The Long Walk Towards the End of HIV in Minnesota

For over three decades, we have come together to walk with, remember, advocate for, and inspire one another at the annual Walk to End HIV (previously the Minnesota AIDS Walk). Through the years, the Walk has raised more than $15 million for our education, prevention, and empowerment services for those living with and affected by HIV. It is with these donations that Rainbow Health serves over half the people that use HIV Care Services in Minnesota—approximately 2,500 people per year.

We need even more support this year as Hennepin County, Ramsey County, and the Duluth area are all experiencing HIV outbreaks. These outbreaks are impacting already vulnerable people including those without safe and stable housing—a number that has increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to grow following the end of the eviction moratorium.

As a disease of injustice, the only way to end HIV is to end health disparities. For nearly 40 years, we have been at the forefront of the fight to end HIV providing the most comprehensive array of wrap-around services—including housing, emergency financial assistance, legal services, transportation, benefits counseling, case management, and more—for people living with and at risk of HIV in Minnesota. We aim to level these health disparities by:

  1. Directly serving and supporting the needs of people living with or at risk of HIV by providing compassionate care that breaks down barriers to better health.
  2. Fighting for better health systems for those erased and excluded by care providers, policymakers, and one another.

We see the impact HIV and the stigma that surrounds it has on individuals and families. And we see the progress that we have already made. That’s why we are fighting to end HIV, from 1983 to 2021 and beyond.

You can help us build a more just and inclusive health system for those living with and at risk of HIV by joining Rainbow Health virtually or in person at Minnehaha Park on October 9th at 10AM to walk towards the end of HIV in Minnesota. We won’t stop. We will win.

Rainbow Health provides comprehensive and equitable health care services and access for people who experience injustice at the intersection of health status and identity. We center individuals and communities at risk of and living with HIV or facing barriers to equitable health care access and outcomes because of their identity as gender, sexual, and/or racial minorities. Our groundbreaking research, advocacy, education, and direct services continue to make Minnesota a better place for those living with and at risk of HIV.

The 2021 Walk to End HIV is made possible by our generous sponsors:

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