At the time, this ward is one of the only units in the country designed specifically for AIDS treatment and care.

A New York Times article about the unit describes the process of recruiting staff volunteers to work in the ward, and coordinating with community-based supports and volunteers. Unlike the rest of the hospital, which allows only family members or "significant others" to spend the night on a cot in the hospital room of a patient, this ward does not exclude close friends or lovers from its visitation policy. The unit is also the site for a study that contributes valuable insights about how HIV transmission occurs. The ward will later become the subject of a 2019 documentary, 5B, featuring Cliff Morrison, a nurse who worked on the unit as a leader.