ViiV EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMUNITY LIAISONS: MAKING A DIFFERENCE ON THE GROUND
Since our founding, ViiV Healthcare has been an active, committed partner with communities, particularly those in areas most heavily impacted by HIV and AIDS.
In support of our commitment to make a difference in these communities, ViiV has a team whose entire focus is on providing them support. Our External Affairs Community Liaisons (EACLs) are ViiV’s “boots on the ground,” working tirelessly with local advocates and organizations to disrupt disparities in HIV. Through interactions, engagements, and insights, the EACLs help connect people in the community with the tools and information they need to end the epidemic at the local level.
Our EACLs currently work in nine cities across the U.S.: Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, South Florida, Birmingham, Nashville, Washington, DC, Charlotte, and New Orleans. These are areas where there is the greatest need for HIV education, resources, and connections to care.
As described by Randevyn Piérre, ViiV’s Director of External Affairs Community Liaisons, “the ViiV community liaisons are a group of public health experts who really take to the field. And when we say the field, we really mean moving around a community, talking to people about the work that they do with folks living with HIV, to connect the dots to resources and services, and education.” For Randevyn and his team, this approach is critical to making a difference for “people who have not traditionally been a part of these discussions, who have not traditionally been at this table as we’re talking about HIV prevention.”
For Deidre Williams, the experience of being an Atlanta-based community liaison “is unique in the sense that it's about caring about people. I always tell people that HIV is the impact of something else that happened in life.” Deidre entrenches herself in the community to understand the culture and dynamics that drive the epidemic, and to support sustainable programs that ensure everyone benefits from the promise of modern HIV treatment and prevention.
I think ViiV has done a great job of meeting people where they are,” says Deidre. “Everybody's not going to make it to the lobby of a health department or a clinic. That may require going to the drag show, to the yard show at a local college, or supporting organizations and events that really have nothing to do with HIV.
One organization ViiV supports is A Vision 4 Hope, a non-profit organization that combines both community and faith-based initiatives to support the Atlanta LGBTQ+ community. Through this partnership, ViiV is helping to expand their programming and support services, which now includes a 24-bed facility for those living with or impacted by HIV.
“The partnership with ViiV has allowed us to invest more in…our programs,” explains Dewayne Crowder, Executive Director of A Vision 4 Hope. “ViiV has helped us to extend our programs to bring in training, which has allowed us to build capacity within our organizational structure. We are proud to partner with ViiV.”
Continue exploring our storytelling hub to learn more about the ways we are supporting the HIV community.
