Our Mission
Asian & Pacific Islander (A&PI) Wellness Center’s mission is to educate, support, empower and advo-cate for A&PI communities – particularly A&PIs living with, or at-risk for, HIV/AIDS.

Our History
A&PI Wellness Center grew out of a terrible epidemic in 1987– the HIV/AIDS crisis. The most disenfranchised A&PIs were without any support, and many were dying in isolation. In response, the San Francisco Bay Area community built two organizations, Asian AIDS Project and the Living Well Project, which later merged to become A&PI Wellness Center.
Today, A&PI Wellness Center is a leading resource in the movement to fight HIV/AIDS at local, state, national, and—increasingly—international levels. We develop, implement, and disseminate innovative approaches to reduce the rates of new HIV infections and other sexual health concerns, ameliorate the impact of HIV/AIDS, and advance health and wellness in A&PI communities.

Program Characteristics
Our Ohana HIV Care Services is the only integrated, multi-lingual HIV service program targeting A&PIs and the primary point of entry for newly HIV-diagnosed A&PIs in Northern California. Our comprehensive, high-quality, cost-effective, culturally competent services improve the quality of life and promote access to healthcare for significantly underserved A&PIs living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
Additionally, 20,000 A&PIs are served through Health Education programs: on-site and mobile HIV testing; prevention case management; mental health counsel-ing; needle exchange; employment services; volunteer and peer leadership; workshops, support groups and retreats; youth scholarships; hepatitis prevention; and street and web-based outreach.

Our National Capacity Building Assistance (CBA) Program engage A&PI community-based research studies and deliver training and capacity building with dozens of community-based organizations and health departments across the continental US and in the six Pacific Islander Jurisdictions. We also run the California State-wide Treatment Education Program which trains and certifies HIV providers serving people of color living with HIV/AIDS. Our website, www.apiwellness.org, provides critical and life-saving information, referrals and resources on HIV/AIDS and other sexual health concerns.

Client Characteristics
Health Education Programs reaches over 20,000 clients in four Bay Area Counties with services sites in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda County with HIV prevention messages, HIV testing, and support through individual, group, and community-level programming.
Serving over 250 A&PIs living with HIV and their families, ranging from 1 to 70 years of age.
The majority of our clients are uninsured or underinsured; limited or non-English speaking; refugees, immigrants, or asylees; homeless or marginally housed; substance users; and/or mentally ill.

Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center Milestones
1987 .......Asian AIDS Project, the first organization of its kind in North America, is founded to deliver HIV prevention efforts to curtail the epidemic.

1988 .......Living Well Project is founded to support people living with HIV and provides case man-agement, volunteer support, and mental health services.

1993 .......National technical assistance program is established to build HIV prevention capacity of A&PI organizations and communities throughout the U.S. and its Pacific Island Jurisdic-tions.

1994 .......In partnership with University of California, San Francisco, A&PI Wellness Center begins a three-year study on HIV risk behaviors of gay & bisexual A&PI men, the only National Insti-tute of Health funded and published study to date.

1996 .......A&PI Wellness Center is formed out of a merger of Asian AIDS Project and Living Well Proj-ect and becomes the largest A&PI-focused HIV/AIDS organization in North America.

1997 .......A&PI Wellness Center is recognized at the San Francisco’s Health Summit as a Center of Excellence, the only AIDS organization selected.

1998 .......On-Site primary care, psychiatric services, and housing assistance are provided in collabo-ration with Tom Waddell Health Center, Family Services Agency and San Francisco AIDS Foundation, respectively.

1999 .......Confidential mobile and on-site HIV testing is established

2000 .......First A&PI Pride Stage established which broadcasts HIV prevention messages to the thou-sands of people attending San Francisco’s LGBT Pride Celebration.

2001 .......Northern California Grantmakers AIDS Partnership California funds A&PI Wellness Center to research and implement the first prevention with positives program for A&PIs in the country.

2002 .......Needle exchange site for hormone injecting transgenders established.

2002 .......A&PI Wellness Center convenes first national conference on A&PIs and HIV/AIDS. This research summit was convened in collaboration with Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services and University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

2003 .......HIV/AIDS Anti-Stigma Initiative funded by Ford Foundation. A&PI Wellness Center is one of 5 organizations across the country funded to research and conduct a stigma-reducing media campaign for Chinese and Vietnamese communities.

2003.......A&PI Wellness Center opens two satellite office in Oakland and Daly City

2005 .......A&PI Wellness Center coordinates the First National A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on May 19th with nine concurrent events held across the U.S.

2005.......Transgender program offers employment workshops.

2006 .......A&PI Wellness Center hosts the Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, and Jason Scott Lee at the 2nd Annual A&PI HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

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