HIV remains a highly stigmatized condition, negatively impacting social and psychological outcomes for those living with the virus. Services for people living with HIV need to reflect this reality and be relevant to their needs. In this article, we describe initiatives at the Infectious Diseases Outpatients' Service at Lausanne University Hospital. Peer-based social support, the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge and competence through therapeutic education programs, employing people living with HIV within the service, and involving them in research processes: these all contribute to the empowerment of those concerned, and to fighting the stigma they might anticipate or encounter. In conjunction with - and complementary to - medical care, these services play an important role in improving the quality of life of people living with HIV today.