David Brinkman the CEO Desert AIDS Project, the non-profit whose mission it is to provide resources and medical care to people fighting HIV AIDS and the disenfranchised, tested positive for COVID-19.

“Everybody at Desert AIDS Project has been working 12 hours a day 7 days a week and so by the time I started feeling symptoms I just assumed it was from exhaustion, I assumed the tightness in my chest was from the anxiety and just wrote it off,” says Brinkman.

Still, he contacted his doctor at D.A.P. and got tested.

“Forty-eight hours later I got the results back, thank goodness I was already at home working from my home office,” he says.

But he’s more worried that others get the help they need.

“I feel fine, you know we’re so focused at desert aids project being on the front lines responding to this pandemic and that’s where my attention has been since day on one this and continues to be today,” adding that his diagnosis galvanized his mission that all get access to health care, “that has certainly been one of my reflections since testing positive is how important it is that everybody has access to health care and if ant anytime especially right now.”

He says he wants the community to know they can count on D.A.P. during this time of uncertainty Desert AIDS Project cares for all people regardless if they have insurance or not, if your viewers are watching this and feel that they have symptoms of COVID they should call our hotline and come and get care, if your viewers need access to a primary care doctor, a behavioral health specialist, a psychologist, they should call our organization and become a part of D.A.P., we care for all people regardless of ability to pay and regardless if the have HIV,” he says.

He says they converted their STD, clinic to focus on COVID-19 care, their goal is to relieve some of the stress emergency rooms are facing by providing in office care, tele-medicine and testing, “Creating that was something that our health care workers envisioned and we implemented it very quickly we’ve cared for over 200 people thus far and whether people come in our clinic or they come up to our drive up through testing we do it all through scheduled appointments and continue to look to expand that care.”

He says they will continue to combat this virus as long as they have the means and that will take everyone uniting in the fight, “My attention is on ensuring we decrease the loss of lives in this community and we decrease the number of new positives, if people have the ability to help we need your help today .”

To get tested for COVID-19 call: (760) 992-0407.

Click here for more information on D.A.P: Desert AIDS Project

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David Brinkman, CEO of Desert AIDS Project, Fighting for Others While Battling COVID-19