HIV care providers and gospel choirs don't usually share a stage. But that's exactly what ViiV Healthcare had in mind when it launched ReViiVal to Care — a program aimed at closing gaps in HIV care for Black gay men.

The idea was born out of research from Harvard Divinity School showing that faith shapes whether Black gay men seek HIV care and whether they stick with it; the research found that those who do not feel connected to their spiritual center or their faith community are less likely to engage with and stay in HIV care.

ViiV, a pharmaceutical company focused on HIV and AIDS, partnered with local faith leaders and community organizations to create a program aimed at helping men reconcile their faith and their diagnosis — and find their way to care.

"We built on that information to co-create and ideate with the community on a model where there was a safe faith space where folks could come and tell their stories and talk about the connection to — and disconnection from, in some cases — their faith," Randevyn Piérre, ViiV's Head of U.S. External Affairs, told MM+M (formerly Medical Marketing and Media). 

The result was ReViiVal to Care, a series of live events designed for people who may have stepped away from care, or never felt welcome to begin with. The Chicago and Atlanta gatherings, which were free and open to the public, brought together gospel music, personal testimony, faith leaders, and resources for connecting to HIV care.

ReViiVal to Care showed that the most powerful community partners aren't always the obvious ones. At the Chicago event, the lineup included Don Abram, founder of Pride in the Pews — a nonprofit working to bridge the Black church and LGBTQ+ communities — alongside Reverend Stephen Thurston, community partner Dr. Keith Green, Grammy-nominated gospel artist Darrel Walls, and emerging poet Mariana Thomas. The Atlanta event featured Dr. Chad Brawley, a worship arts expert, and Pastor Kristian A. Smith, among others.

"We pull nontraditional organizations to the table, and we say, 'Look, we know that HIV is not core to your mission, but this is really important, because you're touching Black folks and Brown folks and other folks who we see cases of HIV rising in,'" Piérre told Word in Black.

The events drew attention beyond the HIV community; Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson attended and shared his experience on social media, praising ReViiVal's efforts to "raise awareness for HIV healthcare and wellness through faith, music, stories of self-empowerment, and connection to resources — so that no person living with HIV is left behind."

The Chicago event alone connected more than 60 people to additional support. And across both cities, Piérre told Word in Black, rooms full of people living with HIV testified openly about their experiences — and about how their faith and their diagnosis don't have to be in conflict.

“We’ve [had] people come to us and say, ‘I didn’t know that something like this could exist. I didn’t know that I would be allowed to have my faith and also have my HIV care,” Piérre said.

ReViiVal to Care is an example of what's possible when companies and communities work together to meet people where they are.

ViiV plans to expand the program to additional cities.

Are you ready to amplify your organization's efforts to fight HIV? U.S. Business Action to End HIV's Local Impact Program matches community organizations with businesses that want to amplify their efforts.

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