ASSEMBLYMEMBER PORTANTINO TO BE HONORED AT WORLD AIDS DAY CEREMONY

ASSEMBLYMEMBER PORTANTINO TO BE HONORED AT
WORLD AIDS DAY CEREMONY
Assemblymember Anthony Portantino will be honored by the City of Pasadena Public Health Department with its Andrew Escajeda Humanitarian Award at its World AIDS Day event, December 1 at Pasadena City Hall.
Portantino is being recognized for his work to create greater community awareness about prevention, treatment and social services for HIV/AIDS. For the past several years, Portantino has partnered with the Pasadena Public Health Department to offer free HIV testing and he has also hosted the highly regarded annual HIV/AIDS Action Summit at City of Hope Hospital in Duarte.
“I am deeply honored by this recognition from the Pasadena Health Department. The Pasadena Health Department is a terrific partner and it has been a pleasure to pool our resources. Together, we have worked towards increasing available information and creating strategies that can be used to prevent and fight this disease,” said Portantino.
Portantino has successfully authored legislation that enables the best practice models of HIV counseling and testing. He has brought efficiency to keep pace with changes in the HIV/AIDS epidemic during very tough economic times. He has led efforts to ensure that California receives its fair share of federal HIV funding.
The City of Pasadena is hosting a World AIDS Day ceremony in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS in the U.S., as well as recognizing 20 years of the department’s Andrew Escajeda Clinic.
The festivities begin at 5:30pm on the steps of City Hall with a candle lighting ceremony.