ABOUT US

History

ETE was formed in April 2018 when public health and community leaders convened in Los Angeles to build support for a statewide strategy to end the HIV, STI, and hepatitis C epidemics. The convening was informed by previous statewide efforts, including California’s Integrated HIV Surveillance, Prevention, and Care Plan and Viral Hepatitis Prevention Strategic Plan. While these plans outlined important goals and recommendations, they did not adequately speak to the need for broad-based community engagement or the political will, resources, and strategic collaboration that will be required to address these epidemics effectively.

In March 2019, ETE issued a community consensus statement calling on Governor Newsom and the Legislature to develop and implement a statewide strategy to end the HIV, STI, and hepatitis C epidemics. ETE has since grown into a leading advocacy coalition with broad recognition and support from policymakers, local health departments, community-based organizations, and people most impacted by these conditions. With limited resources and capacity, the coalition has demonstrated great success in engaging impacted communities and other partners to educate key decision makers about the need for a comprehensive strategy to end the epidemics of HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis, and overdose (the coalition added hepatitis B and drug overdose to its mission in 2021).

What makes ETE innovative and unique – in addition to community leadership – is its ambitious goal of addressing these health conditions as a syndemic. A syndemic is a set of linked health problems that adversely interact with one another and exacerbate poor health outcomes. The coalition believes that effectively addressing HIV, STIs, viral hepatitis, and overdose requires a syndemic approach, which responds to these epidemics concurrently and addresses the structural inequities that allow them to thrive, including stigma, poverty, and unstable housing.