As 2019 draws to a close, we celebrate the one-year anniversary since Achieving Together launched as a statewide community movement to end the HIV epidemic in Texas.
2019 marked the beginning of the second phase of the Achieving Together journey. After an intense year of development in 2018, partners brought the Achieving Together Plan to their communities, shared the framework with colleagues and community, and began to align their work with the goals and focus areas of the plan.
What happened in 2019?
While it is impossible to capture all of the changes that have occurred in the national and state environment, several developments will help build a supportive context for the work of Achieving Together, including:
National Changes
Political and funding support
- President announces Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America
- Phase 1 of “ending the HIV epidemic” funding launched to 50 jurisdictions through CDC and HRSA, including 5 cities in Texas
- Gilead announces donation of PrEP for approximately 200,000 Americans
Addressing Stigma
- Several celebrities disclose HIV status
- Support for inclusive language, including Latinx and they/them
- APA formatting style endorses the use of the singular “they” pronoun
- AMA defines violence against transgender community as an epidemic after a record number of transwomen were murdered, including 5 in Texas
Biomedical advances
- Advances in HIV vaccine research (trial in the Americas and Europe)
- Long-acting implant shows promise for HIV treatment and prevention
- Additional support for U=U
Statewide Expansions
New & expanded programs
- Dallas becomes a Fast Track City, joining San Antonio, Austin, and Houston in a growing list of Texas cities committed to ending HIV as an epidemic
- More programs offer PrEP and rapid initiation of ART
- San Antonio launches a new needle exchange program
- Texas DSHS continued to expand capacity for health equity through statewide technical assistance calls, development of the Texas Health Leaders Fellowship development to launch in 2020, and work with the Texas Transgender Alliance
Achieving Together Partners in Action
Through the passion and dedicated work by Achieving Together Partners like you, we are moving forward, raising awareness within the HIV workforce, and taking action toward our goals.
Achieving Together Partners are advocates. In 2019, partners reported that they worked for a wide range of issues as shown below.
2020 Vision
2020 will bring a focus on strategic implementation. It is important to focus on taking action in ways that will have a big impact on the Achieving Together goals, with everyone doing their part in a coordinated way. Achieving Together reported some areas where they want to focus in 2020 as shown below.
Thank you for the gifts you bring. Thank you for doing your part.
We will be taking a month off from posting blogs, but look forward to continuing this movement together in 2020.