Heroes in the Struggle: Marc Meachem

By LaShieka Hunter From Black AIDS Institute

 

November 18, 2016

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Marc Meachem, director, External Affairs, ViiV Healthcare

 The Black AIDS Institute's Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration honors, in a star-studded event and photographic tribute, individuals who, over the past year, have made a heroic contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Below, one in a series profiling the 2016 honorees.

Marc Meachem is committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially in Black and Latino communities hit hard by the epidemic, particularly those throughout the South. As the number of new HIV diagnoses continues to rise in cities like Jackson, Miss., and Baltimore, Meachem, the head of external affairs for North America at ViiV Healthcare -- a GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company 100 percent focused on HIV -- is determined to reduce the disparities in HIV care and treatment. "I want to see the standard of care applied to all communities equally," he says.

Meachem, a graduate of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, has been with the North Carolina-based company since its inception in 2009. He has three primary areas of responsibility: external and internal communications, corporate giving intended to reduce the impact of HIV, and community relations. ViiV deals specifically with HIV/AIDS medicine, but it is more than just a pharmaceutical company; it's dedicated to improving HIV education, treatment and prevention, as well as access to HIV care.

"When you look at the pharmaceutical industry, most companies work in multiple therapeutic areas, but we have a single therapeutic focus and believe that having that sole focus on HIV -- not just in terms of developing medicines, but also in terms of supporting people living with HIV -- is an important mission," Meachem says.

The company has dedicated programs to addressing the disparate impact of HIV among three populations: MSM of color, women of color and youths.

In 2009, under Meachem's leadership, ViiV launched the Positive Action Southern Initiative (PASI), a program that works with more than 30 organizations across 10 Southern states -- from North Carolina across to Louisiana -- to reduce treatment disparities for disproportionately affected African American and Latino populations and to provide funding as well as a learning collective.

In 2015, ViiV launched the Accelerate! Initiative, a four-year, $10 million initial investment to speed up community-driven solutions that improve HIV outcomes for MSM in Jackson and Baltimore. (Jackson has the fourth-highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the country, while Baltimore has the 10th-highest rate [pdf)].) Accelerate's three key strategies include listening to MSM's experiences and prioritizing their perspectives; conducting research to determine what can inspire and support men to seek and maintain quality health care; and improving HIV prevention, care and treatment. "We are supporting people in everything from being tested, to diagnosis, to getting linked to care, to treatment, to helping them maintain care," he says.
Already Accelerate! is seeing results. The program is leveraging the voices and concerns of people who should be served by HIV prevention, care and treatment services. It is also having the multiplier effect of enhancing the dialogue and galvanizing the efforts of many of the service providers.

Meachem's heavy investment in Black and Latino communities reflects the direction and priorities of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. For example, he knows that Blacks are more likely to get tested for HIV late in their illness and receive a diagnosis of AIDS rather than HIV. As a result, many start antiretroviral treatment after their immune systems have already been severely compromised and experience worse health outcomes. He notes that many African Americans remain unaware of the major advances in HIV treatment and prevention, and he finds it unacceptable that so many people are unaware of new lifesaving options, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention.

"With the current tools we have, if we can get people diagnosed and on treatment, as well as have PrEP offered and available to those who are high risk, we can reduce the impact of HIV on future generations, without waiting for a vaccine," Meachem says. "What now compels me is the work that needs to be done so that all communities benefit from what is the standard of care today in HIV."

Meachem remains full of hope and determination. "Growing up, I always knew about the disparities in health care in communities of color," he says. "And while working in HIV/AIDS wasn't something that I initially set out to do, I am grateful to have the chance to do this fulfilling work for our community, and it requires a constant struggle and a constant effort."

The Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration will take place Dec. 1, 2016, at the Director's Guild of America in Los Angeles. To purchase tickets, go here, email hits@blackaids.org or call 213-353-3610, ext. 100.

LaShieka Hunter is a freelance writer and editor based on Long Island, N.Y.

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