CHLP Attends "On Aging" as Our HIV and Aging Work Expands

CHLP Executive Director S. Mandisa Moore-O'Neal and Staff Attorney Kae Greenberg attended the American Society on Aging's 70th annual On Aging conference last week in San Francisco. It is the nation’s largest multidisciplinary conference on aging. Nearly 50% of PLHIV in the U.S. are 50 or older, and those over 50 also account for one in every six new HIV diagnoses; by 2030 this percentage is predicted to rise to 70%. This growing population has demonstrated the need to address the specific issues presented by the aging of the HIV epidemic.

They attended events hosted by CHLP funder Gilead, including a grantee dinner and the panel presentation, The Duality of Aging with HIV: Understanding the Structural and Policy Barriers for Older People Living with HIV. "It was an honor to attend one of the largest gatherings that centers the needs and experiences of aging people,” said Mandisa. “With Gilead as an event sponsor, it was an opportunity to render visible the experiences of aging people living with HIV,” she continued.

For Kae, who is leading CHLP’s growing HIV & Aging work, On Aging presented an opportunity to meet and collaborate with other advocates as that work moves forward. He attended presentations on LGBTQ+ and HIV Long Term Care Bill of Rights – legislation that helps to prevent discrimination by long-term care facilities, that has become law in several jurisdictions across the country, including New York State in November 2023 – and the HIV/Aging Health Policy Action Coalition (HAPAC), a national coalition organized by SAGE and supported by AIDS United that works to educate policymakers on addressing the needs of older adults living with HIV.

Kae also attended The Black Aging Summit hosted by Aging While Black. “The activities and discussions were geared towards not only identifying the particular needs and challenges facing the aging Black population, but also considering the strengths and solutions that could be drawn from the wisdom of Black elders,” he said, “I was privileged to listen and learn.”