Los Angeles AIDS hospice may close

Officials with the Carl Bean House, Los Angeles's last remaining AIDS hospice, say that they received word last week from the county board of supervisors that its $1 million in county funding will end on March 1, which would force the clinic to close. The Carl Bean House, an AIDS Healthcare Foundation-backed center located at 2146 W. Adams Blvd., provides a range of HIV services, including nursing and hospice care for HIV-positive adults. It also houses the Magic Johnson Healthcare Center, which provides outpatient care, and coordinates a program that helps HIV-positive people adhere to their antiretroviral medications. Officials from the Carl Bean House have contacted the West Adams Heritage Association for financial help to avoid closing, according to association officials. WAHA's board of directors has voted to match up to $5,000 in contributions by its members to help save the Carl Bean House. WAHA and Carl Bean members also are urging members of the community to attend the county supervisors meeting scheduled for 9:30 a.m. March 1 in room 383 of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St. in Los Angeles to express their opposition to the funding cut.