Joining together to address the HIV epidemic in the Southern United States, the four COMPASS Coordinating Centers share a common mission, vision, and set of values for the Initiative. We are also committed to partnering with organizations, advocates, researchers, policymakers, and communities who share similar values in their efforts to end the epidemic in the South.
We believe that our shared values are critical to a culturally competent and successful initiative. The following values guide our daily work and actions as part of the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®:
We recognize the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in all levels of the initiative and aim to ensure that people living with and most affected by HIV are involved in every level of decision making.
In our commitment to applying race, culture, gender, sexuality, language, class, age, and ability analyses throughout the different community investments, we recognize that social privilege and oppression influence access to and allocation of resources/services. For example, we recognize that racism, in both interpersonal and structural forms, needs to be addressed directly to achieve equity. Therefore, we affirm the importance of advancing justice by increasing access to resources/services among groups disproportionately affected by HIV.
We strive to demonstrate and promote a culture of integrity. Our commitments to openness, transparency, and learning jointly express values that are vital to our work. Our work—both internal and external—is situated in complex institutional and cultural environments. We achieve our goals by being adaptive, learning organizations that are open and transparent.
We base our collaborative efforts on mutual respect and mutual support, both internally and externally. In our commitment to developing trusting relationships, we aspire to treat everyone who works with us with respect and understanding. We are also committed to collaborating with and serving communities and areas with the greatest needs.
We believe that in order for us to achieve healing, transformation, and wellness, we should celebrate all faith traditions and belief systems and their approach to healing. We aim to cultivate mind-body-spirit integrative approaches for transformation and eliminating HIV-related stigma that are also attuned to all aspects of wellness. We are committed to expanding the capacity of faith communities to enhance emotional, physical, financial, social and spiritual wellbeing of all people.
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