The AIP BIPOC Network joined Harris County Public Health’s Wellness on Wheels event in South Houston to lead movement sessions, share resources on copay assistance, and support community members navigating chronic illness. With services ranging from immunizations to food access, this event reflected the power of collaborative care in action.

The EPA’s decision to dismantle its Office of Research and Development (ORD) has far-reaching consequences for BIPOC communities living with autoimmune and chronic illness. This move guts the agency’s scientific core, slashes thousands of environmental health jobs, and erases protections that have long shielded vulnerable populations from pollution, toxins, and regulatory neglect.

The AIP BIPOC Network is proud to partner with the Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF) as an Equity Partner and participant in their Non-Profit Patient Partner Portal. This partnership helps us connect people in our community—virtually and in person—to free, real-time support for healthcare access and co-pay relief.

The AIP BIPOC Network signed on to a letter with more than 20 other organizations, urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve how they engage with patients during the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation process

This week, Congress passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—a sweeping legislative package that’s drawing headlines for its tax and spending provisions. But behind the soundbites is a sobering reality: this bill includes deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs that individuals living with autoimmune disease and other chronic illnesses rely on for everyday stability.

The EPIC Act (Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures) is a bipartisan bill introduced to fix a flaw in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (MDPNP). Created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, this program allows Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices after a certain number of years post-FDA approval.