Arthur Ashe Foundation Wants Every Person of Color to Know Their HIV Status

The New York-based Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and Florida-based health care nonprofit IMG Helps recently formed a partnership to reach people of color and those in underserved communities so they can be fully aware of their HIV status.

Together, AAIUH and IMGH will focus on education, sexual wellness, and overall health to provide resources, life-saving treatments, and care, mostly for people living in Florida.

With 30 years as an organization, AAIUH will replicate one of its core educational programs, Barbershop Talk With Brothers. This will serve as the anchor and launchpad to the alignment. There’s also planned “text to treat” campaigns, a #KnowYourStatus tour at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and influencers getting the message out about prevention and treatment.

These various opportunities aim to remove the stigma behind HIV and other illnesses that affect marginalized groups.

AAIUH was initially founded in 1992 by tennis champion, activist, and humanitarian Arthur Ashe, who in the early 1990s, was one of the most high-profile individuals living with HIV. The goal of his organization was to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for underserved communities.

Current CEO Dr. Marilyn Frasher said, “Now in our 30th year, we are delighted to replicate our innovative community health promotion programs in neighborhoods throughout Florida in partnership with a trusted and established organization such as IMG Helps. Together we will work to reduce health inequities.”

IMG Helps is a nonprofit that launched in 2020 to expand the philanthropic work that IMG Health Clinic set up. They’ve served more than 12,000 people in the state of Florida, operating as a community clinic specializing in testing, treating, and managing HIV, Hepatitis C, STIs, PrEP treatment and more.

Co-Founders Clifford W. Knights II and Steve Vixamar said, “We are excited and beyond honored to be partnering with the amazing Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health organization. Through this collaboration, we look forward to expanding each other’s services to Florida and nationwide where we are confident that we can help save more lives together in underserved communities.”