AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and the AIDS Center of Queens County (ACQC) are dedicating a new shared healthcare and service center in Rockaway Beach on Thursday, Oct. 22, with a ribbon cutting from 3 to 4 p.m. at 105-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd., 2nd Floor, Suite E, in Rockaway Park. The site brings AHF medical care and ACQC support services together under one roof, and both nonprofits say patients will be seen there regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

A Move From Far Rockaway

The new location replaces the AHF Healthcare Center and ACQC service site that previously operated in Far Rockaway. According to the AHF announcement, the two organizations relocated the combined operation farther west on the peninsula to Rockaway Beach Boulevard, into a facility built around AHF's patient-centered clinic model. One feature of that model is the elimination of waiting rooms, so patients are brought directly into care rather than sitting in a shared lobby.

AHF provides the medical care at the site. ACQC handles a range of related services there, which the announcement lists as food and nutrition support, case management, and a food pantry, along with other programs.

Who Is Behind It

ACQC has worked in the borough since 1986. Its stated mission is to improve quality of life for people and families living with HIV/AIDS, people at risk for it, and people managing other chronic conditions. The organization describes itself as the largest provider of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and advocacy services in Queens, and says it serves more than 12,000 HIV positive clients and about 30,000 other community residents across the borough. ACQC states that all of its services are provided at no cost to clients.

Across its Queens locations, ACQC lists a broad menu of programs: comprehensive medical care through AHF Healthcare Centers, Health Home care management that coordinates medical, mental health and social services, HIV and STI education and prevention, housing assistance, behavioral health counseling, civil legal services (offered since 1991), harm reduction and syringe exchange, a homeless youth drop-in center, and pharmacy services with free delivery. Not every program operates at every site, so residents should call the Rockaway office to ask what is offered locally.

AHF says it is the largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization in the world, providing medical care and advocacy to more than 3.3 million people in 50 countries, including the United States and nations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025 the organization received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award from The King Center, the center's top honor for an organization working in social justice.

At the Ribbon Cutting

Scheduled participants include Donna Tempesta, AHF Northern Bureau Chief; Rosemary Lopez, Executive Director of ACQC; Dr. Marcelo Venegas, AHF Northern Regional Medical Director; and Marlene LaLota, AHF Senior Regional Director. After the dedication, a reception is planned at The Rockaway Hotel, 108-10 Rockaway Beach Drive, a few blocks west of the center.

What It Means for the Peninsula

For Rockaway residents, the practical change is a single address for doctor visits, case management and food assistance, on a main commercial corridor close to transit. The combined model means a patient who comes in for a medical appointment can connect with ACQC staff for nutrition help or the food pantry in the same building. Because care is offered regardless of insurance or ability to pay, the site is open to residents who might otherwise go without regular appointments.

ACQC's other Queens locations are its Richmond Hill-Jamaica site at 91-30 Van Wyck Expressway, which also houses an AHF Pharmacy and a transitional housing program, and its Woodside site at 62-07 Woodside Avenue, home to the organization's homeless youth drop-in center. The Rockaway Park location gives peninsula residents a nearby option without the trip to mainland Queens.

Getting There

The center is at 105-20 Rockaway Beach Blvd., on the second floor, in Rockaway Park (ZIP code 11694). ACQC lists the A and S trains for this site. The Beach 105th Street station on the Rockaway Park Shuttle is about a block away, and the A train serves the station during some hours. The Q22 bus runs along Rockaway Beach Boulevard, and the NYC Ferry Rockaway landing at Beach 108th Street is a short walk west.

How to Reach the Center

The dedication takes place Thursday, Oct. 22, from 3 to 4 p.m. Residents who want to ask about medical appointments, case management, the food pantry or other services at the Rockaway location can call ACQC's Rockaways office at (718) 868-8645. For urgent needs, ACQC's main line is (718) 896-2500. More information about the organization and its programs is available at acqc.org, and about AHF at aidshealth.org.

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