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Welcome to the Aug. 2026 Action Report. This month's issue covers new coalition action on two fronts: letters to the Office of Management and Budget and to Georgia state health officials raising concerns about HIV funding cuts and Medicaid work requirements.

You'll also find member updates, a Q&A with Georgia AIDS Coalition President Cathalene Teahan, the latest HIV headlines, and information about our Annual Coalition Convening this November.

Our Members in Action

• ‍Merck sponsored BlackDoctor House at this year's BlackDoctor "Generational Health: Your Family's Legacy." This two-day gathering explored health equity across generations of Black families. Merck's Terri L. Lee opened Day 1 moderating a conversation on HIV prevention and equity, and Merck's Conrod Kelly led a panel on whole-person health within the HIV community, exploring how relationships, community, and trust shape outcomes alongside clinical care.‍
• Freddie, the telehealth platform, partnered with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to launch PrEP Onwards, an initiative that ties HIV prevention in North America to expanded access abroad. For every person who starts PrEP through Freddie in the U.S. or Canada, the program funds one six-month dose of injectable PrEP for someone in Africa through CHAI's existing government health partnerships. Freddie and CHAI plan to mark the program's early impact with an event for World AIDS Day (Dec. 1).‍
• ViiV Healthcare partnered with VICE to launch The Unstoppables, a new content series spotlighting the scientists, advocates, community leaders, and educators driving progress against HIV. The first profiles include Doreen Moraa Moracha, a Kenyan advocate born with HIV who turned a personal story into a global policy career, and Marty St. Clair, who helped develop the first antiretroviral medication at GSK in 1976 and spent the following decades advancing HIV treatment at GSK and ViiV. New profiles drop regularly on VICE's site.
  ViiV also returned as a sponsor of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention, where it hosted "Separation of Church & Sex: Faith and the Fight Against HIV," a panel exploring how faith communities shape health outcomes and can move from bystanders to active partners in the public health response. The conversation featured Nikole Hannah-Jones, Eva Marcille, Dr. Jackie Walters, Ciarra Brown, and ViiV's Randevyn Piérre.‍
• Gilead Sciences spotlighted content creator Koiya in a "Day in the Life" feature, highlighting her advocacy work creating spaces for honest conversations about HIV prevention and PrEP access for Black women. Koiya is one of several creators and advocates Gilead has partnered with this year to host community conversations on sex, stigma, and sexual health ownership, part of its broader commitment to closing persistent gaps in HIV prevention and care for Black women, who continue to be disproportionately affected by new HIV diagnoses.
• Q Care Plus, Avita Care Solutions' telehealth platform, brought its Market Days activation at Chicago's Sidetrack to new heights this year, welcoming Real Housewives of New York City's Dorinda Medley and RuPaul's Drag Race's Plane Jane to help spread the word about online PrEP and doxyPEP access. The weekend drew large crowds and strong community energy, reflecting Avita Care Solutions' broader approach to making sexual health conversations more visible and connecting people to care in the spaces where they already gather.

Our Coalition in Action

Coalition Sends Letters to OMB and Georgia on HIV Funding and Medicaid Work Requirements

This month, U.S. Business Action to End HIV sent two letters on behalf of the coalition.

The first letter was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), raising concern about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) decision not to renew direct funding for 96 community-based organizations doing on-the-ground HIV prevention work. Under the PS21-2102 cooperative agreement at approximately $40 million a year, the funding supports testing, PrEP linkage, and outbreak response.

The community-based organizations received a short-term extension through Sept. 30, 2026, with the expectation that states will subcontract to them. The coalition shared concern that this approach risks creating a consequential funding gap that could jeopardize consistent and reliable access to ongoing HIV testing and prevention services, and could unwind years of infrastructure and community trust that cannot be quickly rebuilt.

The second letter was sent to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and the commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, addressing the state's Medicaid work requirements and their potential effect on HIV prevention and care access. The department revised its proposed rule on Aug. 13 to recognize HIV as a qualifying condition, but the exemption applies automatically only to Georgians whose HIV has progressed to malignant cancer. Those living with general or asymptomatic HIV would need to qualify for an exemption on a case-by-case basis.

