SHIP

Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP) was selected as a recipient of the inaugural Community Innovation Award by Grindr for Equality, presented during #AIDS2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Mohan Sundararaj, Managing Director of Grindr for Equality, and Jen Hecht, Cofounder & Director of Building Healthy Online Communities (BHOC), presented the award to SHIP’s Medical Director, Dr. Kate Leyritana, together with the Director for Clinical Programs, Dr. Patrick Eustaquio, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, Research, and Learning Specialist, Dr. Rod Olete.

The Grindr for Equality Awards celebrate individuals’ and organizations’ valuable work in shaping our HIV response, giving special recognition to “exceptional leadership advancing HIV prevention, LGBTQ+ health equity, and access to care worldwide.”

With the honor of the Community Innovation Award and the support of Grindr for Equality, SHIP is bolstered even more to continue bridging HIV self-testing, PrEP, and mental health support to those who need it most, and strengthened to further serve as a model in its innovative and community-centered approaches to HIV prevention and healthcare.

“When the roadmap meets reality.” 🦜

At #AIDS2026 in Rio de Janeiro, SHIP’s Rod Olete presented at the conference’s Satellite session of “Barriers and Facilitators of Person-Centred Care for Key and Vulnerable Populations.”

Sharing years of data from the SAIL Clinics and SAIL TelePrEP, Dr. Olete imparted how same-day ART initiation drives better outcomes, especially for the populations who need HIV healthcare the most: transgender and gender-diverse clients, unemployed clients, and clients outside Metro Manila.

He also shared how TelePrEP access grew 435% from 2023 to 2026, and is now formally recognized under the DOH Administrative Order 2026-0005 as a differentiated mode of PrEP service delivery.

With these findings from SHIP’s initiatives and successes, he underlined how person-centered care and community-led care work—peer navigation, telehealth logistics, outreach, and infrastructure—needs real financial investment and domestic support.

With Dr. Olete and the rest of the SHIP crew, we are proud to bring SAIL’s community-led model to the global stage! #TogetherWeSAIL! 🚢⛵

Sustained Health Initiatives of the Philippines (SHIP Inc.) brings the experience of the SAIL Clinics Network, TelePrEP, and our digital mental health & harm reduction initiatives to the global stage— built on a simple belief: the people closest to the epidemic should lead the response.

This week, we join the global community to share what we’ve learned, listen to what others are building, and keep pushing key population-led, digitally-enabled HIV care forward — together. 

Come join us in Rio, in person, or online.

The 26th International AIDS Conference, July 26–31, 2026.

Rethink. Rebuild. Rise.

SHIP will present at the International AIDS Conference!

We’re eager to help shape the future of the HIV response and with IAS – International AIDS Society and all our co-advocates across the world in #AIDS2026, as we present our poster presentations this July 2026:

Rethinking HIV testing strategies through engaging geographically mobile and first-time testers to achieve the first 95% through key population-led clinics in the Philippines: cross-sectional analysis of HIV testing surveillance data – Patrick Eustaquio, Miguel Javier, Maria Angelica Rose M. Supremo, Rodenie Arnaiz Olete, Leo John Nathaniel Estrada, and Katerina Leyritana

Delayed ART initiation, education, employment, and viral hepatitis predict disengagement and re-engagement in HIV care: A cohort study from four community-led clinics in the Philippines – Rodenie Arnaiz Olete, Katerina Leyritana, Carol Strong

Predictors of choice between HIV self-testing with or without PrEP: A program evaluation of person-centered HIV prevention services of the Save And Improve Lives(SAIL)-Teleprep program in the Philippines – Rodenie Arnaiz Olete, Francisco Arzadon VI, Genaro Martin Anigan, Katerina Leyritana

We share immense congratulations and appreciation to our presenters, authors, contributors, and our partners as we come together and #RethinkRebuildRise for the HIV epidemic. aids2026.org

SHIP will see you at #AIDS2026!

A roadmap can tell us where we need to go. But can we actually get there?

The global consensus on person-centred care in the HIV response offers an ambitious roadmap for transforming how HIV services are designed and delivered [https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.70071]. But translating consensus into routine practice is where the real implementation challenge begins.

At AIDS 2026, we bring this roadmap into the realities of community-based HIV service delivery in the Philippines. Drawing from the experience of the SAIL Clinic network, the presentation explores a practical question: Can the global roadmap for person-centred HIV care be feasibly operationalized within a community-based organization; and what happens when global aspirations meet the realities of everyday service delivery?

The question is no longer simply whether person-centred care is desirable. We already know that it is. The more difficult question is whether it is feasible, implementable, and sustainable within real-world HIV care systems—and what needs to change when it is not.

Because the true test of a roadmap is not whether we agree with the destination, but whether it can help us navigate the realities of getting there.

See you with the International AIDS Society soon at AIDS 2026! aids2026.org