Expanding Ella/Her on National Women & Girls HIV Awareness Day

Durham, NC—The Latino Commission on AIDS, North Carolina AIDS Action Network, and Southern AIDS Coalition announce the expansion of Ella/Her, a campaign introduced in 2022 to increase HIV prevention awareness among Black and Latina women in North Carolina. With support from ViiV Healthcare, the project is being expanded and will also include women in South Carolina and Alabama.

“Ella/Her is an opportunity to center Black and Latina women in a meaningful way by ensuring they have access to HIV prevention tools, reproductive health care, and culturally responsive providers. Health equity means breaking down systemic barriers that have long excluded Black and Latina women from essential care. By expanding our initiative, we are not only increasing access but also advocating for policies that prioritize their health, dignity, and well-being. ,” says Judith Montenegro, Program Director of Latinos in the South, Latino Commission on AIDS.

Ella/Her is an opportunity to inform and mobilize women through community education and digital engagement.  Additionally, provider engagement and education are critical components, all of which are critical to reducing HIV disparities among Black and Latina women. .

Black & Latina Women Need Equitable HIV Prevention & Care

Despite advancements in HIV prevention, Black and Latina women experience disproportionate HIV rates. According to the CDC:

• Only 8% of PrEP users are women, despite women accounting for 18% of new HIV diagnoses.
• Black women represent 14% of the female population but 54% of new HIV diagnoses among women.
• HIV-related mortality rates are 15 times higher for Black women and four times higher for Latina women than for white women.

Despite biomedical prevention tools like PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), women remain underserved due to provider biases, lack of awareness, and systemic barriers. Ella/Her aims to disrupt these disparities and support women in their advocacy in the face of unprecedented political threats to accurate public health information and healthcare access–particularly sexual and reproductive health services.  

Strengthening Advocacy to Drive Change

“We are facing historic challenges and opposition that threaten the health of our communities–particularly women,” says Dafina Ward, Executive Director of Southern AIDS Coalition. “We want every woman in the South to have access to every tool there is for HIV prevention. Through Ella/Her, women will receive information that can be used to advocate for themselves whether they are speaking to their healthcare provider, social networks, or political decision-makers.  It is a critical time for the sharing of accurate information about the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black and Latina women, and for us to harness our collective voices to face opposition to our health and bodily autonomy.”

Expanding the Movement: Advancing Policy and Provider Engagement

This is not the first time these three organizations have worked together to address prevention access. Together they advocated for the expansion of pharmacists’ authority—resulting in North Carolina passing a law allowing pharmacists to administer Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), contraceptives, and prenatal vitamins. As of January 2024, North Carolina Medicaid began reimbursing pharmacists for providing PEP and contraceptives, creating an opportunity to engage more providers in women’s health.

“For years, we’ve led HIV advocacy efforts through HIV Speaks on Jones Street in North Carolina, bringing the voices of those impacted by HIV directly to policymakers,” said Veleria M Levy, Executive Director of North Carolina AIDS Action Network. “Now, we’re excited to expand this powerful movement into South Carolina with the first-ever HIV Speaks on Gervais Street. This expansion marks a new chapter in our work, ensuring that Black and Latina women across the Carolinas have a seat at the table when decisions about their health are being made.”

Building on past policy wins, including expanding pharmacists’ authority to dispense PEP and contraceptives and securing Medicaid reimbursement for PEP access, Ella/Her strengthens the link between advocacy, provider engagement, and policy change. This campaign ensures Black and Latina women’s health remains a priority as we push for systemic change across the south.

A virtual launch for Ella/Her will be held on March 25th at 3:00 pm ET. Register below

Register

There are also upcoming opportunities to participate in HIV Advocacy Days in Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina!

Alabama: United for Change: HIV Advocacy Day at the Alabama State House

Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 8:30 am-3:30 pm (www.aidsalabama.og/advocacy)

South Carolina: HIV Speaks on Gervais Street at the SC General Assembly, Columbia SC

Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 8:30 am-2:30 pm

North Carolina: HIV Speaks on Jones Street at the NC General Assembly, Raleigh NC  

Tuesday, May 20, 2025, 8:30 am-2:30

About the Partners

• NC AIDS Action Network improves the lives of people living with HIV & AIDS and affected communities through outreach and public education, policy advocacy, and community-building to increase visibility and mutual support of people living with HIV & AIDS throughout the Carolinas. We shape policy at the local, state and federal levels through advocacy, stigma reduction and the building of strong networks. To learn more, visit us at www.facebook.com/NorthCarolinaAIDSActionNetwork and follow us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ncaidsaction/
• The Latino Commission on AIDS addresses the unmet need for prevention, treatment, and care for Latine communities living with and impacted by HIV. Through their Latinos in the South program, they spearhead health advocacy for Latine Southerners, promoting HIV education, access to prevention and care, mobilizing and fostering leadership initiatives,  and building capacity in community organizations. To learn more about
• Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) is a non-partisan coalition that brings together community advocates, government decision-makers, business leaders, and people living with HIV in an effort to end the HIV epidemic in the South. SAC is a membership organization that works in partnership through advocacy, strategic convenings, leadership development, research, and more. To become a member of SAC or learn more, visit www.southernaidscoalition.org

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