The Ward 7 Collaborative is a group of community and faith-based organizations providing and HIV/AIDS prevention services, including abstinence-based education, testing, housing and linkages to care services.  The Ward 7 Collaborative sponsors community outreach, education, and testing events, which educate the residents of Ward 7, and allow community members to know their HIV status and obtain information regarding direct resources available in Ward 7.  The Ward 7 Collaborative started in 2006 with funding from the District of Columbia Department of Health, proposed by Councilmember Vincent Gray.  The member organizations received grants from DOH to build new capacity for Ward 7 organizations to provide HIV/AIDS services. 
On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2005, at Antioch Baptist Church, Vincent Gray, then Councilmember representing Ward 7 announced the launch of the Ward 7 Capacity Building Initiative.  This initiative sought to address the unmet HIV/AIDS service needs in Ward 7.  As a result of this initiative, eight community and faith based providers were funded to carry out pilot HIV projects in Ward 7: Antioch Baptist Church, Community Education Group, Covenant House Washington, Prevention Works, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington-Ophelia Egypt Clinic, Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church, Homes for Hope, and Unity Health Clinic, Inc. These organizations have since formed the Ward 7 Collaborative.

Development of this initiative was a part of the continued leadership of Mr. Gary whether in his role as a municipal public servant, not for profit community leader or in his role as elected official; Mr. Gray has been a champion of those in greatest need.  In 2007, as Chairman of the District of Columbia City Council, Mr. Gray introduced legislation to rename the East of the River HIV/AIDS initiative the “Effi Slaughter Barry HIV/AIDS Initiative”. This renaming helped to increase not only the availability of services in Ward 7, but to increase the size and capacity of the providers in the Ward 7 Collaborative and unify the services offered in order to maximize their potential benefit to the community.   The Effi Barry HIV/AIDS Initiative has now grown to support the capacity expansion of community and faith based organizations in throughout the city. 

 
As the Councilmember for Ward 7, Yvette Alexander supported and promoted educational and health-related initiatives introduced by the Ward 7 Democrats.
Alexander states she is committed to advocating for a better way of life and advocating for access to improve health care services for all Ward 7 residents.