Reaffirming Our Commitment to Achieving Equity

By Valerie Rochester, Chief Health Equity Officer, CHC

My travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to attend the 2022 US Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) were both reinvigorating and reaffirming.  As a long-term participant in the struggle to reduce the rates of new HIV infections in the US, particularly within Black and Brown communities and among women, I have seen the impact of social and health-related disparities on the health outcomes of many in our communities.  My role as Chief Health Equity Officer at CHC enables me to bridge my work within the HIV community and all the lessons learned from the HIV movement to bear on how we engage multiple stakeholders and leadership across all levels in communities, and make a point of having the voices, concerns and needs of community members as the core of our work.

Over my 30 years as a member of the public health and HIV community, I have witnessed medical, scientific and social breakthroughs; emergence and convergence of a wide range of advocacy, justice, equity and affinity movements; the effects of inequitable funding levels; the ability to reach undetectable HIV viral loads; and – at last – what seems an opportunity to end new HIV infections.  And through it all, a constant has been creating spaces where people who are committed to this work can come together, to see, hug, laugh, cry and share with each other.  This week, as we gathered in San Juan, it was another reminder for me about why I love and continue to do this work and why we are committed to working toward health equity at CHC.  Despite some of the barriers people in attendance faced, re: travel, lingering COVID concerns, emerging monkeypox concerns, etc., over 3,100 people made their way to San Juan.  Not only for the chance to see one another again “in 3-D”, but to show support and solidarity for the people of Puerto Rico, and for all the members of the HIV community who may have spent the past two years or so feeling unconnected.

There has been public debate about whether convening in San Juan en masse was the right thing to do; particularly bringing such a large gathering to an island that is still recovering from the most recent natural disaster. And while most of the structural damage happened on the west and on the south side of the main island, my own sensibilities – centered around do no harm, mindfulness of others’ needs, and entering spaces with awareness and concern – had me questioning what was the right thing to do.  And in the end, attending was absolutely the right thing for me to do.  As part of a larger movement, I could in some small way help support the local economy, small business owners and operators on the island, as well as be among individuals who continue to move forward and face life with strength and determination.  My heart was full as I heard personal stories of members of the HIV community, as well as people living on the island who had been impacted by the storms – people who were so pleased that this conference and the thousands who attended, kept the commitment to be there and help support  the recovery – emotionally and financially.

I am sure the discussions and debates will continue re: what is the “right” thing to do in these circumstances – especially for people experiencing life through whatever they are facing, and people living in under-resourced communities that have been further affected by naturally occurring events.  Being in a space where folks were able to come together after being apart for so long; having the ability to see and hug each other again and catch up on each others’ lives, honoring all experiences by having a range of  voices and concerns heard – all of these things are important components in the movement to advance equity.  Maybe even THE most important parts.