors and nurses can assess what their patients truly need. DAP Health is known for this, but the listening does not stop there. With a thriving partnership between the Client Advisory Board (CAB) and management, the health center is in a dialogue about what is going well, and what can be improved. 

“There are more than 10,000 other people getting care right now at DAP Health, and on the CAB, we are just like each of them,” says Michael O’Neill, CAB co-chair, and DAP Health patient. “We speak through the experiences we’ve had.” 

Few are accustomed to the number of services and healthcare options offered under one roof. Accessing everything that DAP Health offers can be a challenge.  

“I did not know the breadth and scope of services available to me when I got to DAP Health,” Michael says.  

But members of the CAB are determined to make it easier for other patients and clients to have it all. They say their gratitude motivates them to help others fully take advantage of DAP Health.  

“After the journey, we’ve all been on for years at DAP Health, we’d like to offer shortcuts to other patients seeking better health,” Michael says.  

Management says the relationship is a vital part of understanding the community it serves. 

“The CAB brings opportunities to the table in the patient experience that we do not always see,” says C.J. Tobe, Community Health director. “We take their advice seriously as we keep patient care and experience at the forefront.” 

Besides the complexity of the healthcare system, C.J. says he and his team consider any social determinants of health that a patient or client may be facing. Understanding a patient’s life circumstances is important for offering the best care and services, and the CAB offers a telling sample of all DAP patients. 

Each person is on a unique healthcare journey, and every voice offers valuable insight about patients and clients at DAP Health. 

To C.J., the CAB is extremely important for maintaining quality within DAP Health.   

“What seems like a great idea could actually have ripple effects on a select set of patients or clients,” he says. “For example, the CAB helped us determine our after-diagnosis packet for HIV felt too clinical, and so we improved it to make it feel more personal.” 

Thanks to CAB input, the guide is even better suited to offer support for anyone with HIV, including their family and friends. It includes education on HIV, resources, and the enduring message that with DAP, it is not necessary to be alone with HIV.  

The CAB also influences marketing and patient information programs by sharing its viewpoint with management. In agreement with DAP clinicians, the CAB loudly supports U=U messaging for helping destigmatize HIV. With many long-term survivors from the worst years of the AIDS crisis, the DAP CAB knows HIV stigma can have deadly effects. It consults closely with management on new opportunities to spread this important message.  

Service Motivated by Gratitude  

Michael O’Neil is well suited to his co-chair position on the CAB, he says, because he has benefitted so much from an array of important services at DAP. He knows firsthand how much better life can be with DAP. 

“I wanted to give back to DAP,” Michael says. “And I’m grateful to be involved.” 

Surviving with pancreatic cancer was not enough to make Michael want to stop working, and neither was having HIV. 

“Everyone at DAP opened their arms for everything I needed, and also for my husband, who did not have HIV.”  

But when his beloved husband passed away unexpectedly, Michael needed the support of a community that understood him and could help him continue thriving with HIV. He says he benefitted greatly with bereavement counseling through DAP Behavioral Health and keeping in close contact with his primary care physician.  

Michael wanted to do more, and the CAB offered him an opportunity.  

“I could tell the skills I’d learned throughout my life and career could benefit this organization,” Michael says. “When you’ve lost your sense of self, giving back can be the best medicine.” 

Making sure that DAP is keeping its patients informed is one of Michael’s favorite things, but it is all part of the DAP paradigm for him.  

“DAP has worked on my teeth, my body, my mind,” he says.  

With his work on the CAB, “Now, DAP’s given me goals and some sense of self again.” 

If you would like to find out more about the Client Advisory Board at DAP Health, visit: https://www.daphealth.org/about-us/client-advisory-board/ or contact Curtis Howard at [email protected] or (760) 656-8414.  

February 28, 2022

New videos prompt a surge of interest in DAP Health's free, at-home HIV test

Written by Lawrence Karol 

A new media campaign promoting DAP Health's free, at-home HIV test is receiving a boost from the well-known adult entertainer Trenton Ducati, whose given name is Zach Ivey. Three other popular adult actors—Boomer Banks, Reign, and Masyn Thorne—appear alongside Ivey in videos that were launched in February on DAP Health's website, as well as gay dating apps and social media channels such as TikTok and Snapchat. Almost immediately after the videos were released, influencers shared them with over one million of their followers and DAP Health experienced a significant increase in requests for the tests. 

The videos were directed by Bob Koherr, who has directed episodes of The Conners, Anger Management, Raven’s Home, and Dads, among many other television programs, and were shot at Snap Studios, a Palm Springs production facility owned by Ivey. "We wanted to shoot a variety of ideas to kind of tell the story," says Ivey. Those scenarios include a guy who checks his test results before having sex; another where someone gets a text message from a hookup but isn't concerned about his own status because he's done an at-home test; and a third one featuring Ducati getting ready for a date and going through the steps of his normal routine such as taking a shower, doing his hair, etc., and also checking his at-home test result before heading out the door. 

