April Action Report

Action from the Coalition

• Welcome New Coalition Members - BioStax Corp., Molecular Testing Labs, Paramount Pictures, Pfizer & Specialized Occupational Therapy Services LLC!
  
• HIV Leadership Advisory Council Selected! - We are thrilled to share the appointment of nine individuals to the coalition’s newly formed HIV Leadership Advisory Council, which will help ensure the most current science and best practices inform our priorities. The nine members represent diverse sectors, expertise, and regions. We will announce the council at our National Employers Summit to End HIV on April 20th and look forward to engaging them with our collective work. They are:
  
• Megan Canon, Syndemics Manager, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
  
• Bishar Jenkins Jr., Policy Manager for Community Mobilization and Health Equity, AIDS United
  
• Taimur Khan, Physician/Associated Medical Research Director, Fenway Health
  
• Jen Laws, President and CEO, Community Access National Network
  
• Stephen Lee, Executive Director, National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)
  
• Eugene McCray, Retired (Director, Division of HIV Prevention, CDC), Board Chair AIDS United
  
• Mario Perez, Director, LA County Department of Public Health Division of HIV and STD Programs
  
• Katie Rutherford, Executive Director, Frannie Peabody Center
  
• Carl Schmid, Executive Director, HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute
  
• National Employers Summit to End HIV on April 20: Next week, the Health Action Alliance and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) will co-host a National Employers Summit to End HIV, taking place virtually on Thursday, April 20 from 2-3pm ET. Thousands of companies have been invited to learn more about the impact of HIV in the U.S. and the opportunities for the private sector to join the movement and make an impact. We hope that you will register to attend the event and share the event with your network!

Action from Members

• OraSure Helps Launch Free HIV Self-Test Initiative Together TakeMeHome (TTMH) - OraSure Technologies, Inc, the manufacturer of the only FDA approved HIV self-test, has partnered with Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC), Emory University, and the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) as part of the Together TakeMeHome (TTMH) initiative to distribute up to 1 million free HIV self-tests over the next five years. Anyone in the U.S. ages 17 or older can order up to two free HIV self-tests every 90 days via this online portal, increasing access to HIV testing and removing barriers including cost, privacy and stigma. Read more about the announcement here.
  
• Avita Profiles Meteorite Co-Founder Stephen Massey and U.S. Business Action to End HIV - Avita Chief Advocacy Officer Glen Pietrandoni sat down with Stephen Massey for the latest edition of The Take: Why Doing the Right Thing Is “Good for Business”, to capture his unique journey engaging the private sector in HIV and the roadmap that led to the creation of U.S. Business Action to End HIV. Check it out!
  
• Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare are 2023 Presenting Sponsors - Special appreciation to Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare for providing financial support to help our Coalition expand and deepen our work in 2023. Their contributions will enable us to develop employer resources, host virtual and in-person events, launch new industry cohorts and create public-private partnerships in two communities this year. If your company is interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities or providing financial support to this coalition, we’d love to hear from you!

HIV in the News

• Braidwood Management v. Becerra: On March 30 a federal judge in Texas deemed the Affordable Care Act’s preventive health services requirement unconstitutional. This requirement ensures that most private insurance plans provide no-cost coverage for key preventive services, such as HIV prevention medication known as PrEP. In addition, the judge also ruled that requiring the coverage of PrEP medications violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. If employers who object to including coverage for PrEP in their plans are allowed to exclude the coverage, employees could lose coverage for a medication that could prevent the transmission of HIV and HIV related morbidity and mortality. The federal government is appealing this decision. While we wait to see what happens next, businesses can play a key role in preserving coverage of HIV treatment and prevention medication. Here is a statement from 23 health providers responding to the case and and a statement from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Save The Date

• Quarterly Virtual Convenings for Coalition Members - We are thrilled to announce quarterly convenings for coalition members to connect with one another, share updates and best practices, and receive deeper technical support. Please mark your calendar for these upcoming meetings:
  
• Wednesday, May 17, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins)
• Wednesday, September 20, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins)
• Wednesday, November 15, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins)
  
• National HIV Testing Day Workshop - Come learn what you can do to engage your workforce and support employer education and action on June 27, 2023 - National HIV Testing Day.
  
• Thursday, May 25, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins)

Your Monthly Assignment

• Expanding the Coalition: We continue to recruit more companies to expand our impact. This month, we are specifically looking to recruit health insurance companies and other health providers. If there are any companies in your network who you think would be interested in joining the coalition, please share our website or feel free to connect them with me directly at caroline@wearemeteorite.com.

Thank you and keep up the momentum!