Despite advancements in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) prevention, Black adults in America suffer at disproportionate rates. As of 2020, Black women and men contracted the virus at 7.8 times the rate of white adults. Consequently, Black adults die from AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), the last stage of HIV, at higher rates than other groups.
Since the first cases of HIV and AIDS were reported in June 1981, the federal government has researched and funded prevention methods. The United States Food and Drug Administration approved PrEP in 2012, a medicine that reduces a person’s chance of contracting HIV from sex or injection drug use. As recently as December 2022, the Biden administration released a five-year plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.
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Yet, the infection and death toll remains high in the Black community. For that reason, Black leaders in HIV prevention and care commit to ending the HIV/AIDs epidemic on a grassroots level. Here are three organizations that offer free HIV health care and education in their cities:
1. Black AIDS Institute
The Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is an “unapologetically Black HIV think and do tank” based in Los Angeles. Founded by a Black gay man living with HIV and a Black lesbian doctor in 1999, the organization’s original vision was to mobilize and educate Black Americans about HIV/AIDS treatment and care.
Nearly 25 years later, BAI does that through its local and national campaigns, issue reports, and virtual or in-person events. Its research covers strategies to end HIV, improve HIV testing rates, and increase access to PrEP in the Black community.
RELATED: PrEP Has Protected Folks From HIV for 10 Years. Why Aren’t Black People Accessing It?
Black Angelenos can access free, culturally-affirming HIV services through the Institute’s clinic, “A Clinic For Us,” by visiting the Los Angeles office.
2. BlaqOut
BlaqOut is a “disruptive innovator in the field of HIV testing and prevention, telehealth, and PreP/PEP access.” Serving the Black LGBTQ+ community in Kansas City, Missouri, the nonprofit offers five free programs: peer-driven recruitment for HIV testing, home testing kits, vaccine equity and awareness, and leadership development.
In partnership with Q Care Plus, BlaqOut offers virtual provider visits, at-home or in-person lab testing, and PrEP home delivery in Kansas City.
The organization also addresses the gap in culturally competent care through its Sexual Wellness and Growth (SWAG) curriculum. SWAG educates health professionals on intimate partner violence, health care stigma, and health literacy among Black gay males.
3. Us Helping Us
Us Helping Us is celebrating 35 years of combatting the HIV epidemic among Black gay men in Washington, D.C. The organization was founded in 1985, four years after the first AIDS case was announced. Since then, it’s opened two clinics that offer HIV primary care, PrEP prescriptions, case management, and other services for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
One of its flagship programs, “The DENIM Collection,” provides culturally appropriate clinical, behavioral, and social services for young Black men who have sex with men and transgender women ages 13-34. The initiative offers access to healthy and nutritious foods, mental health care, and other services.
Us Helping Us also conducts studies. Its current research projects examine hepatitis C and PrEP initiation among Black gay men.
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