While many areas of the United States show signs of success in the fight against HIV/AIDS, one region still clearly struggles. Today, Southern states bear the brunt of the epidemic. A full-scale emergency exists, with nearly half (49%) of all new HIV and AIDS diagnoses in the United States occurring in the South. Ongoing obstacles to care also prevent many people living with HIV in the South from obtaining life-saving treatment.
Since 2006, AIDS United has led the charge to identify and eliminate HIV-related health disparities in the South. AIDS United have built an unparalleled advocacy infrastructure by strategically investing more than $11 million in communities throughout the South as part of their Southern REACH (Regional Expansion of Access and Capacity to Address HIV/AIDS) Initiative. This represents the single-largest funding source for HIV policy and advocacy in the South. And it is made possible through generous support provided by the Ford Foundation.
With Southern REACH funding in hand, community-based organizations across the region have developed innovative, effective, and sustainable advocacy projects.
These projects help organizations develop capacity for ongoing advocacy that goes beyond the life of their grants. In this way, Southern REACH is helping facilitate future change throughout the region.
For more information visit: southernreach.aidsunited.org/hiv-in-the-south/
