Positive Women United

Positive Women United
Name	Positive Women United
Founded	2001
Headquarters	New York City
Type	Nonprofit organization
Focus	HIV/AIDS advocacy; women's health; human rights

Positive Women United

Positive Women United is a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on advancing the rights, health, and social well‑being of women living with HIV/AIDS. Founded in the early 21st century, the organization operates through community programs, policy advocacy, research partnerships, and public campaigns across the United States and internationally. It collaborates with healthcare providers, academic institutions, civil society groups, and international bodies to influence practice and policy for marginalized women.

History

Positive Women United was established in 2001 amid global efforts by actors such as UNAIDS, World Health Organization, and national initiatives including the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Early founders drew inspiration from advocacy movements linked to organizations like ACT UP, AVERT, and regional groups such as SisterLove and Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases. During the 2000s the group expanded programming in urban centers including New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago, while engaging with researchers at institutions such as Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, and University of California, San Francisco. In the 2010s Positive Women United developed partnerships with global networks including Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+), International Community of Women Living with HIV (ICW), and engagement with multilateral forums like the United Nations General Assembly and Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Key legal and policy environments shaping its trajectory included litigation and statutes such as cases before the United States Supreme Court and regional human rights bodies like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Mission and Programs

The organization's mission centers on improving clinical access, legal protections, and socio‑economic support for women affected by HIV, aligning work with stakeholders including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and community providers like Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Core programs encompass peer navigation initiatives modeled on approaches used by Terrence Higgins Trust and Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, reproductive health services informed by research from Guttmacher Institute and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation–funded projects, mental health supports similar to services in programs at Mount Sinai Health System and Massachusetts General Hospital, and rights-based legal aid drawing on precedents from organizations such as ACLU and Human Rights Watch. Training and capacity building occur through workshops in collaboration with academic partners including Yale University, Brown University, and University of Cape Town.

Organizational Structure

Positive Women United operates with a board of directors and an executive leadership team that interact with regional advisory councils and programmatic leads. The board has included professionals from health systems like Kaiser Permanente, alumni of research centers such as Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and advocates connected to networks like Women’s Refugee Commission. Day-to-day operations are managed by an executive director supported by directors of programs, development, policy, communications, and finance; program staff often liaise with partners such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Red Cross, and municipal health departments like the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have combined grants from philanthropic institutions including the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and Rockefeller Foundation with contracts from federal programs like the Health Resources and Services Administration and philanthropic collaborations with foundations such as Johnson & Johnson and The Elton John AIDS Foundation. Strategic partnerships extend to academic consortia including Fogarty International Center, clinical trial networks such as the NIH Clinical Center, and community coalitions like National Black Women's HIV/AIDS Network. Corporate partners have included pharmaceutical companies involved in treatment access programs analogous to initiatives by Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare while maintaining relationships with global financing mechanisms such as PEPFAR and the Global Fund.

Advocacy and Impact

Through litigation support, policy briefs, and coalition building, Positive Women United has influenced policy debates at bodies like the U.S. Congress, European Parliament, and regional health authorities such as African Union health committees. Advocacy priorities have targeted criminalization statutes, access to antiretroviral therapy, maternal health policies, and stigma reduction campaigns similar in scope to efforts by UNAIDS and WHO guidelines implementation. The organization has contributed to research cited in journals associated with institutions like The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, and policy reports produced by World Bank and United Nations Development Programme. Outcomes include changes in municipal health protocols, expansion of prevention‑to‑care linkages modeled after best practices promoted by CDC Foundation, and increased legal protections reflected in state legislation and administrative guidance.

Notable Events and Campaigns

Notable initiatives have included national awareness campaigns launched in partnership with media outlets and advocacy groups such as Amnesty International, celebrity‑led fundraisers in association with artists who have collaborated with (RED), and conferences co‑hosted with universities like Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and international NGOs such as UNAIDS. Campaigns addressing prevention of mother‑to‑child transmission paralleled efforts by UNICEF and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, while programs confronting stigma and discrimination engaged networks including National Organization for Women and Intersectional Justice Initiative. The organization has also participated in global summits, contributing panels alongside representatives from World Health Assembly, International AIDS Conference, and regional symposia convened by Africa CDC and PAHO.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City