Single-tablet regimens simplify HIV treatment, improve adherence and help prevent resistance and transmission. In a First Person commentary, policy advocate Scott Bertani notes that some cost-cutting efforts fail to take into accounts these benefits.
www.positivelyaware.com/the-case-for-STRs
To see someone as the person they are is the beginning of respect.
To see someone as the person they are is the beginning of compassion.
To see someone as the person they are is the beginning.
International Transgender Day of Visibility
“I knew how I wanted my hair, nails, outfit, coffin & what funeral home I wanted it to be at,” writes Kim Canady. “I have to remember that I’m here for a reason. I’m in a constant fight with myself to not just be alive but to actually live!”
positivelyaware.com/first-person-kim-canady
After April 1, the U.S. post office will no longer ship bulk copies of magazines in bundles, so PA is switching to UPS. Now’s the time to update your shipping info—address, quantities and contact info. Or place your new order! Contact us: distribution@positivelyaware.com.
This is a stopgap measure in effect through June 30 as lawmakers work toward a new state budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year.
positivelyaware.com/florida-adap-temporary-funding
The federal government no longer recognizes National HIV/AIDS Awareness Days. That’s why we the people need to stand up and call out how HIV impacts our communities.
#NHAAD
The funding bill was presented to Gov. DeSantis on March 18; lawmakers expect it to be signed possibly within days, though no timeline has been confirmed. Gaps remind. Biktarvy is still off the #ADAP formulary; Descovy is subject to restricted use.
positivelyaware.com/florida-adap-funding-bill
Watch actor-performer Keiynan Lonsdale talk with Positively Aware special correspondent Tony Morrison about exploring his sexuality and identity through creativity—and about being on PrEP.
youtube.com/watch?v=weJjRYEx6ZU
“Talking about #HIV and prevention can feel uncomfortable,” says actor-performer Keiynan Lonsdale. “...I get tested to know my status. I understand my prevention options. And I’m choosing to speak up so others can too.”
positivelyaware.com/keiynan-lonsdale-is-done-hiding
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a reminder that HIV uniquely affects women—every day.
#NWGHAAD
Siloed leadership among HIV organizations is limiting collaboration and sidelining grassroots groups closest to communities most in need, says activist Von Biggs in a new First Person op-ed for Positively Aware.
Read more here:
positivelyaware.com/first-person-building-community
To change your plan, call the Marketplace Call Center at 800-318-2596 (TTY: 855-889-4325). Deadline to change plans is April 30. Details here:
positivelyaware.com/special-enrollment-period
February 27 is National HIV Is Not A Crime Awareness Day. The Center for HIV Law and Policy released a new statement highlighting how HIV criminalization laws intersect with immigration enforcement and policing — and the broader public health impact.
positivelyaware.com/hinac-day-2026
We've put together an initial report, on TheBodyPro, of federal HIV resources that have been removed and where alternative sources can be located. It's just a start, so tips and notes are welcome. Cheers to @larrybuhl.bsky.social for his initial reporting here!
www.thebodypro.com/hiv/hiv-data...
“For years, I worked inside Florida’s public health system. I believed in the mission,” writes Tammy Cuyler in a First Person op-ed for Positively Aware. But sometimes the system asks you to be quiet when people need you to speak. Read what she has to say.
positivelyaware.com/moral-failure
Whether we show up using our personal health stewardship or community organizing, through word-of-mouth networks or formal advocacy, we are asserting our right to health and dignity in all the ways that matter, writes HIV specialist Dr. Stella Safo.
positivelyaware.com/why-advocacy-matters
The media gang’s all here at #CROI2026. With @raifderrazi.bsky.social, Enid (@posaware.bsky.social) & @rogerpebody.bsky.social.
A long-term survivor and advocate reflects on his 6 years as vice chair of the Broward County HIV Health Services Planning Council and cultivating a new generation of community leaders. Read Von Biggs’ First Person commentary here.
positivelyaware.com/passing-the-torch
In a First Person op-ed for Positively Aware, long-term survivor Kamaria Laffrey writes her own “pre-obituary”—it’s an indictment against the proposed changes that would gut Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
www.positivelyaware.com/pre-obit
The public comment period is now open through March 4 for the cuts to Florida’s ADAP program proposed by the state’s Health Department. Florida legislators are working on state budget plans that would help fill a $120 million shortfall for the program.
positivelyaware.com/florida-adap-public-comment
Florida #ADAP overview & update: Florida lawmakers are working on state budget plans to fill the $120 million shortfall in the program. The public comment period about the health department’s cuts is now open through March 4. Read more here.
www.positivelyaware.com/florida-adap-efforts
The U.S. withdrawal from the @who.int has made Americans less safe, further damaged diplomatic relationships that the country relies on and will make us less healthy, writes @avac.org’s Mitchell Warren in a First Person op-ed.
positivelyaware.com/us-retreats-from-who
“Clinics and case managers lose time scrambling, and that’s time taken from patient care,” says Florida HIV advocate Kevin Maloney about the uncertainty over changes coming to the state’s ADAP.
www.positivelyaware.com/uncertainty-over-florida-adap
Starting March 1, Florida’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) will tighten its income eligibility requirements and no longer cover the HIV drug Biktarvy.
positivelyaware.com/florida-guts-adap
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., warned that silence in the face of injustice is a choice. The fight against HIV is inseparable from the fight for civil rights—ending stigma, expanding access to care and ensuring that people with HIV are treated with humanity.
New Orleans has long ranked consistently near the top nationally for new and existing #HIV diagnoses: “HIV is not a fringe issue here,” writes Morris Singletary in a commentary for PA. “It is a defining public health challenge.”
PA wants to hear from you: What’s one thing that living with HIV has taught you that you’d want someone to know?
Post your answer here. Select responses to appear in the next issue.
Comm. McDonald: “While influenza activity is elevated, there are simple steps New Yorkers can take to protect themselves & those around them, including getting vaccinated, staying home when sick & practicing everyday preventive measures.” health.ny.gov/press/releases/2025/2025-12-26_flu_cases.htm
Results from a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating once-weekly oral islatravir plus lenacapavir (ISL+LEN) show the combo to be statistically comparable to the popular once-daily pill Biktarvy through 48 weeks in people with HIV who are virally suppressed.
www.positivelyaware.com/ISL-LEN-phase-2