City of Atlanta issued the following announcement on Feb. 13.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and FUSE Corps announced that Dr. Karterria Finkley will support the Bottoms' Administration's efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Finkley will support the City of Atlanta's efforts for one year and will help devise a strategic plan in collaboration with other critical public health stakeholders to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Atlanta. As part of this work, the Executive Fellow will establish data gathering processes and expand opportunities for preventive programs and policies. After the fellowship year, the City will have advanced existing and new recommendations to prevent, promote and help communities address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
"After a nationwide search, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Karterria Finkley as our new HIV Executive Fellow," said Mayor Bottoms. "The HIV/AIDS epidemic has long plagued the people of Atlanta and disproportionally affects people of color and members of the LGBTQ community. I sincerely thank the team at FUSE Corps for their generous support on this effort."
Dr. Finkley comes into the executive fellowship program with more than ten years of public health service locally and internationally, focusing on decreasing health disparities and improving cross-sector collaboration. Dr. Finkley has worked with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the DeKalb County Board of Health, the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, UNICEF and many other healthcare organizations to drive health equity and improve service delivery and health education efforts to the community. Atlanta is partnering with Finkley to help devise a targeted, cross-sector strategic plan to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, improving the health of Black residents who have been disproportionately impacted by both public health crises and create a more equitable Atlanta.
The HIV Executive Fellow comes to the Bottoms Administration thanks to support from FUSE Corps, a national nonprofit that partners with local government to help urban communities thrive. FUSE Corps’ approach centers around an executive fellowship program. The nonprofit works closely with government partners to design yearlong strategic projects, recruit experienced leaders to take on those challenges and provide ongoing support to help executive fellows achieve their full potential for community impact. Since 2012, FUSE has placed more than 160 executive fellows in more than 100 local government agencies throughout the country.
"FUSE Corps is excited to partner with Mayor Bottoms and the City of Atlanta to address an array of pressing issues, including essential efforts to reduce the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases,” said FUSE Corps CEO James Weinberg
The HIV Executive Fellow's addition is the most recent step in a series from Mayor Bottoms to combat HIV/AIDS in Atlanta. After taking office, Mayor Bottoms took the historic step of providing the City of Atlanta's first-ever budget line item. Since then, the Bottoms Administration has worked to fight the stigma associated with HIV and provide direct funding to several grassroots HIV/AIDS-service organizations. Additionally, the Administration has leveraged partnerships to expand access to PrEP – an HIV preventative pill – and free HIV testing.
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