Lessons on Effective Health Advocacy from USCHA

By Rupa Palanki, HLPC Student, Fall 2024

On September 13 and 14, I had the privilege of attending the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year’s theme, “Southern Joy” celebrated the diversity and pride of Southern communities, while also underscoring the urgency of prioritizing the South to end the HIV epidemic. As a Gulf Coast native, I came to Harvard Law School with a passion for improving health care access in this region. In returning to the South as a Health Law and Policy Clinic student attorney, it was truly a joy to observe CHLPI lawyers working alongside other stakeholders to advance HIV treatment and prevention efforts. Through this experience, I gained insight into what it means to be an effective health lawyer and advocate.

At the conference, I witnessed firsthand how health lawyers can play a critical role in translating the law for non-attorney advocates. CHLPI led workshops on two important topics: (1) the potential threat to preventive care for over 100 million Americans following the Fifth Circuit’s June 2024 decision in Braidwood v. Becerra and (2) how states can use Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers to improve health care access for individuals transitioning from incarceration. I was impressed by how effectively CHLPI attorneys and our partner organizations communicated the intricate legal and administrative issues involved in these topics to non-legal audiences, who, in turn, can now use this knowledge to strengthen their community-based HIV advocacy efforts. This experience emphasized the power of strong written and oral communication skills in health law, and I am eager to hone my own abilities through my clinic work this semester.

Another key takeaway from the conference was the importance of coalition-building in health advocacy. Some of my most memorable moments included the meals CHLPI shared with individuals from ViiV, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, and the Capital Area Reentry Program. It was inspiring to observe organizations with differing missions and roles within the HIV space unite around the common goal of protecting access to HIV care.

The conference also illuminated the need to view HIV advocacy efforts through a syndemic lens. In the conference events that I attended, we discussed not only HIV, but also hepatitis C, substance use disorder, housing insecurity, incarceration, and other public health issues that frequently intersect with the work of direct services providers. This highlighted the reality that the HIV epidemic does not exist in isolation. To end it, we must address how HIV intersects with other health conditions and social determinants and work toward comprehensive solutions.

My most important lesson from USCHA was the imperative to center people with lived experiences and affected communities in health advocacy. Many panelists shared how their personal insights shaped their community outreach. One syringe services program leader from Virginia explained how her clients trusted her to provide culturally competent care, because she had grown up alongside them and shared many of their struggles. Similarly, an organizer from Louisiana discussed how her own experiences with substance use disorder enabled her to provide trauma-informed care for people who inject drugs. Other panelists discussed how their organizations implemented peer counseling to help individuals newly diagnosed with HIV find community and connect with medical care. These conversations made clear that funding treatments and programming alone is not sufficient to end the HIV epidemic. Listening to and learning from people with lived experience about what they need will be vital to improve long-term outcomes.

As a law student, it can be easy to become immersed in the theory of health law and lose sight of its practical implications. Attending USCHA reminded me of the tangible, high-stakes impact of CHLPI’s work and reaffirmed why I pursued health law as a career in the first place. I am grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference so early into my time as a student attorney at the Health Law and Policy Clinic. I am excited to see how my learnings from USCHA inform my clinical work on PrEP access this semester and beyond.