APLA Health opens Michael Gottlieb Health Center in West Hollywood

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- APLA Health has opened the Michael Gottlieb Health Center in West Hollywood.

The facility celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an internationally renowned physician, HIV/AIDS pioneer, and longtime champion of health equity.

The state-of-the-art health center is APLA Health's eighth facility in Los Angeles County and the latest advancement in the nonprofit's mission to expand inclusive, accessible care.

Dr. Gottlieb's groundbreaking work helped define the global understanding of HIV/AIDS.

In 1981, while at UCLA, he co-authored the first medical report identifying what would later become known as AIDS, marking the official beginning of the global response to the epidemic.

Over the following decades, he became an internationally respected advocate for people living with HIV, serving as a physician, researcher, and educator-and later as a board member, then as a truster primary care provider at APLA Health until his recent retirement.

Gottlieb told Eyewitness News that he's deeply concerned about federal budget cuts that he says will cripple efforts on HIV research and prevention.

"It undermines our efforts to curb HIV here in Los Angeles, said Gottlieb. "Since 2018, there's been at least a 12% decrease in the incidence of new cases of HIV infection, largely due to these prevention efforts."

The new health center that bears his name includes 10 exam rooms offering LGBTQ+ primary care, HIV specialty care, mental health services, and sexual health care through the Out Here program.

It also marks APLA Health's first-ever pharmacy, located on the second floor, along with administrative offices and the headquarters of Alliance for Housing & Healing.