The Petersen Automotive Museum is among the landmarks that will be illuminated in observance of World AIDS Day. (photo courtesy of the Petersen Automotive Museum)

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health will observe the 36th annual World AIDS Day on Sunday, Dec. 1. To commemorate this year’s theme “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” the department is illuminating landmarks throughout the county in red on World AIDS Day.

The goal is to honor those impacted by HIV/AIDS, renew a collective commitment to ending the epidemic and provide optimism for the future. The illumination of landmarks demonstrates unity and provides a visual reminder of the county’s collective action in combatting the disease.

The landmarks include the Petersen Automotive Museum, Paramount Pictures’ Studio Water Tower, Los Angeles Union Station, the Rose Bowl, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s John Ferraro Building, the Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, the Long Beach Convention Center, the Queen Mary and the Aquarium of the Pacific.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health collaborates with diverse community partners to implement outreach and education, community-based HIV/STD testing, linkage to care, street-based case management and clinic-based services. Approximately 52,000 people with HIV live in Los Angeles County and an estimated 1,400 new HIV infections are reported each year. A disproportionate number of cases occur among gay men, Black, Latinx and transgender individuals.

“This year’s theme of collective action is central to the spirit of World AIDS Day, and to our goals,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. “We are committed to working with multisector partners to end transmission of HIV and create a future where every person affected by HIV receives the support they need.”

“Public Health urges people with HIV to visit I’m Positive LA for HIV-related information and services, and persons at risk for HIV or STD infection to visit our Get Protected LA website,” said Mario J. Pérez, director of the department’s Division of HIV and STD Programs. “The sites have been updated to provide easy access to vital services, ensuring that visitors can easily access the support they need. Start treatment, stick to it and get better.”

For information, visit getprotectedla.com, impositivela.com and publichealth.lacounty.gov.