Health advocates, community leaders, and healthcare providers gathered in metro Atlanta to confront one of the region’s most pressing public health challenges: an HIV infection rate that researchers continue to label “unacceptably high.”

The gathering coincided with the Southern AIDS Coalition’s annual Saving Ourselves Symposium, a four-day conference designed to educate, empower, and support Black LGBTQ+ communities across the region. Hosted at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest at Galleria, the symposium brought together frontline leaders to coordinate strategies, address disparities, and expand access to preventative care.

The conference comes at a critical moment as community organizations navigate ongoing shifts in federal funding for HIV prevention and treatment.

Data from the AIDSVu database and health researchers underscores the severity of the crisis in the region. As of 2023, an estimated 44,756 people were living with HIV in the Atlanta area, with a prevalence rate of 875 people per 100,000, more than double the national rate of 395 per 100,000.

While Black residents represent 33% of metro Atlanta’s overall population, they account for 69% of new HIV diagnoses, and the region regularly ranks third in the nation for new HIV diagnosis rates. Public health experts point to systemic barriers, including a lack of health insurance, housing instability, limited healthcare access, and ongoing social stigma, as primary drivers behind the stark racial disparities.

Medical experts emphasize that while effective medical tools exist to control and prevent the transmission of HIV, severe access gaps prevent those resources from reaching those who need them most. A major point of discussion during the weekend’s events focused on expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily medication that drastically reduces the risk of acquiring HIV when taken as prescribed.

Currently, qualifying individuals in metro Atlanta can access PrEP at no cost through programs offered by the Grady Health System or the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition.

With millions in direct Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants shifting to state and local health departments, community-based nonprofits are working to ensure grassroots outreach and localized prevention efforts remain funded.

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