This isn't the first time Ivey has collaborated with DAP Health. "Originally we were trying to figure out ways to make it safer for actors in the adult community to access health care," he says. "I went and spoke with them and had the best meeting ever because they were the most pro, open, thoughtful group of people and were so sex positive. I was really inspired to try to figure out ways that we could work together because they totally get it about sex work is work and let's just try to make it a safer place for our group of people." 

One initiative that sprang from those meetings was the Next Step Program in which Ivey worked with DAP Health to connect adult performers to health care, STI testing, and PrEP. He also helped their Mental Health Clinic develop a questionnaire that adult models fill out on set before a shoot. For example, they answer queries about their current mental health and their living situation. "It's an overall checkup of their lives in general and I feel like that's a good [way to find out] if there are any issues that could be addressed," says Ivey. "The plan was to have sex-positive people [at DAP Health] answer the phone so [the actors] feel encouraged to call, they don't feel excluded, and they feel it's okay." 

Another successful effort between Ivey and DAP Health debuted on the organization's website in March 2020 during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. It explored new methods of sexual expression that people could enjoy while adhering to social distancing guidelines. A personal video message from Trenton Ducati was embedded in the post which garnered more than 23,500 views. "I have a little bit of a following so I could really speak directly to the community that we are trying to get to," says Ivey. "And I do feel that a blunt statement like that coming from me makes more sense. I could pull that off because I'm a producer in the adult industry and I've been doing porn for 10 years. So I was happy to do it and I felt like it was a really smart thing to do." 

On the personal front, Ivey, who lives in Cathedral City, is busy with Snap Studios. "It's a full-stop production company," he says. "We can handle productions from photo and film, from small to large, we have an equipment rental company in house, and we have a partnership with Palm Springs Grip and Lighting." A few of Snap Studios' clients have included Adidas, Nike, Nordstrom's, and eBay—as well as various fashion shoots. "The idea is that we want to attract more moviemaking out here to the desert and there isn't really a facility that has shooting space, gear rental, and then access to verify talent and editors and camera operators. So we are trying to cover all bases and then be the destination place in the desert for all of these services." 

In the meantime, both Zach Ivey and his alter ego Trenton Ducati have enjoyed their partnership with DAP Health and seem ready to help out with future endeavors. “[They] been a close ally of mine and I just wanted to do anything where I was involved with them." 

To receive your free, at-home HIV test, visit daphealth.org; or call 760-567-2431, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The self-tests are saliva-based and take about 20 minutes to process at home. 

Free HIV testing is also available at DAP Heath’s Sexual Wellness Orange Clinic from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday. Call 760-992-0492 to make an appointment. 

The Benefits of Switching to Long-Lasting PrEP

The injectable form of the HIV prevention drug has many advantages over the oral form.

Words by Trey Burnette

While great sex can be wonderfully spontaneous, a fair share of advance prep work also needs to go into it if the experience is going to be stellar. For many of us, that preparation includes being on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) to ward off the risk of getting HIV.

The pill form of the medication — which must be taken daily to be most effective — was made widely available in 2012, but came with a host of hindrances. In late 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made taking PrEP easier than ever with the approval of Apretude (cabotegravir), a longer-lasting, injectable option.

“Apretude is an amazing addition to the sexual health toolbox,” says DAP Health PrEP Navigation Manager Andrew Glorioso, who adds that the injection is available at two of the organization’s three sexual wellness clinics, in Palm Springs and Cathedral City. (The Indio location unfortunately does not have an onsite pharmacy where providers can pick up the shot in advance.)

But at the Sunrise campus or the Stonewall Medical Center, patients come in for an intake, fill out forms, and are screened for STIs and HIV. A week later, they return — and if their HIV test results are negative — are given their first injection. One month later, they’re given a second dose, and then only return every two months for screening and injection. “Patients with Medi-Cal, IEHP, and Medicare have no out-of-pocket cost,” adds Glorioso. DAP Health inquiries about eligibility on behalf of patients with private insurance.          

Only about 5% of DAP Health PrEP patients take Apretude, but that percentage is sure to increase as the injectable’s benefits are more widely known.

So, what are the top five benefits of Apretude?

1. “We must accept human error as inevitable and design around that fact.” — Physician and author Dr. Donald Berwick

Apretude — 69% more effective than oral PrEP — eliminates errors in pill adherence. “After two years on [oral] PrEP, I switched,” says a DAP Health community educator who wishes to remain anonymous. “No more forgetting my pills.”

2. “Peace of mind for five minutes, that’s what I crave.” — Singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette

There are no pills to be lost, stolen, or misplaced when one is experiencing unstable living conditions, stressful life events, or unpredictable schedules.

3. “Obviously, I can get moody, but my whole philosophy is to try and have a good time.” — Famous fictional character Eliza Doolittle

Bimonthly screening gives patients regular reassurance of their health status. “The regular checkups reduce any stress I feel, and I can enjoy life,” says the community educator.

4. “The less routine, the more life.” — Teacher, writer, and philosopher Amos Bronson Alcott

Apretude replaces an added pharmacy trip with one simple office visit.

5. “Privacy is not something that I’m merely entitled to, it’s an absolute prerequisite.” — Legendary actor Marlon Brando

For those who need or desire medical privacy, Apretude is ideal because there are no telltale medication bottles for others to see.