Casey House
We grew Casey House from a local hospital into a global force against HIV stigma.
Casey House asked us to raise awareness of its world-class HIV care. We saw a bigger opportunity: take on the stigma that could be as damaging as the diagnosis itself. Together, we created Smash Stigma, confronting people with biases they often didn’t know they held. Nearly a decade later, the work has changed minds, driven fundraising and helped establish Casey House as a global leader in the fight against HIV stigma.
#1
leading global voice
5B+
impressions
1
documentary on HBO
Opportunity
Modern medicine changed HIV. Stigma didn’t get the memo.
Casey House sought to raise awareness for the world-class medical care their new hospital offered. Through conversations with patients and staff, we found a much bigger problem: while medicine had transformed life with HIV, the impact of surrounding stigma could be more damaging as the diagnosis itself.
We took on a seemingly impossible goal: make Casey House a world leader in the fight to end HIV stigma.
Solution
We confronted HIV stigma wherever it lived.
To make people care about HIV again, we had to make it personal. We confronted people with their own misguided beliefs, often ones they didn’t even realize they held, to make them question their role in perpetuating stigma.
Smash Stigma became the central idea that allowed us to break down stigma one misguided belief at a time.
We challenged the fear of food prepared by HIV+ chefs and of HIV+ touch by launching an HIV+ staffed restaurant and spa. We used Friends and The Office to expose the lack of representation in pop culture. We personified stigma with a horror film. Prescribed healthcare workers a “cure” for their stigma. And explored how HIV stigma compounds the other stigmas people already face.
Impact
Smash Stigma has generated more conversation and changed more minds about those living with HIV than any other health organization in the world.
This includes huge organizations such as the Elton John Foundation, AmFar, or even The World Health Organization. It created a new fundraising revenue stream for Casey House, has been leveraged as an education tool by 1,200+ healthcare workers and was picked up by the University of Toronto to train the next generation.
“Initiatives like Stigmavir not only raise awareness of overlooked issues but also empower health care providers.”
Dr. Eileen de Villa, past Toronto Medical Officer of Health
