When I joined Avita almost three years ago, I wanted to be part of the solution to our nation’s overwhelming health care inequity crisis. As a proud pharmacist and healthcare executive, I’d witnessed firsthand the massive disparities in patient care due to socioeconomic status, race, and sexual orientation. I’d watched HIV recast itself from a death sentence to a condition manageable with the right drug therapy, education, and resources. I knew how revolutionary it was to the patient experience when people were treated with compassion and respect in a safe and culturally competent environment.
At that time, Avita was doing extraordinary work—it was one of the few pharmacy services providers that collaborated with patients, providers, and covered entities to remove health care barriers and resolve social stigmas faced by the HIV and LGBTQ+ communities—but its full potential was still very much on the drawing board.
I was excited to be a part of the journey.
Avita remains laser-focused on reducing health inequities by bringing compassionate LGBTQ+, HIV, PrEP, and sexual wellness care to our covered entity partners and patients.
Coming together to build a foundation for our future
In 2020, four organizations, each with its own history of providing personalized pharmacy services, came together under the Avita brand. The integration broadened Avita’s footprint, and we embraced a “one-team” approach that revolved around the reason we’re all here: to compassionately, collaboratively, and resourcefully serve our patients, covered entity partners, and local communities. In 2022, to better serve patients seeking HIV care and prevention services, we expanded in California with a community pharmacy model.
We spent two years strengthening our company culture (through programs like our Everyday Hero award and Be the Care initiative), value-added services (including our OneClick Refill solution and CareConnect portal), and brand (we sponsored or participated in 40+ events in 2022 alone through our covered entity and community partners).
By bolstering our foundation and investing in our people, we were preparing Avita for its next stage of growth, one that would be truly transformative in nature.
By bolstering our foundation and investing in our people, we were preparing Avita for its next stage of growth, one that would be truly transformative in nature.
Clearing the path toward equitable care
That next growth stage kicked off this week with Avita’s acquisition of AbsoluteCare Atlanta’s medical center and pharmacy. That’s the simple “what” of it, anyway. The “why” is the exciting part.
Until now, Avita has held a strong position as the nation’s largest independently owned 340B contract pharmacy organization. We’ve proven ourselves time and time again as the leading experts in providing compassionate pharmacy care to the HIV and LGBTQ+ communities. And we’re known across the country for the customized and strategic guidance we offer to 340B federal grantees.
The acquisition of AbsoluteCare Atlanta reinforces our dedication to reducing health inequities by broadening Avita’s impact beyond pharmacy services. We’re taking a bold step toward becoming a national health services organization that offers best-in-class HIV, LGBTQ+, and sexual wellness care, in addition to our legacy pharmacy and 340B management solutions.
I’ll explain more in a moment, but I want to be crystal clear here on one point: Our covered entity partners are and will continue to be their communities’ source of trusted health care providers. Avita is enhancing its existing service model to offer our partners more robust and consistent access to the providers they need to future-proof their missions.
Our impact is more important now than ever. Continue reading about the need for our work at Avita Care Solutions.
