Ahead of the presidential election, New York City’s largest Medicaid Special Needs health plan, Amida Care, which specializes in comprehensive health coverage for people with HIV, launched “Let’s Vote! Let Our Voices Be Heard,” a video series highlighting the importance of voting, according to a news release.
In the series Amida Care members and staff of different backgrounds explain why they are personally committed to voting and encourage others to use their voice to protect civil and human rights in the United States.
Founded in 2003 by community-based HIV and AIDS service providers, the nonprofit serves more than 9,000 New Yorkers and has been instrumental in efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Amida Care prioritizes the feedback of its members, or clients, to best address their needs and serve as a bridge between them and providers.
The series showcases LGBTQ folks, young people, immigrants from countries with military dictatorships, people whose grandparents came of age during the Jim Crow era and more to emphasize how essential voting is to protect human rights and drive social and political change.
“Our democracy thrives on the active participation of its citizens, and voting is one of the most impactful ways we can ensure our voices are heard and our rights are protected,” said Joe Pressley, vice president of public policy and government relations at Amida Care, in the news release. “With this series, we hope to inspire and mobilize voters from diverse backgrounds, demonstrating the vital role each of us plays in shaping the future of our communities and our world.”
Click here to view the series on YouTube.
Amida Care also offers New Yorkers information on how to register to vote and how to vote in person and by mail.
Last year, Amida Care celebrated its 20th anniversary providing underserved communities with primary care, gender-affirming procedures, mental health support services and more. Additionally, the health plan covers PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), the medications that prevent HIV.
In the past 20 years, Amida Care has reached several milestones, including:
Achieving viral suppression for 80% of members living with HIV, an increase from 60% in the early 2000s; Curing over 1,200 members of hepatitis C, a leading cause of death among people living with HIV; and Helping over 60% of transgender, gender-nonconforming and nonbinary members access gender-affirming care, including surgeries, within three years of membership.
Click #Amida Care to learn more about its history and services.
To read more, click #Election. There, you’ll find headlines such as “Harris-Walz Ticket Sharpens Contrast With Trump-Vance on Health Care,” “Inside Project 2025: Former Trump Official Outlines Hard Right Turn Against Abortion” and “At Trump’s GOP Convention, There’s Little To Be Heard on Health Care.”
#Amida Care
#election
#gender-affirming care
#health insurance
#HIV
#LGBTQ
#transgender
