New Short Explainer and Docu-Style Videos From Greater Than AIDS: From Getting an HIV Diagnosis to Keeping Up With Care and Treatment - Kaiser Family Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, – Dr. David Malebranche, MD, MPH, is back with more than 40 new #AskTheHIVDoc videos about HIV care and treatment. 

The latest series of one-minute, FAQ-style videos from Greater Than AIDS is designed to help individuals living with HIV and loved ones, as they navigate from receiving an HIV diagnosis to getting connected to care to keeping up with treatment.

“We all need help at some time,” says Dr. Malebranche, a leading HIV clinician-researcher and Associate Professor at Morehouse School of Medicine. “Ask for help, find a support network, tell your medical provider what’s going on so you can problem solve together.”

In his direct and relatable style, Dr. Malebranche explains terms like CD4 and T-Cell, viral load and HIV undetectable. He also covers the basics of HIV treatment — why it matters, how it works, when to start – as well as getting into care and finding support.

“Advances in the prevention and treatment of HIV offer great hope for the future,” said Tina Hoff, Senior Vice President and Director, Health Communications & Media Partnerships at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), which directs Greater Than AIDS. “But, public knowledge and understanding hasn’t always kept up with the science. This series reaches people where they are with the information they need to be healthy.”

A person diagnosed with HIV who is in ongoing care and treatment can live a normal lifespan. When the virus is suppressed – aka, “HIV undetectable” – there is effectively no risk of transmission to sexual partners.

Living Well with HIV

Another new powerful set of videos from Greater Than AIDS features young people sharing their journeys from diagnosis to getting into care and treatment to maintaining viral suppression. With their stories, they show how they went from surviving to thriving with HIV.

“It felt really tough when I first was diagnosed. I did not want to seek treatment at the time because I didn’t know what that looked like,” says one of the young men in the series. He eventually was able to be connected to care and today is living healthy and well with HIV.

The docu-style videos educate about the health and preventive benefits of treatment, as well as the financial aid and support services available through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Care and AIDS Drug Assistance Program, to help close the gap of those living with HIV but who are not connected to care.

Ms. Hoff notes that continued racial disparities with treatment access and sustained viral suppression show that there is still much work to be done.  “By sharing these stories, we hope to bring attention to the challenges too many still face in getting connected to care, as well as highlight what services are available.”

Both video series are being distributed by Greater Than AIDS and health department partners through digital and social media. The videos are also designed to be used by service providers for staff education, as well as client outreach.

To watch the full #AskTheHIVDoc: Care and Treatment series, click here.

To watch the Living Well with HIV! docu-series, click here.

About Greater Than AIDS

Greater Than AIDS is a leading national public information response focused on the U.S. domestic HIV epidemic. While national in scope, Greater Than AIDS focuses on communities most affected. Through targeted media messages and community outreach, Greater Than AIDS and its partners works to increase knowledge, reduce stigma and promote actions to stem the spread of the disease.

About KFF

KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), a leader in health policy analysis, health journalism and communication, is dedicated to filling the need for trusted, independent information on the major health issues facing our nation and its people. The Foundation is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California and is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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