“I think the best way to describe it is with an analogy,” says Debbie Chapman, director of development: events and partnerships for DAP Health. She’s a former Laguna Beach resident who has worked in event planning for 20 years. “Let’s say you have three people standing at a five-foot fence. One guy is six feet tall and he can see over perfectly. But, the other two people can’t. So, equity means we are giving those shorter people whatever means are necessary to get to the level they need to get to. And that varies from person to person. So, what is health equity? It’s about providing all the services that are needed. That could mean housing or transportation or counseling … that could mean any number of things that a person is lacking to live the same quality of life as other people.”
DAP Health was founded over 40 years ago (as the Desert AIDS Project) to help provide access to medical services for people who were living with AIDS. As the organization grew, so did its ability to positively affect people’s lives with a variety of services. DAP Health’s reach has expanded dramatically since it acquired Borrego Health last year. Before the acquisition, the organization cared for 10,000 people. Now, it cares for over 100,000 people, from Palm Springs to coastal San Diego County. The commitment to holistic care – body, mind, and spirit – remains unchanged.
Chapman cites a new client who had never seen a doctor as a recent example. Why? “Because she couldn’t find a doctor who spoke Spanish,” says Chapman with a frustrated shake of her head. “How do you help someone if you can’t communicate with them?” Chapman also tells the story of a young client who came to DAP Health as a victim of rape and assault. “When she first came to us, there was no trust. There was no hope. She has gone through so much. She worked with a counselor … and it took two years to actually help her through all of that. She went and got her degree in counseling and now she works here. Now, she can take care of herself. So that, to me, is a huge success story.”
Chapman says fundraising efforts are nonstop, in order to ensure that these programs effectively serve the people who come to DAP Health for help. “Everything I do is a fundraiser,” she says. “The sole purpose of resource development is to bring in money. People say, ‘Do you really need this?’ The answer is yes, because almost all of it goes back into patient care.”
A case in point is the Steve Chase Awards, which Chapman produced last year. She originally joined the DAP Health team in 2018 but was laid off during the COVID lockdown. The Chase Awards, one of the most popular benefits and awards dinners in the Valley, was not held during the lockdown. The 2024 awards ceremony was held outdoors, was attended by much fewer people than previous ceremonies, and was, by all accounts, a dismal failure. Chapman was brought back to revitalize the event. She brought down costs and brought up attendance. The 2024 event was a resounding success that grossed $2.3 million; $1 million went directly to DAP Health’s clients.
“I have two people who work with me, and between September and April, we produce 20 events,” Chapman says. “Some are larger, some are smaller. The Chase, obviously, is the largest, with about 1,500 [guests]. In April, we have Dining Out for Life … and on Oct. 26, we have the Health Equity Walk.”
The name of the event was changed from the Desert AIDS Walk to reflect DAP Health’s broadening mission. The tagline for the Health Equity Walk is “Walk Out Loud,” which is an indication that activism and urgency are still alive and well at DAP Health. The first walk occurred in 1989; over the years, it changed and evolved. Chapman says she hopes to attract 1,500 participants this year. DAP Health will spend approximately $80,000 to produce the event, and the goal is to gross $250,000. As with all DAP Health-produced events (and ongoing efforts such as the organization’s highly profitable Revivals stores, which net nearly $1 million each year), all profits will be used to enhance client services.
Revenue, of course, is generated by either the walkers, who pay $25 for event T-shirts, or by participants who convince friends, family, and colleagues to pledge money to individuals or teams to complete the walk. “Patrick Jordan, our board chair, is a realtor with Patrick Stewart Properties,” Chapman says. “He builds a team … and he’s got some really great connections. So, he throws it all out there and comes back with $25,000 in donations.” Chapman says 40 to 50 exhibitors, including health and wellness organizations from all over the Valley, will pay for booths during the walk.
The three-and-a-half-mile route is pretty painless, according to Chapman. It’s a loop that goes down North Palm Canyon Drive from the park, detours toward the museum, heads downtown, turns left on Tahquitz (where cheerleaders will encourage walkers and music will be played), and then heads back up to the park.
Chapman says she relies heavily on the five senses to engage participants when she produces events like this. “There was an event once that I worked on that was on the docks at the ocean,” she says. “And we smelled fish very, very heavily. It was a Moroccan-themed event, so we went to the market and we bought huge bags of cinnamon and cardamon and cloves and we spread it all over the docks. And as people [attending the event] were walking, they crushed all the spices and released this amazing smell all over the event that completely masked the fish smell. You put a lot of clever people together and you can usually find a solution for anything.”
Chapman’s goals for the Health Equity Walk are not limited to fundraising. “After the walk, the goal is to have people come back to the park and stay around and enjoy the day,” she says. To that end, she organized food trucks on the scene (the senses of smell and taste), a performance by the Nickerson Rossi Dance Company (visual sense), a doggy fashion show, and a doggy kissing booth (sense of humor).
Chapman is proud that among the events at the park, there will be an old-fashioned dunking booth where participants can plunk down a little cash for the chance to immerse either DAP Health’s CEO, David Brinkman, or Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills in a tank of water. And that will gift those with a winning toss a great sense of satisfaction.
