Words by Daniel Vaillancourt
On March 12, 2025 — at the final 2iS learning collaborative held at the Hilton Washington, D.C. Rockville Hotel & Executive Meeting Center — DAP Health was recognized with the Golden Shield Awards’ prestigious Innovative Architects Award for its groundbreaking leadership, innovation, and unwavering commitment to ending the HIV epidemic in the Coachella Valley and beyond.
2iS (Innovative Intervention Strategies) is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Special Project of National Significance (SPNS) whose full title is “Using Innovative Intervention Strategies to Improve Health Outcomes Among People with HIV.” It is supported by AIDS United in the nation’s capital, as well as by Boston’s Fenway Health, and evaluated by the University of California San Francisco.
A Presentation Full of Feeling
AIDS United Senior Program Manager Joseph Stango delivered an emotional tribute to DAP Health during the award presentation. He praised the team not just for its outcomes, but for its leadership, generosity, and commitment to health equity.
“We gave DAP Health this award because of the position it took during this entire three-year implementation,” says Stango. “Not only was the team able to thoughtfully establish their own project — a walk-in HIV clinic for those experiencing substance use disorder — but it served as an impressive thought partner for the 18 other participants, helping them consider alternate funding models and different strategies in order to tweak their own projects, engage more effectively, and pitch projects to leadership in order to sustain their respective projects after the initiative’s completion.”
Other organizations recognized at the weekend conference include AIDS Task Force of Greater Cleveland, Denver Health, Men’s Health Foundation, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Vivent Health, and Yale University.
DAP Health’s Road to Success
For DAP Health, the moment was more than an accolade — it was a powerful milestone in a journey that began nearly six years ago. In 2018, community concerns about access to HIV medications sparked an internal review that eventually inspired a wave of change. What followed was a comprehensive transformation of HIV care delivery at DAP Health, beginning with the successful pursuit of a SPNS grant centered on the national Rapid StART initiative.
With that 2019 grant, DAP Health streamlined HIV services to ensure new and returning patients could access antiretroviral therapy (ART) quickly and safely. Free initial visits through the DAP Health sexual wellness clinic on its Sunrise campus in Palm Springs, process overhauls, and deep collaboration across departments resulted in significantly improved health outcomes. However, it soon became clear that some patients — especially those unhoused, and/or those experiencing mental health issues and/or substance use disorder — required more tailored care.
That realization led to DAP Health’s next bold step: applying for a second SPNS grant to implement the MAX Clinic intervention. This national model, originally developed at the University of Washington, focuses on providing high-intensity case management and low-barrier, compassionate care to people living with HIV and substance use disorder. DAP Health was one of just 20 organizations selected nationwide to implement such specialized interventions.
The Initiative’s Specifics
At the heart of DAP Health’s MAX Clinic model was continuity and accessibility. Each patient had one dedicated case manager and one physician — Dr. Christina Vu — who provided consistent care over several years. Incentives like grocery and gas cards, donated clothing, and flexible “drop-in” appointments made it easier for patients to stay engaged with treatment. These efforts addressed structural barriers and recognized the humanity and complexity of every individual seeking care.
Over the past three years, DAP Health has participated in six national 2iS learning sessions, exchanging data, best practices, and peer support with fellow SPNS recipients. This final gathering in D.C. served as a culmination of the collaboration, where organizations shared outcomes and celebrated their collective impact.
For DAP Health, the Innovative Architects Award underscored not only the success of its own work but its generous support of other clinics across the country. “This is not just another milestone,” says DAP Health Chief Transformation Officer C.J. Tobe, who was on hand in D.C. to accept the award on behalf of the nonprofit (alongside DAP Health Community Health Early Intervention Supervisor Adriana Cano, MPH, and Community Health Early Intervention Specialist Julio Diaz). “It’s a reminder that we are still fighting — still innovating — to meet people where they are and end the HIV epidemic in our region.”
If you would like to receive HIV care at DAP Health, please click here. Thank you.
