The Work We Do: Whitman-Walker Health

Washington, D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Health is a community health provider specializing in LGBTQ+ and HIV care. The organization was founded in 1973 as The Gay Men’s VD Clinic and operated out of the basement of the Georgetown Lutheran Church. When the AIDS crisis of the 1980’s escalated, Whitman-Walker became a leader in education, testing, counseling, advocacy, and the provision of direct services to people with AIDS. The organization opened the country’s first gay, community-based medical unit devoted to the evaluation and diagnosis of AIDS symptoms.

Over the years, the organization has expanded its footprint and its mission. Today’s Whitman-Walker provides inclusive, stigma-free care through broad-ranging medical treatments, a pharmacy, legal services, behavioral health, insurance navigation, youth and family support, and more. 1199SEIU members play an essential part in Whitman- Walker’s mission, and help care for more than 30,000 patients a year. From clerical work to education to hands-on medicine, 1199 caregivers at four locations throughout the greater D.C. area ensure that their patients are treated with dignity, respect, and love.

1. “We are the people between the patients, providers, and specialists. We refer people outside and help them get the services they need,” says Jisanet Gonzalez Uben, a Whitman-Walker Referrals Coordinator for three years. “I used to do administrative work at a hospital. It’s different here. I feel like there’s more patient interaction and that [we] are part of the community.

2. Delegate Kelli Jenkins has been a Medical Assistant at Whitman-Walker for three years. “Working in this setting is awesome. It’s very relaxed. There is no judgment. You are free to help people be themselves, and it’s awesome.”

3. “For me this work shows how much we care for our patients—especially the trans community,” says Danny Mendoza, a Bilingual Public Benefits and Insurance Navigator at Whitman-Walker. “We have Spanish-speaking patients who identify as trans. I identify as nonbinary. It’s very helpful if someone can talk [to staff] about hormones or gender affirming surgery [in their primary language]. It says ‘I got you. I understand.’”

4. Prevention Programs Coordinator Faith Mitchell helps plan and execute programs related to HIV prevention. “For example, I help people start PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis, medication to help prevent HIV infection) and plan follow-up care once they’re on it,” Mitchell says. “I also go into the community and help people understand that sexual health is part of our overall health.”

5. “I have a background in social research. It’s what I did in college. I was working on an HIV-related project and a biomedical research project,” says Research Specialist Blaine Smith. “A lot of what I do has to do with retention and engagement. I’m very logical, so my manager likes to throw a lot of research elements at me at one time.”

6. Peer Testing Ambassador Camille Benbow works with clients aged 13-24. “My kind of outreach is at events. I do tabling where I try to provide information and draw youth into this space for more education,” she says.

“ For me this work shows how much we care for our patients—especially the trans community,”

– Danny Mendoza, Bilingual Public Benefits and Insurance Navigator Coordinator

1199 Magazine

The Work We Do: Whitman-Walker Health

“ For me this work shows how much we care for our patients—especially the trans community,”