February 26, 2021 – APLA Health announced a new $20 per hour minimum wage for its workforce, $5 above the Los Angeles County minimum wage and exceeding the estimated County living wage. APLA Health continues to offer paid vacation and sick time, full employer-paid health insurance coverage for all staff, and a 6% match to employee 403(b) retirement accounts.
“APLA Health has earned consecutive Gold-Level Health Center Quality Leader recognition from HRSA (the Health Resources & Services Administration) due to the hard work and dedication of all our staff. Our Board of Director’s decision to increase our minimum wage honors this work, establishes APLA Health as a pay leader and furthers our efforts to provide the best possible care for our community,” said Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health. “As we surpass half a million COVID-19 deaths in less than a year, we’re reminded how much we all depend on the ‘essential’ contributions of frontline workers. In Los Angeles County, the majority of these workers are Black and Latinx. If we are to be serious about reducing racial inequality, then we must promote both long term systemic change and implement simple, concrete measures. Although the Los Angeles County minimum wage of $15 an hour is significantly higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25, it still falls short of the estimated $18.63 per hour needed to live in the County. By raising our minimum hourly wage to $20, we are validating the skills of our frontline workers who care for the most vulnerable in our community.”
The change positively affects more than one third of APLA Health’s workforce, the majority of whom are people of color and women.
APLA Health, led by its Board of Directors, recognizes our social and financial responsibility to promote health justice in the communities we serve and in which our patients and staff live. Providing a minimum salary that exceeds the living wage is just one part of our ongoing efforts at creating a diverse, inclusive and equitable workforce and community-at-large.
APLA Health’s wage increase will take effect on March 1, 2021.
ABOUT APLA HEALTH: APLA Health’s mission is to achieve healthcare equity and promote well-being for the LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities and people living with and affected by HIV. We remain committed to ending the AIDS epidemic in our lifetime. We are a nonprofit, federally qualified health center serving more than 18,000 people annually. We provide 20 different services at 16 locations throughout Los Angeles County, including: medical, dental, behavioral health and HIV specialty care; PrEP counseling and management; health education and HIV prevention; and STD screening and treatment. For people living with HIV, we offer housing support; benefits counseling; home healthcare; and the Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; among several other critically needed services. Additionally, we are leaders in advocating for policy and legislation that positively impacts the LGBT and HIV communities and conduct community-based research on issues affecting the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us at aplahealth.org.