To honor the grand opening of its new site, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony September 26. The APLA Health and Wellness Center, located in Baldwin Hills, a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, will offer a comprehensive range of services, including HIV prevention programs, and HIV testing and treatment.

The location of the new center is important because the city’s highest HIV rates are concentrated in that southern area. Most of the region’s residents have low-incomes, and 95 percent are African American or Latino.

APLA executive director Craig E. Thompson says: “We’re proud to announce this important expansion of our work within a community that continues to be devastated by HIV and AIDS.”

The agency plans to build upon the services at the Baldwin Hills location, eventually including programs that focus on men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender populations.