We have the medical arsenal to end HIV. There are drugs 99% effective at prevention and drugs that can make the virus 100% undetectable and untransmittable. So…why does HIV still exist?
That was the question I posed to Jeff, the founder and CEO of Collaborative Research Foundation, when we first met for an introductory brunch at Oak Lawn. In a word, his answer was shame. Shame keeps people from prevention, testing, and treatment. The virus proliferates when people are marginalized.
But here’s the thing: shame is preventable and treatable too. So when my team came together to brand Collaborative Research Foundation, we made it our mission to help CRF shine a light into the darkness and eradicate shame. There are no devastating PSAs with a Sarah McLaughlin soundtrack here. Only stories of pride, hope, and triumph.