Hhs Awards $23 Million To Help Communities Provide Early Hiv/Aids Care
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced 45 grants totaling $23 million to help communities provide outpatient and primary care services for low-income, medically underserved Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS or are at risk for contracting the virus.
The awards are competitive continuation grants and new grants for existing service areas. The grants help ensure that early HIV care is targeted to those communities that need it most, particularly in rural and remote areas and inner cities. In addition to counseling, testing and referral, and medical evaluation and clinical care, the grants also support oral health care, adherence counseling, nutritional counseling, outpatient mental health, outpatient substance abuse, and appropriate referral for specialty and subspecialty care.
“HIV/AIDS continues to grow among traditionally underserved and vulnerable groups and people of color — women and youth, in particular, remain disproportionately affected by the epidemic,” said Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). “Today’s grants provide services that many of these people can’t get anywhere else — either because they can’t pay or don’t qualify, or because the services themselves aren’t available.
The grants are awarded under the Title III Early Intervention Services program of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which is managed by the HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau.
Grant recipients include community-based clinics and medical centers, hospitals, public health departments and universities in 22 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty of today’s grants went to community health centers, which deliver primary and preventive care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
HHS’ CARE Act programs help an estimated 530,000 poor and uninsured individuals with HIV/AIDS obtain primary health care, support services and life-sustaining medications each year. Since the CARE Act was first funded in fiscal year 1991, nearly $13.7 billion has been awarded in grants to provide needed health care and associated services. A list of the fiscal year 2003 Title III Early Intervention Services grant awards is below.