The COMPASS Initiative focuses on the southern United States.

Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences is partnering with three centers in the southern US to fund local organizations committed to fighting the HIV epidemic. The company has committed to spending $100 million over 10 years as part of its Gilead Commitment to Partnership in Addressing HIV/AIDS in Southern States (COMPASS) Initiative. 

While the South accounts for less than 40% of the US population, it is home to approximately 45% of all people in the country diagnosed with HIV/AIDs, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In addition, nearly 50% of those who do not survive HIV/AIDs live in southern states.

“HIV/AIDS remains an urgent public health crisis in the United States and this is particularly apparent in the Southern states where rates of new infection rival those seen in the 1980s. In some communities, those rates are actually rising – a chilling reminder that the epidemic is far from a thing of the past,” said Gregg Alton, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences. “We recognize a collaborative effort is needed and we are very pleased to partner with local organizations that are uniquely positioned to address the epidemic on the ground.”

The development of treatments for HIV has been a focus of Gilead for nearly 30 years. It has actively been involved in advancing solutions for the treatment, prevention, testing and linkage to care and cure research. The company is currently conducting early-stage clinical research to identify novel agents and strategies for eradicating HIV infection in the body. 

As part of their latest effort, Gilead will provide funds to Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Coordinating Center at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, and the Southern AIDS Coalition, which will identify the organizations that will benefit most from receiving the funds. The three centers will be looking for groups that focus on capacity building and shared knowledge; well-being, mental health and trauma-informed care; and awareness, education and anti-stigma campaigns. The SUSTAIN Center will also place clinicians and medical professionals in vulnerable communities affected by the disease.

“Limited access to healthcare and information about life-saving advances in HIV treatment and prevention in the most vulnerable communities creates an environment where we, as a society, have the tools in hand to improve lives, but these resources are not being fully utilized to address the epidemic,” said Dr. Charlene Flash, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the Baylor College of Medicine. “We must take action and apply these resources to overcome this challenge as too many vulnerable people in the South cannot access, or worse still, are unaware of the existing life-saving tools to prevent and treat HIV.”