Our Mission
Education, advocacy, and access for all Georgians.
Advocate
Make your voice heard in Georgia
Policy determines who has access to care and prevention services in Georgia. Programs such as Ryan White provide life-saving care for low-income Georgians living with HIV. Harm reduction, PrEP access, housing, and Hepatitis treatment funding all face ongoing budget pressure.
Cuts have direct consequences for real people across the state. GAC provides resources to make it easy to understand what’s and stake and to take action.
Why it matters
Georgia has one of the highest HIV rates in the country. The programs that fund prevention and care are not automatic, they are fought for every year. When advocates are silent, funding disappears.
What’s at stake
The FY2027 federal budget proposes cutting HIV prevention funding by 100%. Assistance programs face devastating cuts that would directly affect Georgians’ access to care.
How you can help
Contact your Georgia legislators and U.S. representatives. Share your story. Sign up for action alerts. Every contact counts.
Our impact
Policy that protects Georgians
Since 1989, GAC has shaped policy and funding streams that determine who gets care, who gets protected, and who gets left behind in Georgia.
Pharmacist-Initiated PrEP & PEP
GAC championed legislation allowing pharmacists to prescribe PrEP and PEP directly, expanding access to HIV prevention without a doctor's visit.
AI or Automated Software
Restricts insurers from using artificial intelligence or automated software as the sole basis to override medical professional judgment or deny prior authorization.
Gold Card Program
Established a "gold card" program requiring insurers to implement systems that selectively reduce prior authorization requirements for high-performing providers.
Prenatal HIV & Syphilis Screening
A GAC-backed law now requires HIV and syphilis testing at prenatal visits, closing a critical gap in prenatal screening.
PrEP Services Expanded Statewide
At the end of the three-year PrEP pilot program, funding increased to expand PrEP medication and related HIV prevention services statewide.
Prior Authorizations for Chronic Conditions
Passed to establish rules ensuring prior authorizations for chronic conditions requiring ongoing therapy remain valid for at least one year.
HIV Modernization
Updated Georgia's HIV criminalization statutes to reflect modern science, protecting people living with HIV from unjust prosecution.
Ensuring Transparency in Prior Authorization Act
Addresses barriers to medical care by introducing structural reforms to how health insurance companies handle prior authorizations.
PrEP Pilot Program Established
Authorized DPH to establish a three-year PrEP pilot program providing PrEP medication and related HIV prevention services to areas in Georgia that were lacking these services.
Syringe Services Legalized
GAC helped legalize syringe service programs in Georgia, creating a life-saving harm reduction tool for people who inject drugs.
Step Therapy
Established a clear, transparent exception and appeals process so patients with debilitating or chronic conditions can bypass step therapy when medically necessary.
Expedited Partner Therapy
Expedited Partner Therapy allows the sex partners of a patient diagnosed with chlamydia or gonorrhea to receive treatment without first being examined by the healthcare provider.
Standby Guardianship Act
The Standby Guardianship Act allowed parents or legal guardians to designate a standby guardian who can assume care for a minor child if the parent becomes physically or mentally incapacitated, without termination of parental rights.
SUPPORT OUR WORK
Every dollar helps us
fight for Georgia
GAC is a nonprofit doing outsized work — advocating for 65,000+ Georgians living with HIV, and for every Georgian who benefits from prevention, testing, and treatment programs.
Georgia AIDS Coalition is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations are tax-deductible.
Who we are
A dedicated team with a statewide mission
The Georgia AIDS Coalition was founded in 1989 by community members responding to the AIDS crisis. Today we are a mission-driven nonprofit focused on advocacy, education, and access for all Georgians affected by HIV, TB, STIs, and Hepatitis, advocating for 66,000+ Georgians.
We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and supported by a network of partner organizations across the state.
Board of Directors
✦ Cathalene Teahan, R.N., M.S.N, C.N.S
✦ George Michaels, DDS
✦ Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, FAPA
✦ Myra Carmen EdD, RN, MN, CPNP
✦ Mike Morris, MFA, Author
✦ Lauren Pollow, MA
✦ Robyn Garrett
Staff
✦ Executive Director: Travis Lindley
✦ Associate Executive Director: Devin Krecl
✦ Fiscal Affairs: Angie Connelly, CPA
NATIONAL PARTNERS & AFFILIATES
CRISIS & HOTLINES
1-800-551-2728
Georgia AIDS/STD Hotline
1-800-CDC-INFO
CDC Information Line
(770) 435-5586
Georgia AIDS Coalition
