The South Faces the Greatest Burden of the HIV Epidemic — COMPASS is Leading the Way to Change!
The Gilead COMPASS Initiative® is tackling the HIV crisis in the Southern United States by partnering with local leaders, advocates, and community-based organizations to address the needs of people living with and affected by HIV. COMPASS is supported by its four Coordinating Centers at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Southern AIDS Coalition, University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, and Wake Forest University School of Divinity.
Focus Areas
Coordinating Centers’ Impact
Grounded in Community and Guided by Data
From the beginning our programs and funding opportunities were informed by direct engagement and feedback from Southern communities ensuring our services addressed the priorities and needs identified by those impacted by the epidemic.
AIDSVu is an online mapping tool that visually shows the impact of the HIV epidemic across US communities using publicly available data from CDC, local health departments, and other high-quality sources. These maps, along with other data sources compiled by the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®, guided the Coordinating Centers’ focus on the 12 Southern states we serve and our intentional investment in communities most impacted by the epidemic.
Empowering Leaders. Transforming Communities. Investing in the South.
The South continues to be heavily impacted by HIV. Despite comprising 38% of the US population, nearly 50% of new HIV diagnoses were in the South in 2022 (CDC 2024). Join us in transforming communities and transforming the South – there’s more work to do.
More Work to Do
While the COMPASS initiative has made significant progress over the past five years, there is still more work to be done to end the HIV epidemic. Join us in this critical effort—your partnership and commitment can help drive transformative change and bring us closer to a future free from HIV stigma and disparities. Let’s continue this journey, together.
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