Treatment Action Group calls for more research, treatment, prevention
Kevin and Neil Goetz and Ellen Wolf hosted nearly 100 community members May 1 to meet TAG (Treatment Action Group) executive director Mark Harrington and his team from New York: Director of Development Jason Kirk and HIV Project Director Cheriko Boone.
Kevin, Screen Engine/ASI CEO and author of "Audience-ology," began the program by sharing how he has supported TAG for more than 25 years after reading a statement by David Geffen in The Hollywood Reporter saying it was one of the most important organizations he supported.
TAG is celebrating 30 years as an independent, activist and community-based research and policy think tank fighting for better treatment, prevention, a vaccine and a cure for HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis C (HCV). Harrington lamented that while TAG has been advocating for a cure and treatment for 40 years, there are still 40 million people living with AIDS around the planet.
The organization's successes are exceptional and on the leading edge: TAG has helped to accelerate U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval on more than 50 anti-HIV medicines, new TB drugs and HCV cures over the past 27 years. On World AIDS Day 2018, it launched a U.S. plan to end HIV, HCV, TB and STD epidemics. Moreover, it catalyzed New York’s Ending the Epidemic (EtE) campaign and expanded this campaign into Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. Lastly, it successfully advocated for groundbreaking price reduction in HIV, TB and HCV treatments.
It was estimated that fewer than 15 people in attendance were familiar with TAG, including this reporter. Still, Palm Springs activists and leaders such as Michael Childers, Jimmy Boegle and Jeremy Hobbs gave up their Sunday afternoon to learn more about TAG’s programs, successes and future priorities.
TAG honored Karl Schmid, a passionate activist in the fight against HIV stigma, with the Courage and Action Award. Schmid summarized the current status of HIV/AIDS by announcing “we have the tools to end HIV. If everyone gets tested and those who test positive receive treatment, we are done!"
Schmid launched +Life online in 2019 to help foster a new conversation around what it means for people living with HIV and to tackle the stigma still associated with the virus, which prevents many with HIV from seeking the treatment they need.
Local Community Leaders and TAG advocates from New York and Los Angeles attending the event included: JR Roberts, Rick Vila, Teri Ralston, Kim and Joe Zakowski, James Lindquist and Ken Schafer, Paul Clowers, Ted Chapin, David Cooley, Billy Porter, Kellee McQuinn, Larry Fuller, Andy Marx, Peter Daut and David Gibson, Stephen Fales, Jon Anderson, Phillipe Maitre and Ted Gagliano, Jonathan Wynne.
Al Jones was appointed by the city council as a Trustee of the Palm Springs Library, where he serves as its treasurer. He was the former chairman of the Palm Springs International Airport Commission and is a member of the board of directors of Dezart Performs, the CSU Palm Desert Campus Advancement board, the Advisory board of Priority One Coachella Valley and a member of DBA and Main Street. Prior community engagement includes DAP Health Partners for Life Leadership Committee; the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, where he served as the Board secretary for five years, and Sanctuary Palm Springs.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Treatment Action Group calls for more research, treatment, prevention
