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With our shared commitment to ending the HIV and AIDS epidemic in New York City, we’re thrilled that ViiV Healthcare served as the Presenting Sponsor for AIDS Walk New York for the fifth consecutive year.
To show their support, a contingent of ViiV employees from all over the country joined GMHC in Central Park on May 19 for AIDS Walk New York.
“We are so proud to support GMHC and AIDS Walk New York,” said Lynn Baxter, ViiV’s Head of North America. “With our mission of leaving no person living with HIV behind, we have a shared goal with GMHC to help end the HIV epidemic. ViiV will be here until HIV and AIDS are not.”
ViiV sponsors AIDS Walk New York as part of its substantial and wide-ranging philanthropic support for community-based organizations in New York City. “Incredible partners like GMHC make it possible to reach the communities most impacted by this epidemic – where they are, as they are,” Baxter said. “Our community partners serve as trusted local resources, providing culturally competent care and reaching individuals who may face barriers to accessing care through traditional settings.”
Through its Positive Action Community Grants, ViiV awarded $34 million last year to community-based organizations nationally. More than $4 million of that total supports 38 diverse New York-based organizations, “to help them deliver essential HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services directly to the communities they serve,” Baxter said.
“New York City is inextricably linked in our collective fight against HIV and AIDS. This city has such a long history of activism in this fight,” Baxter said. “Since the beginning, grassroots organizations, advocacy groups and community leaders from New York have been at the forefront – raising awareness, reducing stigma, and pushing for policies to support those living with and affected by the HIV epidemic.”
‘Stride Past Stigma’ was this year’s theme for AIDS Walk New York. That resonates with ViiV’s longstanding support of community-based initiatives that raise awareness and reduce stigma surrounding the HIV and AIDS epidemic, Baxter said.
Reaching People Where They Are
Through its grantmaking, ViiV aims to reach the communities most disproportionately impacted by the HIV and AIDS epidemic. “Black and Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM), Black women, and young people ages 13 to 24 bear a higher burden of HIV diagnoses – and, relatedly, they face disparities in access to HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services,” she said.
HIV-related stigma and discrimination create barriers that contribute to these persisting disparities, Baxter added. “We truly believe that if we can put an end to stigma, we can put an end to HIV.”
“If you look at the breadth of the different types of programs and organizations we fund in NYC, you will see that we are trying to address the intersectional issues that contribute to stigma and impact people living with HIV, such as equitable housing and accessible mental health services.”
For instance, ViiV supports a national mentorship program at Point Source Youth to bridge gaps in HIV care and prevention for young people experiencing homelessness.
Another grantee is the National Queer Theater in Brooklyn, which provides a home for unheard storytellers and activists. Last year, ViiV awarded the Theater funding for its Write It Out! playwriting workshop. Award-winning playwright Donja R. Love created the workshop for people who, like himself, are living with HIV.
Instead of struggling in isolation, participants connect with supportive peers as they find their voices and sharpen their playwriting skills. That kind of engagement with their art “is inherently collaborative, cathartic, and therapeutic,” Baxter said. It improves mental health, while amplifying participants’ voices to make theater a more stigma-free space.
“When we at ViiV connect and build strong partnerships with communities in diverse and non-traditional spaces, we make HIV education and resources more accessible and relevant to a wider audience. And continuing to show up in this space is making a difference,” Baxter said.
ViiV embraced AIDS Walk New York’s ‘Stride Past Stigma’ theme at its booth for the Walk with a display of photos from the community that show our collective commitment to striding past stigma to end the epidemic!
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