It’s our great pleasure to welcome you to DAP Health Magazine’s third issue. Leafing through its pages, you’ll learn about who we’ve become since our founding as Desert AIDS Project in 1984, and more importantly, how we intend to keep growing as we do our part to make health equity a reality.

Our cover story subject, cherished local entertainer Keisha D, is proof positive that our doors are already open to everyone. And you’ll meet more people who are the heart of DAP Health: donors, staff members, and community partners. You’ll also find articles within about mental and physical well-being, including a series on sexual wellness.

Also included is a wrap-up of our biggest fundraiser of the year, The Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards, a gala created by (and named after) the late, world-renowned interior designer Steve Chase — an early DAP donor, volunteer, and board member who worked touring the globe but loved Palm Springs best.

The one thing you won’t read about in this issue is our recent acquisition of the Borrego Health system. That’s because at press time, we were just at the very beginning of this important evolution. But I will tell you that when DAP Health heard the desperate cries of community members on the verge of losing their health care, we chose to act.

Helping others in distress is how DAP Health began. It’s in our DNA. So, we stepped up — forming an alliance with Innercare and Neighborhood Healthcare — to guarantee lifesaving continued access.

We eagerly look forward to fully bringing those 120,000 men, women, and children; their 600 physicians and support staff practicing in disciplines from obstetrics and pediatrics to gerontology and HIV prevention and treatment; and their 26 health centers from San Diego to the Salton Sea into the DAP Health family.

We wish you happy reading...