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Connecting more HIV-positive Americans with effective health care programs

Despite advances in science, HIV/AIDS continues to be a big problem in this country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV infection, with 50,000 new infections each year.  A third of Americans with known HIV infections are not receiving health care and 20 to 40 percent of patients fail to seek care within six months of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis.

Something needs to be done to improve access to health care, especially among those who are most lacking the resources. To address this issue, The Merck Company Foundation has announced the HIV Care Collaborative for Underserved Populations in the U.S. Through this initiative Merck will help support health departments in Atlanta, Houston and Philadelphia – three cities that are among the top 10 with the highest HIV burden in the U.S. Each of the selected health departments will receive up to $1 million over three years to provide added resources and improve timely access to care for people living with HIV.

“Too many people living with HIV/AIDS are not getting the health care they need to stay healthy and contribute to healthy communities,” said Geralyn S. Ritter, senior vice president, Global Public Policy & Corporate Responsibility, Merck and president, The Merck Company Foundation. “Merck has a long-standing commitment to expanding access to health care and helping respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the HIV Care Collaborative reinforces this commitment here in the U.S.”

The HIV Care Collaborative aligns with President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy’s goals that include linking and retaining more patients in care and is designed to support existing programs that have the greatest potential to reduce new HIV infections. The three program sites are not starting from scratch, rather the HIV Care Collaborative builds on current efforts already under way in Atlanta, Houston and Philadelphia.

Learn more about the HIV Care Collaborative in our corporate responsibility report.

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