HHS Awards $23 Million to Help Communities Provide Early HIV/AIDS Care

Date: June 25, 2004
Contact: HRSA Press Office
(301) 443-3376

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced 45 grants totaling $23 million to help communities provide outpatient and primary care services for low-income and medically underserved Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS or are at risk for contracting the virus.

"President Bush and I are committed to fighting HIV/AIDS at home and abroad," Secretary Thompson said. "These grants help grass-roots organizations reach out to those who have HIV/AIDS and get them into early and continuous care so that they may live longer, more productive lives."

Today's awards include one new grant for $426,624 to Centra Health Inc., in Lynchburg, Va. The remaining 44 awards are competitive continuation 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.

"These grants give hope to thousands of low-income Americans with HIV/AIDS," said Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). "The patients treated by these grantees are among our nation's most vulnerable people. Many live on incomes at or below the federal poverty level, while others simply have no other source of care."

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. Recipients include community-based clinics and medical centers, hospitals, public health departments and universities in 22 states and the District of Columbia.

Since fiscal year 2001, the Bush administration has spent more than $7.7 billion in CARE Act funding to help some 530,000 people access vital HIV/AIDS care and services each year. President Bush has requested nearly $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2005 for the CARE Act, an increase of more than $270 million over fiscal year 2001 funds.

The list of grants is available at www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040625.html.