By Adina Bresge

A Toronto-based HIV-AIDS hospital is pushing to dispel stigma about the disease with a little help from “Friends.”

As part of its sitcom-inspired #SmashStigma campaign, Casey House has released two edited episodes of “Friends” and “The Office” featuring new plotlines that revolve around HIV.

In “Losing Friends,” Chandler’s diagnosis strains his friendship with Joey, while “The Toxic Office” shows manager Michael disclosing an employee’s HIV-positive status to his co-workers.

The episodes show characters confronting myths about HIV, including unfounded fears that the virus can be transmitted through touching, sharing a living space and other forms of casual contact.

“One of the things we wanted to do is sort of harness the power of pop culture use that to change perceptions,” said Joseph Bonnici, executive creative director of ad agency Bensimon Byrne. Read more via The Star