Whitman-Walker Clinic

For Immediate Release
Nov. 16, 2009

WHITMAN-WALKER CLINIC TO OBSERVE WORLD AIDS DAY 2009

Traditional Candlelight Vigil to Increase Public Awareness of Epidemic

WASHINGTON – Whitman-Walker Clinic will observe World AIDS Day with its annual candlelight vigil to be held this year at Dupont Circle beginning at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

“Dupont Circle is not only a natural convergence point for many people in DC, it has also been a focal point throughout the HIV/AIDS epidemic in DC,” said Donald Blanchon, executive director of Whitman-Walker Clinic. “Numerous vigils, demonstrations and marches related to HIV/AIDS have been held on Dupont Circle over the last nearly 30 years. We want to honor that legacy while remembering the breadth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in DC today.”

Other events for World AIDS Day:

All day: Free confidential HIV testing will be available at:

Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St., NW, from 9:00 am-5:00 pm and in the Gay Men’s Health and Wellness/STD Clinic beginning at 6:00 pm
Max Robinson Center, 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE, from 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Suburban Maryland AIDS Reduction Team at the Montgomery Co. Dept. of Health & Human Services, 2000 Dennis Ave. in Silver Spring, from 9:00 am-5:00 pm.

12:00 pm: Whitman-Walker will co-sponsor the DC Center’s “HIV Vaccine Research: A New Chapter” luncheon at the Human Rights Campaign, 1640 Rhode Island Ave., NW. For more information, visit www.thedccenter.org.
5:30-8:30 pm: Red Hot Night at Hotel Rouge to benefit Whitman-Walker, 1315 16th St., NW.
6:00-8:00 pm: “Ads Vs. AIDS: 25 Years of Communications for the Cause” exhibit at Long View Gallery, 1234 9th St., NW. Whitman-Walker will receive a portion of art sales that evening.

Established in 1978, Whitman-Walker Clinic is a non-profit, community-based provider of health care in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Through two sites in the District of Columbia, the Clinic offers primary medical and dental care; mental health and addictions counseling and treatment; HIV education, prevention, and testing; legal services; and medical adherence case management. Whitman-Walker Clinic is committed to meeting the health needs of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and people living with HIV/AIDS.

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