In March, members of the Real Housewives put down their long-standing drama and battles to come together at the nation’s capital to push lawmakers on shrinking drug assistance programs for Americans living with HIV.

In "Real Housewives Hit Capitol Hill for HIV Funding Fight," The Hollywood Reporter covers the "Housewives on the Hill," a March 18 event that brought stars from across the Real Housewives franchise to Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by Mistr, a telemedicine platform that provides online access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and long-term HIV care and one of U.S. Business Action to End HIV’s Champion Sponsors.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C., have already cut funding for drug assistance programs that help people living with HIV and AIDS access the medications they rely on. An additional 12 states are considering further reductions. Federal HIV funding has remained flat since 2014, and rising health care costs are pushing expenses even higher, leaving thousands of patients at risk of losing access to life-saving treatment.

"When programs like ADAP are weakened, working-class people can't access this treatment," said Marysol Patton of The Real Housewives of Miami.

The event drew stars including Erika Jayne, NeNe Leakes, Phaedra Parks, Melissa Gorga, Candiace Dillard Bassett, and Luann de Lesseps, alongside lawmakers including Senators Cory Booker and Mazie Hirono. 

Together, Hollywood and HIV advocates can shift narratives, reduce stigma, and increase visibility and representation to drive real change.  In the coming months, the Coalition will launch the HIV + Hollywood collective — a new group dedicated to helping entertainment industry leaders tell empowering, accurate stories about HIV through resources and events. Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to hear more.

Read the full coverage in The Hollywood Reporter to learn more about what's at stake, and what's being done about it.

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About U.S. Business Action to End HIV

U.S. Business Action to End HIV was founded in 2022 by the Health Action Alliance, with support from ViiV Healthcare, to mobilize the private sector to help end HIV in the U.S. We offer free tools, resources, and events to help employers educate workers, fight stigma, improve access to HIV prevention and treatment services, and build connections to the communities that need it most.‍

‍Join the Coalition today.