Whitman-Walker began as the Gay Men’s VD clinic, part of the Washington Free Clinic in 1973. Initially they operated out of the basement in the Georgetown Lutheran Church. In 1976 the clinic hired its first full time staff and in 1977 the clinic leaders separated from the Washington Free Clinic to develop a vision for a new, diverse healthcare organization. On January 13, 1978, Whitman-Walker was officially chartered, and the DC department of Human resources provided 15,000 dollars to support the organization.
The health center is named for gay poet Walt Whitman (a former D.C. resident) and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, a noted Civil War-era physician in the District and women's rights activist.
In October 1978, Whitman-Walker Clinic officially opened a new rented facility at 1606 17th St. Facing financial difficulties in 1981, the clinic moved into a more affordable space on 18th Street in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. At the same time, an as-yet-unnamed mysterious disease began primarily affecting gay men in the nation’s largest cities. In June 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report contained a report of five young gay men who had an unusual cluster of infections, it is the first medical report on what later come to be known as AIDS.
In 1983 Whitman-Walker launched an AIDS Education Fund to provide information, counseling and direct services to people with AIDS. That year, the first DC contract for AIDS services was awarded to Whitman-Walker—$17,500 to start the DC AIDS Infoline—and the clinic begins its first prevention advertising campaign. In 1984 the clinic opened an AIDS Evaluation Unit. It was the first gay, community-based medical unit in the country that devoted to the evaluation and diagnosis of AIDS symptoms. Fifty-five patients were treated that first year and half had AIDS.
Throughout the next few years Whitman-Walker fought the AIDS epidemic on the frontlines. In February 1990, they received $142,000 from the American Foundation for AIDS research (amfAR) to increase research studies. Whitman-Walker reaffirmed its mission and dedication to lesbian and gay health by hiring full-time paid staff for the Lesbian Services and Mental Health Services programs.
In 2007, Whitman-Walker is given a Federally Qualified Health Center Look-Alike designation by the Bureau of Primary Health Care. And in November 2013, Whitman-Walker Health receives a full Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) designation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In 2018 Whitman-Walker celebrated its 40th anniversary as an incorporated nonprofit and 40 years of service to the greater Washington, DC communities. Today, Whitman-Walker’s mission is to offer affirming community-based health and wellness services to all, with a special expertise in LGBTQ and HIV care. They offer a full range of options including medical, dental, mental health, peer support, legal services, public benefits navigation, youth programming, and HIV testing and prevention services. The organization also administers a robust research program, as well as a policy department committed to advocacy on behalf of the clients they serve. Whitman-Walker empowers all persons to live healthy, love openly, and achieve equality and inclusion
