City Teams With Health Agencies to Provide Vaccines, Hiv/Sti Testing, and Overdose Prevention Tools
As WeHo Pride Weekend approaches, the City of West Hollywood is prioritizing health and safety by partnering with regional health agencies to provide a wide range of free public health services during the city’s Pride Street Fair, scheduled for Saturday, May 31 and Sunday, June 1, 2025.
Located along Santa Monica Boulevard in the city’s Rainbow District, the Pride Street Fair will host multiple healthcare providers offering harm reduction materials, including condoms, lubricants, fentanyl test strips, drink-spiking detection tools, and Naloxone/Narcan—a life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses.
Visitors will also have access to free HIV and STI testing, treatment resources, and a sober wellness zone known as #SIZZLE, where information on substance use recovery services will be available.
“Pride is a time for celebration, but also a time to support one another through access to health and wellness services,” said West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. “By making these resources available during WeHo Pride, we’re empowering our community to celebrate safely and responsibly.”
In collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the city will also provide free mpox vaccinations during the Street Fair. No appointment or disclosure of personal risk factors is required. The vaccine, previously associated with the 2022 outbreak among men who have sex with men, can be administered via subcutaneous or intradermal injection and is available to all individuals requesting it.
Free HIV and STI screening services will be offered by Access to Prevention Advocacy Intervention & Treatment (APAIT). The initiative supports West Hollywood’s ongoing HIV Zero Initiative, which aims to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS diagnoses, and zero stigma related to HIV status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Since 2016, the city has reported a 65% decrease in new HIV diagnoses and a 78% drop among gay and bisexual men aged 15–34.
In response to the continuing opioid crisis, the fair will distribute fentanyl test strips and Naloxone (Narcan) nasal spray to help prevent accidental overdose deaths, which have surged in Los Angeles County in recent years. Between 2016 and 2023, fentanyl-related fatalities increased by over 1,700%. While overdose deaths rose only 3% from 2022 to 2023, the need for accessible prevention tools remains urgent.
Fentanyl test strips allow users to detect the presence of the drug in substances before use, while Naloxone can rapidly reverse opioid effects and restore breathing in overdose situations. Organizers stress that having these tools on hand could mean the difference between life and death.
For more details about WeHo Pride events, health resources, and safety information, visit www.wehopride.com and follow @wehopride on social media. Attendees can also receive updates by texting “Pride” to (323) 848-5000.
