The Black AIDS Institute, with support from Merck, has launched the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), according to a statement released by the institute. The first collaborative group of its kind, BTAN aims to link HIV-positive black Americans with treatment and care, to unify advocacy efforts and to reduce disparities. BTAN’s first initiative, which is a partnership with Merck and local AIDS service organizations, will kick off in Philadelphia, Houston and Jackson, Mississippi.

To read the institute’s statement, click here