Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS: Meeting Updates

Co-authored by Amy Palilonis, Presidential Management Fellow

The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) held it’s 39th Full Council Meeting on Monday, April 26. The meeting began with a recap of February’s PACHA meeting, followed by the swearing in of two pending members, Reverend Calvin Butts and Anita McBride.

Ann Gavaghan, Chief of Staff in the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, presented information on PEPFAR and the Global Health Initiative (GHI).

Following the presentation on PEPFAR and GHI was a Positive Black Women Panel that featured Michelle Batchelor from NASTADExit Disclaimer, Linda Scruggs from AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth, and FamiliesExit Disclaimer, and Barbara Joseph from Positive EffortsExit Disclaimer. The panel highlighted the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on women of color, particularly black women who represent nearly 65% of women living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

Jeff Crowley, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), provided an update on the progress of the development of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The co-chairs of each of the NHAS Federal interagency working group subcommittees also provided updates on their progress. On Friday, May 14, ONAP will hold a community meeting/conference call to provide updates and gain additional recommendations for the strategy. For more information on the meeting, visit ONAP’s blog. Details on the Report of Community Recommendations (PDF 14.7 MB) for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy were provided, and it was announced that a Spanish-language version of the report will be available to the public shortly.

Chris Collins from amfARExit Disclaimer presented recommendations for the framework of the NHAS that were developed in coordination with other members of a small, independent working group comprised of HIV/AIDS researchers, advocates, and educators.

Following the presentations, the PACHA members were given the opportunity to make comments and raise questions to their fellow members and the ONAP staff. After the PACHA deliberations, the floor was opened up to public comment until the meeting concluded.

To learn more about PACHA, please visit: https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pacha/about-pacha. To learn more about the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, please visit: https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/national-hiv-aids-strategy/overview.