GOVERNOR MURPHY SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER ESTABLISHING ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HIV, STIs, AND VIRAL HEPATITIS

The Advisory Council will be responsible for coordinating initiatives designed to combat the HIV epidemic, the rising cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis, and the risks of contracting such diseases through injection drug use.

The Advisory Council on HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis, which the New Jersey Department of Health will lead, repurposes the over 20-year-old Governor’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and Related Blood Borne Pathogens with a broader mission.

The Advisory Council will now bring together government officials and members of the public with an updated mandate to tackle these pressing communicable disease threats to public health with specific attention to the disproportionate impact of HIV, STIs, and viral hepatitis on New Jersey’s Black, Hispanic, Latino, and LGBTQIA+ communities.

This action is particularly timely as, in recent weeks, the federal government has removed critical public health information and services from federally maintained websites, threatening to impede the progress that has been made in combating these diseases as well as impacting the ability to treat those living with HIV/AIDS, STIs, and viral hepatitis.

“For decades, the State has been hard at work to combat the HIV epidemic and, while we have made progress, more work remains to prevent transmission and to support the long, healthy lives of those living with HIV/AIDS. My action today is prompted by the devastating, disproportionate impact of this disease in New Jersey’s LGBTQIA+ communities and communities of color.

Paired with the increasing threat of STIs and viral hepatitis, now more than ever, it is critical to continue pursuing initiatives that will keep our state and residents healthy.

We cannot waver regarding public health,” said Governor Murphy. “I commend my predecessors for taking on this challenge and am proud to underscore New Jersey’s commitment to combat the spread of these often co-occurring diseases by establishing the Department of Health’s Advisory Council on HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis.”