ViiV Healthcare recently revealed that it is expanding the Positive Action Southern Initiative to help lower the spread of HIV in 10 southern states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
“We’ve seen firsthand the positive impact of directing resources to where they are most needed, and supporting grass-roots organizations that understand the local dynamics that influence the HIV/AIDS epidemic in their communities,” Bill Collier, head of North America for ViiV Healthcare, explained in a statement. “Based on the encouraging results achieved during the earlier phases of the Positive Action Southern Initiative, as well as the continued urgent need to support the HIV community in the Southern United States, we are proud to again expand this important program.”
ViiV has issued a request for more Letters Of Interest (LOIs).
The Positive Action Southern Initiative focuses on getting people who test positive for HIV into appropriate care to prevent the development of serious AIDS symptoms for as long as possible. ViiV Healthcare is also issuing Requests For Proposals (RFPs) to existing network members in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The funds will add to existing programs, including mental health counseling; linguistically appropriate care, including Spanish-speaking staff and literature for Latino patients; support for patients who have been incarcerated; training in “motivational interviewing” to help high-risk patients comply with treatment; and working to address gaps in care to populations with high risk of HIV transmission including African-American men and gay men.
The southern United States experienced 45 percent of HIV diagnoses in 2010. In Texas, 43 percent of those diagnoses were African-American, and 32 percent were Latino. In Virginia, 64 percent of those diagnosed were African, and another eight percent were Latino.
“The HIV/AIDS crisis in the South is a real one, and it needs to be addressed before the problem gets worse,” Dázon Dixon Diallo, executive director of SisterLove, Inc., expressed. “The Positive Action Southern Initiative represents an important part of the solution, as it fosters necessary collaboration among the HIV community and establishes effective partnerships. Tangible results of the program have already been observed within the communities it serves, and the expansion of this support to Texas and Virginia is critical to affecting change for the most at-risk populations in these areas.”
Interested parties can submit proposals on ViiV’s website until March 15. ViiV will then select the finalists to become part of the network.
A study has found that treatment for HIV-infected people is both effective and saves money in the long run.
Edited by
Allison Boccamazzo
