Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced a new health equity collaboration with the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine and the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education (CMHDRE) at Xavier University of Louisiana's College of Pharmacy. The collaboration is focused on addressing the inequities in HIV care for Black communities in the Southern United States. Gilead has a broad and long-standing commitment to advancing global health equity, which it regards as critical to helping to end the HIV epidemic and improving health outcomes for all.

The company's health equity strategy focuses on collaborating with organizations that reach underrepresented and disproportionately impacted communities. Research shows that inequities drive higher rates of HIV infection, as well as worse HIV clinical outcomes among Black Americans. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted and exacerbated such health inequities, especially in the Southern United States.

SHLI and CMHDRE are at the forefront of efforts to improve access to HIV care for Black communities in the Southern U.S. region. Gilead will award a total of $4.5 million in funding over a three-year period to support their work in three cities: Atlanta, Baton Rouge, La., and New Orleans. The partnership between SHLI and CMHDRE, with support from Gilead, is intended to close critical gaps in care by: Increasing understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare delivery system in the Black community; Realigning HIV services to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; Providing training focused on culturally appropriate HIV care, inclusive of stigma-reducing strategies; Increasing access to, and utilization of, culturally appropriate care for Black people impacted by the HIV epidemic; This latest collaboration is part of Gilead's broader health equity strategy to support community organizations across the globe in addressing social determinants of health.

A recent report commissioned by Gilead, “HIV In The Time of COVID-19: Leaving No-One Behind to Truly End the HIV Epidemic,” details a broad range of barriers to health equity including social and economic factors. While predictors of health outcomes such as race, ethnicity and gender have long existed, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health inequities, especially for marginalized communities and those affected by HIV. Gilead is increasing investment to address these underlying inequities highlighted by the intersection of the two health crises.

Other Gilead programs that address health equity include the COMPASS Initiative®, a ten-year, $100 million commitment toward addressing HIV/AIDS inequities in the U.S. South, which continues to challenge the structural barriers that are most prevalent in Black communities. Gilead's Zeroing In™ program supports communities in 41 countries that have been hit doubly hard by HIV and the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilead also created a $10 millionRacial Equity Community Impact Fund to support organizations fighting the racial inequities that affect Black communities.

In its most recent report, the Funders Concerned About AIDS named Gilead the number one overall philanthropic funder of HIV/AIDS programs.