Legacy Community Health in Houston has been working on a citywide campaign called END (Ending New Diagnoses) of HIV/AIDS, which aligns with Hillary Clinton's strategy announced this week.
In response to the news, Legacy senior director of communications Kevin Nix wrote on the company website, "Given Houston’s challenges with the epidemic, Legacy is rededicating ourselves to the fight by taking this year to develop a citywide 'End the Epidemic' strategic plan, thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation and AIDS United, with the goal of cutting all new cases of HIV in half over five years."
Legacy, one of three agencies across Texas to have been awarded the Ford grant, will maximize its efforts in the fight against HIV by "bring[ing] together community and agency leaders from across the city to identify and solidify steps that must be taken to improve health outcomes for Houstonians." The plan and timeline are slated for completion in time for World AIDS Day on December 2.
The health organization also included a side-by-side comparison of the party platforms on HIV/AIDS-related policy, which highlighted yet another stark difference in this presidential race.
Venita Ray, public affairs specialist for Legacy and one of Plus Magazine'sMost Amazing HIV-Positive People of 2016, had this to say regarding Clinton's AIDS strategy:
I believe that Clinton’s commitment to an AIDS free generation [is] consistent with and supportive of our work. Clinton has proposed establishing an end of the epidemic task force that would be very important for cities like Houston and others who have started this process but still need support to make it happen. Several cities and the state of New York have already developed plans and Clinton’s proposal would make sure we all have access to best practices and resources. Cities like Houston want to do more than test and treat; we want to end the epidemic. Clinton’s proposal would take a giant step to getting us there.
