Positive Charge—a multiyear initiative to help break down barriers to care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS—was launched by the National AIDS Fund (NAF) and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMS) in December 2009.

The initiative tackles societal barriers, such as stigma, fear and denial, and structural barriers, such as the health care system capacity, lack of transportation and housing.

It awarded major grants in May 2010 to numerous community-based organizations to help improve access to care for HIV-positive people in four U.S. cities—Chicago, New York City, Oakland and San Francisco—and two states, North Carolina and Louisiana.

Recipients included larger HIV/AIDS groups such as the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Harlem United, Housing Works and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, as well as smaller HIV/AIDS groups, universities and programs in the public sector.

Watch Kandy Ferree, president and CEO of NAF, as she gives POZ an in-depth understanding of her organization’s efforts for Positive Charge.

For more information about Positive Charge, go to positivecharge.org.

For more information on the National AIDS Fund, go to aidsfund.org.