The coalition urges the department to revise the medically frail list so that any HIV diagnosis qualifies for an automatic exemption, consistent with the other serious chronic conditions identified, and to make sure Georgians affected by this rule have clear, timely information about how the exemption process will work.

Opportunities for Action

Save the Date: Coalition Happy Hour at USCHA

We are excited to host a happy hour at this year's U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in Anaheim, CA. We look forward to bringing together member companies, HIV Leadership Advisory Council members, federal and public health leaders, and friends to connect and network. Contact us at endhiv@healthaction.org for more information.

We will also be hosting a USCHA workshop, “Ready for Business? A Partnership Playbook for HIV Organizations” on Friday, Sept. 18, from 3:45 - 5:15pm PT in the Santa Monica Room on the Concourse Level/4th Floor. We hope you can join us!

Save the Date: Annual Meeting and World AIDS Day Reception

We are excited to host the 4th Annual U.S. Business Action to End HIV Coalition Convening this fall on November 18th & 19th in Washington, D.C. In partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research, this year's event will spotlight this pivotal moment in our nation's fight to end HIV and convene leaders from policy, public health, and business to help inform the strategies that will guide the movement's next chapter.

Join HAA's Research Panel

We are looking for leaders who can help inform business decisions about workplace culture, benefits, and policy. Share your expertise, shape industry trends, and get compensated for your valuable time. HR and benefits leaders, environmental health and safety professionals, corporate health and wellness professionals, people and culture leaders, and others are invited to participate.

Perspectives

“Perspectives” is a series highlighting advisors, public health leaders, and advocates whose work informs systemic solutions, advances evidence-based policy, and drives meaningful health outcomes across communities.

This month, we spotlight Cathalene Teahan, R.N., M.S.N., C.N.S., President of the Georgia AIDS Coalition, Senior Public Affairs Consultant at Capitol Strategy, and HIV Leadership Advisory Council Member.

Why have you personally dedicated yourself to working on HIV?

My dedication began at the very onset of the epidemic, long before we understood what the virus was or how it was transmitted. In those early years, intense fear gripped both impacted communities and the public — all too often, that fear turned into anger, stigma, and violence. As a nurse, my first responsibility was caring for those afflicted by the disease: providing compassionate frontline care, supporting families through unimaginable uncertainty, and replacing panic with accurate, evidence-based education.

Over the decades, research has radically transformed what is possible, giving us treatments to suppress the virus and powerful prevention tools while we continue the work toward a vaccine and a cure. What keeps me dedicated today is ensuring that the next generation understands this history, learns from how far we have come, and carries the momentum forward. We have come too far to ever give up.

You've been a longtime leader in the HIV field. What is unique about this moment, and what does it mean for the role of business?

We are at a decisive inflection point where ending the HIV epidemic is entirely within reach. While science has delivered the clinical tools needed to achieve viral suppression and halt transmission, medical breakthroughs alone cannot cross the finish line without systemic implementation.

This is where the role of business is critical. When business leaders engage, they bridge the gap between scientific capability and structural policy change. By deploying their corporate voice, resources, and civic standing, employers can dismantle access barriers and help drive the sustained political momentum required to end HIV for good.

What's one simple action a company could take this year to support the local HIV response in their community?

Partner directly with organizations already doing the work on the ground in your community. Businesses can get involved in many tangible ways—whether by sponsoring or participating in local fundraisers, hosting community town halls, or lending corporate platforms to amplify public health education.

Just as importantly, businesses can align with groups leading policy and grassroots advocacy. By using your corporate voice to support initiatives that protect and expand access to testing, treatment, and prevention, companies can help break down structural barriers and ensure vital healthcare resources reach the people who need them most.

