APLA Health & Wellness Offers PrEP Navigator

APLA Health & Wellness (APLAHW) is proud to announce the expansion of the Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program with the addition of its first PrEP navigator.

PrEP Navigator Ken Almanza started in this new role in April 2015 after previously working as an outreach specialist with Party Wise, APLA Health & Wellness' crystal methamphetamine program. As PrEP navigator, he works on site at the Gleicher/Chen Health Center (GCHC) in Baldwin Hills, where he meets one-on-one with patients interested in PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, a method of treatment that reduces the risk of HIV transmission by 99 percent when the medicine is taken daily.

In his new role, Almanza educates eligible HIV-negative patients about Truvada -- currently the only drug approved for use as PrEP. He assists patients with health insurance enrollment, counsels those who have questions about PrEP, and follows up with patients to make sure they keep their appointments for routine follow-ups and to refill prescriptions.

Even with recent advances in access to and education about PrEP, road blocks remain in counseling and management of the medicine. By creating the PrEP navigator position, APLAHW is establishing an important and necessary process by which patients can manage their overall health.

"A surprising number of HIV-negative people still don't know much about PrEP," Almanza says. "My goal is to help our patients better understand the treatment process and meet with our medical providers so they can make an informed decision about whether PrEP is right for them. It's also a first step for many people in taking care of their overall health, so I'm here to help make sure they get everything they need."

The Pendleton/Goldman PrEP Program launched in fall 2014 and currently focuses on HIV-negative gay and bisexual men, as well as transgender women. The program was developed in part thanks to generous support from Brian Pendleton and Chad Goldman and is an integral component of services APLAHW provides.

The 6,700 square-foot Gleicher/Chen Health Center provides free and low-cost services to residents of Baldwin Hills and many surrounding L.A. neighborhoods, with a specific focus on low-income LGBT individuals. The space includes five exam rooms, four dental operatories with digital X-ray capabilities, laboratory, treatment room, patient vitals station, and three counseling rooms.

APLA Health & Wellness (APLAHW) provides primary medical and oral health care, behavioral health services, HIV testing, PrEP counseling and management, STD screening/treatment, and health education and HIV-prevention services, with a specific focus on low-income gay and bisexual men of color and transgender individuals living in Los Angeles County.

APLAHW is a federally qualified health center that includes: the Gleicher / Chen Health Center in South Los Angeles; the Wilshire Dental Clinic downtown; Behavioral Health Services at the David Geffen Center in Mid-City; and a mobile dental facility. The S. Mark Taper Foundation Dental Clinic in South Los Angeles is also part of APLAHW. APLAHW serves more than 6,000 people each year.

The Gleicher/Chen Health Center is open Monday-Friday at 3743 S. La Brea Ave. in the Baldwin Hills Shopping Center. For additional information about PrEP, call 323-329-9016 or visit aplahw.org/prep.