HIV is persistent—but so are we..
With treatment, people with HIV are living healthier and longer lives. Yet too many people still lack access to lifesaving care. Stigma, dis-empowerment, and gender-based violence contribute to millions of new—and preventable—infections each year, most in communities
Since the beginning of the pandemic, St. Mary’s ADI Community Health Center has worked in communities to overcome these challenges and reduce the impact of HIV. We mobilize local communities, public and private partners, governments, and leaders to tackle HIV head on.
Our multi pronged approach includes developing and advancing new diagnostics and drug delivery systems and formulations that are affordable and appropriate in low-resource settings. We introduce and scale service delivery innovations to improve access to HIV services, and we strengthen the health systems and approaches that enable sustainable, high-quality care.
Targeted Action
HIV damages the immune system, making other diseases—such as tuberculosis and noncommunicable diseases—especially dangerous for people living with the virus. We are at the forefront of integrating services for HIV and related conditions—improving efficiency and saving more lives.
Because communities have a powerful role in protecting health, we work closely with local groups to increase healthy behaviors and confront the stigma and gender-based violence that impede care and contribute to new infections.
We also focus on the unique HIV prevention needs of women and girls. This includes addressing the economic and power disparities that put them at greater risk for infection than their male peers and giving them the tools to protect their health. For instance, we’re helping more women access a combination of prevention options, including HIV testing, male and female condoms, medicines that can prevent HIV if taken before intercourse (pre-exposure prophylaxis), and treatment for HIV-positive partners.
Together with communities, experts, and local and global partners, we’re taking targeted action—focusing our tenacity, innovation, and expertise to improve health and opportunity for people living with HIV and their families and communities worldwide.
Reducing Stigma and Discrimination
Stigma and discrimination are among the primary barriers to achieving universal access to HIV treatment, care, and prevention. People living with HIV often face discrimination from health providers, employers, family members, or friends. Fear of the consequences of revealing their HIV status (including being denied care, jobs, or schooling), hinders individuals from getting tested for HIV, disclosing a positive status to their partners, or accessing HIV treatment and support services. Women and girls are particularly susceptible.
In health care settings, people living with HIV report that doctors and nurses often refuse to see or treat them. This kind of discrimination results in minimal or poor quality of care, frightens away potential clients in need of care, and undermines effective HIV prevention efforts. As HIV treatment programs become increasingly available in resource-poor countries, access to and use of these lifesaving services will depend on the degree to which health facilities welcome and respect the rights of people living with HIV.
To reduce stigma and discrimination in health care settings, St. Mary’s ADI Community Health Center has developed a participatory curriculum for health workers, which raises awareness among health workers about stigma and their own attitudes and behaviors and clarifies the modes of HIV transmission to alleviate fears about HIV infection.