Touring the Whitman Walker Clinic

Tuesday night Michael and I went to a small "reception" (chips, pretzels, cheese & crackers) at the Whitman Walker Clinic HQ. Two staff members talked about what Whitman Walker does, and answered lots of questions. One of the staff members was a man who's been working at the Clinic's Development office for two years. Unfortunately, he was inarticulate and not very knowledgeable. That bodes ill for the Clinic's fundraising efforts! I hope he prepares better for meetings with potential donors, foundations, etc. I guess WWC gets what it pays for ... I imagine the salaries are pretty low.

Anyway, in addition to medical services, the Clinic provides treatment for mental health problems and addictions (drugs & alcohol). They also provide legal services to those who may face discrimination by employers, landlords, health care providers, or school officials.

Health promotion, disease prevention, and education also form a large part of their services. They conduct education programs on practicing safer sex, and provide fast and anonymous HIV testing.

They also maintain a lab (which we didn't get to see) and they participate in clinical trials of new drugs with NIH & Georgetown.

So, in short, definitely a worthy cause - despite the disappointing tour!