About Us → News & Events Coming Together to End HIV/AIDS and Stigma & Discrimination

Health Care Advocates International recently sponsored the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s (EJAF) Academy Awards® Viewing Party. This year, the EJAF event focused on raising awareness and funding for The Rocket Fund, a $125 million campaign to level up efforts to fight AIDS across the globe. The event itself raised $10.8M for the cause. 

The night was a star-studded affair united around the cause and the mission. HCAI’s special guests included Mario Cantone, Ricardo Rojas, Raif Derazzi and PlusLife Media’s Karl Schmid, all whom have participated in HCAI’s Stigma Warrior Campaign as advocates for the LGBTQ+ community and the fight against HIV/AIDs. 

HCAI’s support of this event and mission alignment with EJAF - to not only focus on the eradication of HIV/AIDS by 2030 but also the stigma and discrimination that still exists around it today is a stepping-stone for 2024 efforts.  

“Supporting this event was a no-brainer for HCAI,” said Dr. Gary Blick, HCAI’s Chief Medical Officer. “HCAI’s mission is parallel to EJAF and we are committed to ending HIV/AIDS by 2030 however there is still work to be done to bring testing and prevention to underserved areas of the US and abroad.”  

In the US, HCAI provides funding through its grant program, The HCAI Fund, to non-profit organizations to support HIV testing and access to PrEP. And while infection rates in the United States in targeted geographic areas, including the South, continue to be an area of focus, HCAI is also identifying ways to bring PrEP to it’s Zimbabwe AIDS Project where currently the most up to date options are not readily available.  

While at the event, HCAI launched its new The End HIV video, which showcases that HIV is completely preventable and should never be anyone’s “ending.” HCAI will utilize the video to continue to promote its efforts towards ending HIV/AIDS.  

In the coming year, HCAI, like EJAF, is focused on generating greater awareness and action to increase assistance and access to marginalized communities both here at home and abroad. It’s a cause that has made great progress but surprisingly still has so far to go.