May Action Report

Action from the Coalition

• National Employers Summit to End HIV Recap - On April 20, the coalition, together with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, co-hosted a National Employers Summit to End HIV. Over 300 attendees from employers including Disney, Google, General Motors, American Express, and Nationwide tuned-in to learn more about the impact of HIV in the U.S. and how the private sector can bring unique expertise and momentum to ending HIV. Special thanks to our members from Paramount Pictures, Mercer, and Walgreens who joined as panelists. We received positive feedback, with roughly 100 individuals signaling they are interested in learning more about U.S. Business Action to End HIV and/or are ready to take action on HIV within their workplace. ‍
• New Resources for Employers - During the summit, the coalition released our first set of resources for employers to support companies interested in strengthening the HIV services and benefits they provide, and engaging employees in HIV education and outreach to create a supportive, inclusive environment for everyone. We hope you’ll check them out, and then share them within your organizations, including with HR leaders. They include:‍
  • Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Guide for Employers‍
  • Sample Letter from Leadership about HIV‍
  • Sample Workplace Policy on HIV
• National HIV Testing Day Workshop for Employers - June 27, National HIV Testing Day, is a landmark day observed each year to raise awareness about the importance of HIV testing and early diagnosis of HIV. Employers can use National HIV Testing Day as an opportunity to educate your workforce about HIV and remind employees about the importance of HIV testing, knowing their status, and if needed, getting care and treatment. To help companies activate around this day, U.S. Business Action to End HIV is hosting a National HIV Testing Day Workshop for Employers on May 25 at 2pm ET, where we will release a playbook to help guide your engagement. We hope you join us! REGISTER

Action from Members

• Mercer Shares Article about Employer Engagement in HIV - In their U.S. Health newsletter that was distributed to over 14,000 subscribers, Mercer announced their membership in the coalition and outlined five ways companies can address HIV in the workplace.

HIV in the News

• Update on Braidwood vs. Becerra Case: The federal government appealed the decision that deemed the Affordable Care Act’s preventive health services requirement unconstitutional, and on May 15, the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals issued an administrative stay of the district court’s ruling. This means that the federal government can continue enforcing the preventive services requirement while the 5^th Circuit considers the Department of Justice’s motion for a stay pending appeal. Read KFF's full brief that explains the preventive services coverage requirements, the basis of the lawsuit, next steps in the litigation, and the potential implications.‍
• FDA Ends Ban on Blood Donations From Gay, Bisexual Men: Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced an end to restrictions that had previously prohibited many blood donations by gay and bisexual men. Instead, the agency is recommending a consistent set of individual risk-based questions that every prospective donor would be asked to answer, regardless of gender or orientation. Restrictions on donating blood date back to the early days of the AIDS epidemic and were designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The newly updated guidelines are aimed at addressing years-long criticisms that the previous policy was discriminatory and outdated, and posed yet another barrier to bolstering the nation's blood supply.

Action Spotlight

Every month we will spotlight a different individual who impacts the work of the coalition.

Dr. Eugene McCrav
‍HIV Leadership Advisory Council Chair

Dr. McCray recently retired from the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention on September 30, 2020, where he served as the Director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP). In this role, he was responsible for U.S. domestic HIV prevention activities, budget, and policy, and oversaw program, research, surveillance, and communications activities that were designed to have the greatest effect on reducing HIV infections in the United States and improving health equity. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for AIDS United, a national non-profit organization in Washington, DC and TruEvolution, a local non-profit organization in Riverside, CA.

We are honored to have Dr. McCray serve as chair of the HIV Leadership Advisory Council. We caught up with him to learn what it means to him to join this effort.

How do you hope to see U.S. Business Action to End HIV and coalition members contributing toward ending HIV in the U.S.?

We have the prevention and treatment tools needed to end HIV, but there are many barriers (e.g., access to quality care, stigma and discrimination, transportation, etc.) to getting these tools to the people who need them the most. Businesses have unique skills and capacities to break down some of these barriers. My hope is to see the U.S. Business Action to End HIV and coalition members promote high impact and innovative strategies for businesses to implement among their employees (e.g., HIV workplace policies and insurance benefits) and in partnership with communities and public health (e.g., pharmacy-based pre-exposure prophylaxis/PrEP).

Why have you personally decided to dedicate yourself to working on HIV?

I have witnessed the devastating impact of HIV in many communities around the world including my home communities here in Atlanta and rural South Carolina. A number of my close friends and family members have died from HIV. I have been living with HIV for 30 years and experienced stigma and discrimination when seeking HIV care. My lived experience as an African American gay man living with HIV and my medical training were the major factors influencing my decision to dedicate myself to working in HIV. I hope my work will continue to make a difference in the lives of people at risk for HIV and living with HIV, especially in the Southern United States.

Save The Date

• Quarterly Coalition Convening for Coalition Members
• Wednesday, May 17, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins) - Email me to request meeting link
• National HIV Testing Day Workshop for Employers
• Thursday, May 25, 2pm ET/11am PT (45 mins) - Register
• June 27, National HIV Testing Day

Your Monthly Assignment

• Make a plan for how your company will recognize and engage on National HIV Testing Day. Then share your plans with me so I can feature your work in our coalition NHTD recap.

Thank you for your commitment and leadership. Let’s keep up the momentum!