LOP BURI PROVINCE, Thailand, August 30 /PRNewswire/ --

- At Famed Thai AIDS Temple Where Thousands Received Compassionate 
Hospice Care Before Dying, Thailand's Lop Buri Provincial Government, the 
Dramaraksa Foundation and AIDS Healthcare Foundation Now Partner to Open Free 
AIDS Treatment Center Providing Lifesaving Antiretroviral Treatment

- The 'Wat Phrabatnampo-Center of Hope' Opens in a Formal Ceremony 
Friday, August 31st at 9:30 am

In an innovative collaboration that will provide free HIV/AIDS care --
including lifesaving antiretroviral treatment (ART) -- to people living with
advanced AIDS in Lop Buri Province, the Provincial Government, Lop Buri
Province; the Dramaraksa Foundation-Wat Phrabatnampo; and AIDS Healthcare
Foundation (AHF) will open their first free AIDS treatment clinic in Lop
Buri, Thailand with a formal dedication ceremony on Friday, August 31st at
9:30 am (Wat Phrabatnampo, 75 miles north of Bangkok). The clinic, which will
be known as the 'Wat Phrabatnampo-Center of Hope' is located on the grounds
of Wat Phrabatnampo -- Thailand's world-renowned AIDS temple. Since 1992,
thousands of Thais living with AIDS have received compassionate hospice care
at the temple. Now, this famed temple -- where so many have died of AIDS over
the years -- will offer new hope for those living with the disease through
the care and free antiretroviral treatment that will be provided at the
center. Other sites in this collaboration will also be known as 'Centers of
Hope,' and each will support the Provincial Government's efforts to expand
and the scale-up of delivery of standard antiretroviral treatment, care and
support services to those people in need throughout Lop Buri Province.

"It is a great privilege for AIDS Healthcare Foundation to partner in the
Kingdom of Thailand with the Provincial Government in Lop Buri and the
Dramaraksa Foundation to open this first 'Center of Hope.' Over the next five
years, AHF's Asia Pacific Bureau in close collaboration with the Provincial
Health Department and the Dramaraksa Foundation will provide antiretroviral
treatment, medical care and support services at the centers extending life
and bringing hope for people living with HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Chinkholal
Thangsing, Asia/Pacific Bureau Chief for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the US'
largest HIV/AIDS healthcare and prevention and education provider, which
operates more than 40 free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean and Asia. "I would like to offer thanks not only to our
partners, but also to Wora Booncherd, President of the Kasetsart University
Alumni Association, USA and the Board of Directors and Oraphan Boonthong in
Bangkok, for first introducing us to the Wat Phrabatnampo-Dramaraksa
Foundation Hospice Care program, and for educating us as to the tremendous
need for such treatment and compassionate care and support for people living
with HIV/AIDS in Thailand."

"It is my honor to be here for the grand opening of the "Center of Hope"
clinic under tripartite collaboration between the Lop Buri Provincial
Government, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Dramaraksa Foundation -- Wat
Phrabatnampo," said Mr. Suwat Tantipat, Lop Buri Provincial Governor. "I feel
pleased for Lop Buri people and HIV patients, as this project gives hope and
supports the HIV patients just like its name, 'Center of Hope.' We need both
knowledge and understanding in order to support HIV patients. I believe this
project will give a better life quality to HIV patients and let them live a
normal life once again. I, on behalf of Lop Buri Provincial Government,
promise that if there is anything the Lop Buri Provincial Government could
help with, we would help with our full strength immediately."

"This is a very good time for us to be here together for the grand
opening of the ART 'Center of Hope,' The number of HIV patients has continued
to rise and increase rapidly, and many people are in need of ARV medicines
and better treatment and care services. We therefore must expand our services
for HIV/AIDS patients and serve their needs more effectively," said Dr.
Wichai Thaitaworn, Director of the Dramaraksa Foundation." As part of this
partnership, the Dramaraksa Foundation will provide AHF with infrastructure,
space and basic services at the centers in order to help AHF provide high
quality HIV treatment care and support services for people living with
HIV/AIDS in Lop Buri Province. We will also provide logistical local support;
assist in the recruitment of personnel and other necessary support to AHF to
ensure smooth functioning of the collaborative ART center. The Dramaraksa
Foundation will also provide services to increase community HIV/AIDS
awareness, assist in the provision of outreach services to increase knowledge
of HIV/AIDS, ART treatment education and conduct follow up when possible to
ensure adherence and success of this new collaborative ART treatment
program."

"Thailand is an excellent example of what could be achieved in the fight
against HIV/AIDS when given the necessary support," said Henry E. Chang,
Chief of Global Affairs, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "Today's action by AHF
and its partners marks another important step toward expanding access to
quality HIV/AIDS treatment and care services as well as combating the harsh
stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand."

In an International Herald Tribune (October 16, 2006) news article late
last year, reporter Seth Mydans noted, " ... Since 1984, one million people
have been infected in Thailand; 400,000 have died ... the World Bank
estimated that without Thailand's vigorous prevention program, a total of 7.7
million people would have become infected." He also reported, " ... Thailand
has made little headway in easing a harsh stigma that was fed by its
successful campaign against the disease ... " and that, " ... Thailand faces
the need for two seemingly contradictory campaigns, one to re-educate the
public about the horrors of the disease, the other to reassure it that
infected people are not dangerous."

"Thailand has long been recognized as a leader in the worldwide fight
against AIDS, and we are honored to be able to bring AHF's clinical
experience and expertise to join Thailand in this battle to help save the
lives of its people," said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation's
President. "It is my wish that this inaugural 'Center of Hope' treatment
facility in Lop Buri-AHF's first treatment site in Thailand-will be the first
of many in the partnership, and that it also serves as a beacon of hope for
those in need of treatment. It is my heartfelt wish that in addition to
providing quality ART and care services, these centers also contribute to a
greater understanding of HIV/AIDS and help reduce the stigma that many of
those living with the disease have encountered."

Lop Buri Province

Lop Buri Province, one of the central provinces of Thailand, is located
on the east side of the Chao Phraya River Valley, between the Lopburi River
and Pa Sak Rivers. The province is subdivided into 11 districts. The
districts are further subdivided into 124 sub-districts and 1110 villages.
The province has a population of roughly 750,000.

HIV/AIDS in Thailand

According to the website, http://www.avert.org, "There are very few
developing countries in the world where public policy has been effective in
preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS on a national scale, but Thailand is an
exception. A massive programme to control HIV has reduced visits to
commercial sex workers by half, raised condom usage, decreased the prevalence
of STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) dramatically, and achieved
substantial reductions in new HIV infections. Its well funded, politically
supported and comprehensive prevention programmes have saved millions of
lives, reducing the number of new HIV infections from 143,000 in 1991 to
19,000 in 2003. Nonetheless, more than 1-in-100 adults today in this country
of 65 million people are infected with HIV, and AIDS has become a leading
cause of death."

Web site: http://www.aidshealth.org
              http://www.avert.org