Kevin James Stalter has been appointed to the L.A. County Commission on HIV, the county’s the lead HIV and STI planning body. The commission advises the county Board of Supervisors on HIV and STI treatment and prevention issues, sets funding priorities for the $40 million the county receives from the federal Ryan White Part A Program and represents the interests of stakeholders throughout the L.A. County.
Stalter, a 25-year survivor of HIV, is president and executive director of The Thrive Tribe Foundation, a non-profit group whose mission is “to achieve zero transmission of HIV with or without a cure, by reinventing the HIV story and developing connected communities through support and education.”
The grass-roots organization, which has grown to over 2,000 members in West Hollywood and Greater Los Angeles in under two years, engages members in social, supportive and educational events to reduce stigma and prevent new infections. The group welcomes both those living with HIV and also the growing number of HIV-negative men who realize the enormous potential of new prevention methods—such as PrEP—to preserve their own status and, thus, arrest the spread of HIV.
Thrive Tribe Foundation works with its members to ensure that those living with HIV are linked to and remain in care. The group helps members overcome barriers that might prevent people living with HIV from access to medical care and medications.
“I strongly believe in a new wave of advocacy and education to change the dynamic in the gay community concerning HIV transmission,” Stalter said. “We can eliminate the transmission of HIV with or without a cure. Knowledge equals power even more today than when I first became diagnosed.”
There are currently an estimated 58,000 people in Los Angeles County living with HIV and an an estimated 10,500 of them are unaware they are infected.
“If someone had told me in 1990, when I was diagnosed, that we could live in a world free of HIV within 25 years I would have thought they were crazy,” Stalter said. “There are many in the fight to end HIV that now see that possibility.”
The organization’s next fundraising event — WineArtLA 2015 — is a wine tasting and art night. It will be held at 6 pm on May 16 at the V Wine Room, 903 Westbourne Dr. north of Santa Monica Boulevard. Tickets are available online.
Maybe Mr. Stalter should replace Michael Weinstein at AHF when he’s indicted for Medicare fraud. It’s time for Mr. Weinstien to go away and make way for new leadership.