Fact Forward's Webinar Wednesday: Community Health in Action: Free Services & HIV Awareness
Join us for an informative presentation highlighting current HIV epidemiological trends in South Carolina and their impact on communities. In recognition of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative will share key data reflecting how HIV affects women, girls, and young people across the state.
Attendees will learn about our free programs and services designed to support youth and families, including complimentary sports physicals paired with free HIV testing. This session will focus on increasing awareness, expanding access to care, and empowering young people to take charge of their health.
Speaker:
Marco Benjamin 
Marco Benjamin is a nationally recognized public health leader, advocate, and HIV-positive consumer who serves as the Director of Public Health for the Joseph H. Neal Health Collaborative (JHN Health) in South Carolina. With a career rooted in health equity, community empowerment, and innovation, Marco works at the intersection of lived experience and systems change to expand access to prevention, testing, and treatment—especially for underserved and rural communities.
Marco is widely known for leading the groundbreaking Condom Nation Tour, a nationwide public health campaign that traveled to 48 states and more than 200 cities, distributing over 15 million condoms across the country. The tour became a bold, culture-shifting effort to normalize sexual health conversations, reduce stigma, and meet people where they are with practical tools for prevention.
In recognition of his impact, Marco was honored by POZ Magazine in 2012 as an “Unsung Hero”, celebrating his leadership and commitment to advancing HIV awareness, prevention, and community-centered care.
Marco also brings extensive national-level experience from his tenure at CVS Health, where he served as National Director of Sexual Health, helping to shape and expand access to sexual health services, education, and products across one of the largest retail healthcare platforms in the country.
At JHN Health, Marco leads public health strategy through the organization’s **4 Pillars of Care—Education, Testing, Access, and Retention—**driving innovative outreach efforts including mobile health initiatives, community-based screenings, and partnerships that strengthen linkage to care for people living with and at risk for HIV, Hepatitis C, STIs, and chronic conditions like diabetes.
As someone living with HIV, Marco brings lived experience into every room he enters—ensuring that the voices of consumers are not only heard, but meaningfully included in planning, leadership, and decision-making. He is a passionate advocate for the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV in public health strategy and believes the most effective solutions are built with communities, not just for them.
Through his leadership, Marco continues to honor the legacy of Rep. Joseph H. Neal by championing grace, dignity, and access to care for all—while working every day to build healthier, more equitable communities across South Carolina and beyond