FALLS CHURCH, Va. — The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the nation's largest provider for people living with HIV and AIDS, opened a new healthcare facility in Falls Church on Thursday.
Michel McVicker, the D.C., Maryland and Virginia regional director for AHF, noted at the ribbon-cutting that the facility opened on the same day as National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
There are 38 million people are living with HIV, half of whom are women and girls.
"We chose this day deliberately because we wanted to draw attention to the disparities that exist because of institutional sexism, institutional sexism and homophobia," McVicker said.
The organization advocates for people living with HIV and has 66 healthcare centers located across 16 states and D.C. and Puerto Rico. It is the first facility AHF has opened in the Commonwealth.
"We are here today to commit oursel[ves] and all of our resources and all of our passion to state of Virginia, to the residents of Northern Virginia, and the people living with HIV here in Northern Virginia," McVicker said.
According to data from the Virginia Department of Health, in 2020, 57% of Northern Virginians living with HIV did not receive routine care, which was an increase of 3% from the previous year.
"AHF knows firsthand the importance of supporting patients and clients with local grassroots community-based services—including medical care, treatment and pharmacy services—in the community, such as those our new Falls Church facility will offer,” Michael Weinstein, president of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement. “We’ve found our one-stop model to be key to ensuring better health outcomes for patients and we are pleased to work with our local partner, NOVA Salud, to bring this high level of care to Falls Church, our first location in Virginia.”
The AHF healthcare facility in Falls Church is located at 2946 Sleepy Hollow Road in Suite 4B.
Patients who go to the Falls Church center will receive care from Dr. Danbi Martinez.
The site operates weekdays and serves all patients regardless of whether they are insured or able to pay.