HISTORY OF C.A.R.E.

We've Cared Since 1986

The Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education (C.A.R.E.) Program at St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach, is a non-profit program that helps meet the medical and social needs of the HIV community throughout Los Angeles County.

C.A.R.E. was founded in 1986 by an innovative emergency room social worker, Jennifer Andrews, LCSW (pictured left), who during the early 1980s saw countless of AIDS patients come through the emergency room at St. Mary Medical Center. During those years, the AIDS incidence rate was unconscionably high, and individuals infected and affected by HIV disease had very limited resources and education about HIV care and services. With a generous grant from the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and Ms. Andrew’s strategic foresight, the Comprehensive AIDS Resource and Education program was formed in order to comprehensively address the medical, social and mental health needs of those infected an affected by HIV disease. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, continue to be strong supporters of the mission and services of the C.A.R.E. Program.

Since its inception, C.A.R.E. has grown into a “model program” that comprehensively provides HIV specialty care and services to Los Angeles County residents who are infected and affected by HIV disease regardless of their ability to pay. C.A.R.E. is a non-profit hospital-based HIV program that is directly funded by federal, state and county grants. C.A.R.E. provides a plethora of services that include HIV antibody testing and counseling, HIV medical and dental care, Case Management, mental health and support groups, HIV prevention education, substance use and risk reduction counseling, treatment education and peer support, clinical trials, food bank for families with children, and several on-site supportive services such as HIV/AIDS Legal Services Alliance (HALSA), AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) enrollment, and Housing Opportunities for People with HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) enrollment site.