Partner Profile: Gilead Sciences — October 14, 2020

We recently sat down with Jean Willis, executive community liaison at Gilead Sciences, to ask her about the longtime partnership between Clare Housing and her organization. This year, Gilead Sciences was our sole Visionary Sponsor. Their gift helped ensure every dollar raised at A Place to Call Home could go straight to supporting our mission.

CH: Gilead has a long history of supporting Clare Housing and its residents. What is it about our values that resonate with Gilead’s mission as a company?

JW: I’ve been working with Clare Housing for the past 15 years, and have a good relationship with the staff. I’ve always been impressed with the quality of services they provide. Clare Housing is constantly striving to do better. So are we.

Our scientists and professionals are working hard each day to create better medications and make them easier to take. A dedication to excellence is one thing that we have in common. Another thing is our shared conviction that housing is the bedrock of any treatment plan.

We can produce the best medications possible, but if you don’t have the stability of home, you simply cannot focus on your health and stay healthy. By partnering and supporting you, we are doing our part to end the HIV epidemic in this country.

CH: U = U is a big message that Gilead talks about a lot. Can you share a little bit about this message and what it means for people living with HIV?

JW: Sure. Undetectable equals untransmittable. The goal for folks living with HIV these days is to have their virus become undetectable, which means the HIV virus cannot be found with a blood test. Once undetectable it is virtually impossible to pass the virus on to a sexual partner. 

Think about what that could mean for ending the HIV epidemic! Becoming undetectable is both good for the individual, it’s also good for the community. Housing is healthcare, and lots of research shows that what you do is just as vital to helping people get undetectable as our medications are. We are happy to partner with you.

Thanks so much to Jean for sitting down with us and sharing a bit about Gilead Sciences and how they see our ongoing partnership as a critical component in ending the HIV epidemic! We appreciate Gilead’s many years of support.