Consumer Committee Minutes November 18, 2025

Meeting of the

CONSUMERS COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

Hybrid meeting

(IN-PERSON at Cicatelli Associates, 505 8^th Avenue, 20^th Floor

and VIRTUALLY by Zoom)

1:00 pm – 2:45 pm

M I N U T E S

Committee Members Present: Marcelo Maia Soares (Co-chair), John Schoepp (Co-chair), Raffi Babakhanian (Consumer-at-Large), Gus Angelopoulos, Lisa Best, Randall Bruce, Paul Carr, Billy Fields, Lawrence Francis, Newton Francis, Charmaine Graham, Ralph Henderson, Adanna Joels, David Klotz, David Martin, Annette Tomlin, Rob Walker

Staff Present: Michael Navejas, Abraham Omeyoma, Laura Moya Adames, Daniel Bickram

Guests Present: None

Agenda Item 1: Welcome/ Moment of Silence/Minutes

John S. opened the meeting while the rules of respectful engagement were displayed and read throughout the opening of the meeting.  Billy led a moment of silence.  

The minutes of the October 21, 2025 meeting were approved with minor changes.

Agenda Item 2: Discussion: Topics of Focus for 2025-26

In the absence of Raffi, who was running for Consumer-at-Large, elections were deferred until later in the meeting. Instead, the Consumers Committee initiated a discussion on the workplan for the year, during which a wealth of valuable information was shared.

Immigration-related issues were a central focus. Committee members raised important points about access to HIV services for immigrants, fears related to immigration enforcement, legal and policy challenges, and the need for language and cultural competency. Several actionable ideas were proposed for inclusion in the workplan:

• Conducting a survey of the sub-recipient to gain their perspective on how new immigration policies are affecting their clients.
• Conducting a survey of consumers/PWH to get direct input from clients about their immigration-related experiences.  This effort could be accomplished through several approaches including distributing a flyer with a QR code linked to the Planning Council website, partnering with faith-based organizations to reach affected communities, and hosting a town hall jointly with NAC to encourage open dialogue and broader participation.

• Developing a resource directory of agencies/lawyers that provide immigration services to PWH

• Drafting a letter to the State requesting expansion of eligibility for home and community-based services.

• Reaching out to Mayor-elect Mamdani to introduce the Planning Council, express our concern for protecting immigrant PWH, and promote a community planning model for other public health programs.

In addition, Raffi introduced the topic of recognizing life experience as a qualification for HIV-related jobs, noting that degree requirements can sometimes serve as barriers to employment for people with HIV who bring equivalent lived experience.

Agenda Item 3:  Consumer-at-Large Election

Elections were held for the position of Consumer-at-Large. Michael informed Consumers Committee members that the elected individual serves as a voting member of the Planning Council’s Executive Committee—the sole duty assigned to the Consumer-at-Large.

Members were reminded that any member of the Consumers Committee who is also an appointed member of the full HIV Planning Council is eligible to run. However, Council members may only hold one seat on the Executive Committee. Therefore, if a nominee currently serves as a committee chair or Council officer and is elected Consumer-at-Large, they must relinquish their existing position. The term of office begins immediately following the election and continues through November 2026.

Two candidates, Raffi and Charmaine, ran for the position. Ballots were distributed and counted, and Charmaine was elected as the new Consumer-at-Large. Raffi was thanked for his service as consumer-at-large.

Agenda Item 4: Public Comment

Abraham announced that the application process for scholarships to attend the 2026 International AIDS Conference has officially opened. He kindly offered his support to anyone needing assistance with the application process.

He also highlighted the upcoming World AIDS Day event at the LGBT Center, which will include an overview of the latest HIV surveillance data, remarks from NYC Health Department leadership and community partners, as well as live performances.

Annette shared that she is nearing completion of her Community Health Worker Training. Her announcement was met with applause and warm commendations from the Committee.

Agenda Item 5: Public Comment

The next meeting of the Consumers Committee will on December 16^th by Zoom.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.