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New York, NY. On Thursday, May 14, 2026, PrEP4All, the Save HIV Funding Campaign, and NYU Law’s Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy hosted a community forum on HIV care and prevention with candidates for the NY-12 Congressional District. The forum convened public health leaders, advocates, and community members for a substantive, solutions-oriented discussion on threats to PrEP and treatment access and proposed policies to address barriers to access. 

This event was designed to be a nonpartisan, issue-focused discussion on HIV prevention, public health infrastructure, and access to care. To ensure compliance and maintain the integrity of the forum, all participants were asked to engage strictly in their capacity as public leaders and policy thinkers, not as candidates for office.

We thank attending candidates Alex Bores, Chris Diep, Laura Dunn, Dr. Wilneida Negron, Karen Ortiz, Nina Schwalbe, and Patrick Timmins for joining this urgent discussion. New York has faced stalled progress and increasing diagnoses — particularly in communities long disproportionately impacted — making this a critical moment for renewed urgency and leadership. 

Among the candidates who participated, the following candidates for NY-12 declined due to scheduling conflicts: George Conway, Micah Lasher, Jack Schlossberg, and Caroline Shinkle. The following candidates for NY-12 did not respond to our requests: Jamie Floyd, Amy Jordan, and Lucian Wintrich. 

The following candidates for NY-12 provided statements in lieu of their absence:

“The Trump Administration is dismantling the public health infrastructure that protects us all, and we are seeing the repercussions of this disinvestment,” says candidate Jack Schlossberg. “We must continue the fight to protect access to HIV treatment, prevention, and PrEP, like all of you do on a daily basis. This work would not be possible without your dedication and I look forward to fighting this fight with you.”

“The Trump administration’s assault on LGBTQ+ Americans is heartless and reckless — a classic example, right out of the fascists’ playbook, of scapegoating vulnerable communities,” says candidate Micah Lasher. “To secure a brighter future, we must also advance a forward-looking agenda that includes investing in LGBTQ+ housing, massively increasing funding for HIV care, supporting the PrEP Assistance Program Act and the PrEP Access and Coverage Act to expand access to affordable PrEP.”  

Statement from Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director of PrEP4All:

New data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene show that progress toward ending HIV as an epidemic in New York City has stalled. In 2024, new HIV diagnoses increased 5.4% and estimated new transmissions rose 17% compared to the year prior — a troubling shift after years of progress. At the same time, federal lawmakers continue to propose devastating cuts to HIV funding and public health infrastructure. We are grateful to the NY-12 candidates and community leaders who participated in this forum for helping advance this critical conversation and identify solutions that will protect the health and well-being of New Yorkers. Together, we must recommit to an HIV response that saves lives, prevents new infections, and safeguards the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve.