Gilead Sciences has announced the launch of a three-year, $4.5 million partnership with the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine and the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education in the College of Pharmacy at Xavier University of Louisiana.

The collaboration is dedicated to addressing inequities in HIV care for Black communities in the U.S. South. With a focus on efforts in Atlanta, Georgia, and New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the partners aim to increase understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare delivery system in the Black community; realign HIV services to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; provide training focused on culturally appropriate HIV care, inclusive of stigma-reducing strategies; and increase access to and utilization of culturally appropriate care for Black people impacted by the HIV epidemic.

“Gilead knows that scientific innovation has the most impact on patients when we help remove societal barriers to care, such as discrimination and stigma. We are committed to investing in organizations, community leaders and experts working to address the underlying determinants of health outcomes,” said Gilead Sciences vice president of advancing health and Black equity Rashad Burgess. “This collaboration will focus on the barriers that are most prevalent in Black communities and help increase access to HIV care to produce better outcomes for Black people.”

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