HIV in the News

GLAAD’s 2026 State of HIV Stigma Report Shows Alarming Gap Between Scientific Progress and Public Understanding of HIV

GLAAD's sixth annual State of HIV Stigma Report, produced with Gilead Sciences, finds that stigma remains a major barrier to HIV testing and treatment — with 44% of Americans still disputing the fact of Undetectable = Untransmittable and only 31% of Gen Z feeling knowledgeable about HIV. The report attributes this to an "invisibility paradox," where declining real-life HIV representation across TV, film, podcasts, and social media leaves room for misinformation to grow, compounded by rollbacks in federal funding and persistent state-level HIV criminalization laws. (GLAAD)

HIV Will End With System Redesign, Not When We Discover Another Drug

HIV treatment implementation, like transportation, clinic hours, stigma, and insurance shape whether patients test, start treatment, and stay engaged in care. Healthcare leaders should treat these operational barriers and support services (housing, transportation, food security) as core management metrics, since redesigning healthcare systems, not new medications, is the real next breakthrough against HIV. (Medpage Today)

Georgia Board Adds Certain HIV Diagnoses to Conditions That Can Bypass Medicaid Work Requirements‍

Georgia's Board of Community Health voted to add HIV to its "medically frail" exemption list for Medicaid work requirements under Pathways to Coverage, reversing an earlier decision that had left HIV off the list and drawn criticism from advocates. Under the approved policy, HIV that has progressed to malignant cancer qualifies for automatic exemption, while general/asymptomatic HIV and HIV Type 2 are evaluated case-by-case — a notable change for Georgia, which has the nation's highest rate of new HIV infections (about 2,400 diagnoses in 2024). (Georgia Recorder)

Nearly Half of Latino People Have Not Been Tested for HIV ‍

A JAMA Internal Medicine study of over 8,400 Latino adults across the Bronx, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego found only 54% had ever been tested for HIV, despite Latinos accounting for 34% of new U.S. HIV diagnoses in 2024. Testing positivity was three times the national average overall and highest among sexual minority men, leading researchers to call for targeted communication strategies to reach less-assimilated Hispanic and Latino communities. (POZ)

Curing HIV — How Far Have We Come?‍

Researchers have now documented over a dozen cases of HIV cure or treatment-free remission through several distinct pathways: stem cell transplants using CCR5-resistant donor cells, rare cases of natural "exceptional elite control," post-treatment control after stopping ART, and early pediatric treatment that shrinks the viral reservoir. While these cases remain rare, resource-intensive, or not yet fully understood, amfAR and other researchers see them as building blocks toward a scalable, widely available HIV cure. (amFAR)

Medicaid Court Clash Kicks-Off

Democratic attorney generals from 25 states and D.C. are suing to block a Trump administration rule requiring Medicaid expansion recipients to prove they're too sick to work rather than receiving blanket exemptions for serious diagnoses like cancer, arguing the policy is both too strict and too vague, leaving states to create inconsistent, burdensome verification systems. The case, being heard in Boston federal court, will determine how the 80-hour-per-month work requirement — set to take effect January 2027 with proof of medical frailty required starting in 2028 — is enforced. This foreshadows a larger political fight as some Republican-led states like Nebraska and Montana have already begun implementation. (Politico)

Coming Up

• Sept. 9: Quarterly Coalition Member Meeting
• Sept. 17-20: USCHA – Anaheim, CA
• Oct. 12-15: Out & Equal – Seattle, WA
• Oct. 21: World AIDS Day Employer Workshop
• Nov. 18 & 19: Annual Coalition Convening – D.C.

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

The Health Action Alliance is solely responsible for the content of this page and maintains full editorial control of its resources.

U.S. Business Action to End HIV was founded in 2022 by the Health Action Alliance, with support from ViiV Healthcare, to mobilize a growing coalition of private sector partners committed to filling gaps and accelerating progress to help end HIV in the U.S. by 2030.

The Health Action Alliance is a unique collaboration between leading business, communications, and public health organizations to help employers navigate evolving health challenges, improve the health of workers, and engage with public health partners to build stronger, healthier communities. Founded in 2021 by the Ad Council, Business Roundtable, CDC Foundation, the de Beaumont Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, HAA's network now includes more than 11,000 employers nationwide, reaching a quarter of U.S. workers.