U.S. Business Action to End HIV Commemorates World AIDS Day

Today, I am joining the U.S. Business Action to End HIVExit Disclaimer (the Coalition) at its annual coalition meeting. Since the Coalition launched on World AIDS Day last year, it has grown to a coalition of 40 companies and has continued to engage corporations in accelerating public-private partnerships to end HIV. I am confident that the actions taken, and the future commitments by these partners and others in the community, will lead us further toward reaching our collective goal of ending HIV in the U.S. The Coalition also released a World AIDS Day Toolkit For EmployersExit Disclaimer.

Over the course of the year, it has been tremendously exciting to see the actions taken by companies within the Coalition. The activities included below are just a sampling of the commitments made by companies in 2023. To learn more about each commitment member companies made in 2023, read hereExit Disclaimer.

• Match Group's dating BLK partnered with the CDC’s Together TakeMeHome initiative, promoting free at-home HIV test kits to its users. BLK achieved the second-highest number of orders for test kits among all partners, with an impressive 11% conversion rate.
• Uber leveraged its technology in partnership with community organizations to facilitate rides to and from care and the delivery of life-saving medicine, especially for those from communities most affected by HIV.
• CVS Health collaborated with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation to launch Wellness in Action, bridging the gap between HIV testing and care by offering navigation services and education with community-based organizations. The partnership will distribute 3,000 HIV test kits to community-based organizations, focused on outreach to marginalized communities.
• Molecular Testing Labs contributed to numerous Senate bills intended to update policies improving access to HIV and PrEP-related testing services.
• The Powell Companies Real led two seminars on HIV education with employees to break down stigma and support an inclusive workplace.
• Biostax Corp. actively participated in advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels to support funding, policies, and patient access to HIV medical treatments.
• Gilead Sciences and CVS Health partnered with the National AIDS Memorial to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Historically Black Colleges and Universities, raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and its continued impact on communities of color and marginalized populations across the South.
• NGLCC shared information on the Coalition during two of their quarterly calls with 450+ corporate partners, encouraging participation in the Coalition and its National Employer Summit.

I am also heartened to learn about the commitments companies are making for 2024 as we approach the new year. I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months, in addition to those highlighted below.

• Mercer will lead multiple new efforts focused on HIV, including conversations with payors about medical claim coding to ensure preventive care provided is properly coded and covered at 100%.
• Healthvana has developed a new HIPAA-compliant generative AI chatbot to answer basic questions about HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and preventative medications like PrEP.
• Match Group will host a company-wide session to educate employees about HIV and reduce stigma.
• Ada Health is developing new capabilities to provide targeted contextual messaging for users who come to Ada to learn about HIV, self-assess, or order tests for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
• Paramount Pictures will continue its support of the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and their HIV is Not A Crime Initiative to help end HIV criminalization in the U.S.
• LetsGetChecked will provide complementary HIV test kits to employees once a month to support personal health.
• Walgreens, Walmart, CVS Health, and Avita Care Solutions will continue to collaborate on federal and state policy strategies to expand access to HIV prevention services through community pharmacies.
• ViiV Healthcare's LGBTQ+ ERG Spectrum will partner with the Coalition to host events for employees to educate, combat HIV stigma and discrimination in the workplace, and create deeper engagement on HIV within the organization.

When the National HIV/AIDS Strategy was released by President Biden on World AIDS Day 2021, it emphasized the importance of cultivating new public-private partnerships to bring key efforts to address HIV to new audiences and through new stakeholders. The U.S. Business Action to End HIV is a key collaborator in this effort. In closing, I encourage you to watch a videoExit Disclaimer on the work of the Coalition presented during the meeting by Tracy Watts, Senior Partner, National Leader for U.S. Healthcare Policy, Mercer.