Gilead’s Expanded Support for HIV Efforts in the U.S. South
This year is the fifth anniversary of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative, a 10-year commitment of over $100 million to address the HIV epidemic in the Southern United States. The COMPASS program was created after a 2017 tour of the U.S. South with people affected by HIV. Gilead learned from local community leaders that investments in combating HIV-related stigma, improving access to resources, and increasing local leadership and advocacy were essential to ending the epidemic in the region. Since its inception, the Gilead COMPASS Initiative has worked with and funded nearly 400 community-based organizations across 16 states in the U.S South to address health inequities and other barriers to care.
The program has trained more than 26,000 individuals in leadership development and has reached more than 300,000 people through its programming and events. One of the COMPASS grantees is Community Health PIER (CH PIER), located in the Mississippi Delta, a region with high HIV prevalence and stigmatization. CH PIER is working to confront health disparities in the local LGBTQ+ community with a holistic approach to health and wellness, peer support, and resources to support healthy choices. CH PIER is one of five grantee organizations featured in a five-part video series focusing on COMPASS’s community partners. The videos highlight the impact of frontline advocates and demonstrate Gilead’s commitment to supporting their work and trusting the local community to know what works best for their region.
“What’s unique about the Gilead COMPASS Initiative is that they’re not telling us what to do,” said Cedric Sturdevant, Gloria’s brother and co-founder of CH PIER. “They allow us to tell them what’s best for our community.”
While Gloria and her team persist in their crucial work, Gilead is planning to broaden its backing of organizations in the region. Despite advancements, there’s still a lot to accomplish: The U.S. South, which comprises about a third of the U.S. population, accounts for over half of the new HIV diagnoses, with Black individuals disproportionately affected by the disease in local areas. The COMPASS Initiative’s structure underscores Gilead’s longstanding commitment to addressing health disparities and collaborating with local organizations to serve medically underserved and disproportionately impacted communities.
“The extensive reach of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative in the past five years shows what we’ve been able to achieve together, and we’re looking forward to continuing our journey of growth and collaboration during the next five years,” said Jane Stafford, Executive Director, Public Affairs at Gilead.
“We’re incredibly proud of these tangible transformative impacts we’ve had on the landscape of HIV in the Southern United States – in our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.”
The program has trained more than 26,000 individuals in leadership development and has reached more than 300,000 people through its programming and events. One of the COMPASS grantees is Community Health PIER (CH PIER), located in the Mississippi Delta, a region with high HIV prevalence and stigmatization. CH PIER is working to confront health disparities in the local LGBTQ+ community with a holistic approach to health and wellness, peer support, and resources to support healthy choices. CH PIER is one of five grantee organizations featured in a five-part video series focusing on COMPASS’s community partners. The videos highlight the impact of frontline advocates and demonstrate Gilead’s commitment to supporting their work and trusting the local community to know what works best for their region.
“What’s unique about the Gilead COMPASS Initiative is that they’re not telling us what to do,” said Cedric Sturdevant, Gloria’s brother and co-founder of CH PIER. “They allow us to tell them what’s best for our community.”
While Gloria and her team persist in their crucial work, Gilead is planning to broaden its backing of organizations in the region. Despite advancements, there’s still a lot to accomplish: The U.S. South, which comprises about a third of the U.S. population, accounts for over half of the new HIV diagnoses, with Black individuals disproportionately affected by the disease in local areas. The COMPASS Initiative’s structure underscores Gilead’s longstanding commitment to addressing health disparities and collaborating with local organizations to serve medically underserved and disproportionately impacted communities.
“The extensive reach of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative in the past five years shows what we’ve been able to achieve together, and we’re looking forward to continuing our journey of growth and collaboration during the next five years,” said Jane Stafford, Executive Director, Public Affairs at Gilead.
“We’re incredibly proud of these tangible transformative impacts we’ve had on the landscape of HIV in the Southern United States – in our commitment to ending the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.”
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