When Randevyn Piérre walked into a church basement in Atlanta recently, he saw something that was once unthinkable: older Black folks living with HIV testifying about their experiences, and about how their faith and diagnosis don’t have to conflict.
“We’ve [had] people come to us and say, ‘I didn’t know that something like this could exist. I didn’t know that I would be allowed to have my faith and also have my HIV care,” Piérre says.
Such moments are hallmarks of a remarkable demographic shift that was unthinkable in the early days of the epidemic, when an HIV or AIDS diagnosis almost always meant a death sentence. But now roughly half of Americans living with HIV are 50 or older, and by 2030, that figure is expected to climb to 70%.
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Aging with HIV brings new health challenges and the need for people with the disease to find vibrant and supportive communities. That’s why advocates are weaving medical science and social support to create partnerships with communities — such as faith communities — that may not have realized how much they could impact the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS.
“We’re always testing education programs … linking people to care and either directing them to treatment or to PrEP,” says Piérre, who works as the head of U.S. External Affairs for ViiV Healthcare. The U.K.-based company is the only pharmaceutical company focused exclusively on developing HIV medications. It produces 17 prescription medicines, conducts research focused on people living with HIV and AIDS, and offers several programs that provide direct support to communities.
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Nationally, Black Americans make up just 12% of the population but account for approximately 38% of new HIV diagnoses. So, ViiV Healthcare’s initiatives go beyond the health care system to build connections between HIV/AIDS service organizations and community-based groups. The goal: to better educate the community and help end the epidemic.
To that end, this summer, ViiV Healthcare launched its ReViiVal to Care program, which connects people living with HIV who are members of faith communities to resources that help them build community and spiritual connection, as well as direct access to HIV care resources.
Starting in Atlanta and Chicago
ReViiVal events held this summer in Chicago and Atlanta featured live performances by gospel artists and personal testimonies from people living with HIV/AIDS. Participants also heard spiritual messages from local pastors and ministers such as Don Abram, the founder of Pride in the Pews, which works to bridge the Black church and LGBTQ+ communities.
“We pull nontraditional organizations to the table and we say, ‘Look, we know that HIV is not core to your mission, but this is really important, because you’re touching Black folks and Brown folks and other folks who we see cases of HIV rising in,’” Piérre says.
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Piérre, who has worked in Georgia’s public health system and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, is encouraged by the early impact he’s seen from ReViiVal to Care.
He says a recent attendee told him, “I’m not living with HIV, but as a result of this experience, I’m going to share what I’ve learned and what I know and what I’ve heard.”
Progress Under Threat
Yet even as churches and advocates collaborate, looming federal budget cuts threaten to unravel gains. Estimates are that the budget cuts laid out in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cause between 10 million and 14 million people to lose their healthcare coverage. This figure includes approximately 7 million Medicaid enrollees. Such cuts will make things more difficult for anyone who relies on prescription medications, such as PrEP.
Piérre advises people living with HIV/AIDS, their family members, friends, and supporters to be vigilant.
“Educate yourself. Understand what’s happening, understand where you are, understand what you need to continue the continuity of care,” he says.
As for advocates for those living with HIV/AIDS, Piérre says they must “stand steady” with communities. “Keep providing these resources and programs that are really important,” he says, and “stay here until HIV isn’t.”
This article was originally published to Word In Black on September 17, 2025.
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