The White House's National HIV/AIDS Strategy strongly supports routine HIV testing and early initiation of antiretroviral treatment in order to reduce the rate of new HIV infections in America. In 2010, Gilead launched the HIV FOCUS program (HIV on the Frontlines Of Communities in the United States) to support this public health effort.

HIV FOCUS partners with healthcare providers, government agencies and community organizations to:

• Make routine HIV screening a standard of care.
• Reduce the number of undiagnosed individuals, decrease the number of those who are diagnosed late and ensure strong linkage to care and treatment.
• Expand HIV stakeholder dialogue on these issues.
• Change public perceptions and overcome HIV-related stigma that may discourage testing.

HIV FOCUS works with partners in 10 cities - Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. - which represent 45 percent of people of living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, and an estimated 105,000 people who have not yet been diagnosed with the disease.

Some examples of our community-based partnerships include:

• The Bronx - Urban Health Plan (UHP): Integrates HIV screening into standard clinical practices in this network of South Bronx community health centers.
• Washington, D.C. - Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): Offers free HIV testing for customers while they wait for their driving licenses - a first-of-its-kind initiative in the nation.
• Houston - Bee Busy: Takes a neighborhood approach and offers HIV testing in low-income, underserved areas of Houston.
• Los Angeles - University of Southern California and Los Angeles County Emergency Department: Offers HIV screening as routine practice to all patients visiting the largest emergency department in the country.
• Miami - South Beach AIDS Project (SOBAP): Integrates HIV and STD testing with other health tests in a busy pharmacy located in South Beach.

Need for Routine Testing and Care

An estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV, and there are around 50,000 new cases of HIV infection each year in the United States. One in five HIV-positive Americans, or approximately 230,000 people, does not know that he or she is infected.

• Click here to download a detailed overview of Gilead's HIV FOCUS program.