ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Dozens of people came out to Native Eatery in downtown Rochester for Trillium Health’s World AIDS Day fundraiser on Thursday night.

Doctors at Trillium Health have seen a decline in AIDS and HIV cases over the past few years, alongside advancements in AIDS research. However, they emphasize that there’s still more work to be done.

Trillium’s co-founder, Dr. Bill Valenti, says the progress in treatment is all thanks to countless hours of work from Trillium staff and the community.

“It’s to celebrate how far we’ve come in terms of turning this illness that was a death sentence into a chronic manageable illness. It took a lot of time, a lot of science, and a lot of community involvement,” Valenti said.

Valenti was awarded the key to Monroe County for service to the community. This year also marks Trillium’s 35th year of operation.

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