Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded nearly $115 million to 60 recipients to help implement the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative, which is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States by at least 90 percent by 2030. Awards will support innovative strategies that help people with HIV access care, support, and treatment services to live longer, healthier lives.
“With this investment, we’re increasing our efforts to end the HIV epidemic,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today’s awards reaffirm our Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program work in communities that need it most as we continue to ensure everyone with HIV receives the care they need to thrive.”
“With advancements in HIV treatment and innovative strategies to drive health equity, we have the tools to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.,” said HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson. “We are leading this fight by focusing our HIV investments in the places that need it most and partnering with communities to address critical needs like housing and mental health. Ending the epidemic is within reach if we continue to center our work on the needs of individuals with HIV and supporting proven strategies to reduce new infections.”
Awards fund 60 recipients linking people with HIV to essential care, support, and treatment, and providing workforce training and technical assistance. They include:
- Nearly $103 million to 39 metropolitan areas and eight states (Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Ohio) to implement strategies and interventions to provide core medical and support services to reduce new HIV infections in the U.S.;
- $4 million to provide workforce capacity development and technical assistance to 11 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program AIDS Education and Training Centers Programs across the country; and
- $8 million to two non-profit organizations to support grantees with technical assistance and health care and social systems coordination.
For more than thirty years, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) has played a critical role in the U.S. public health response to HIV. The program helps low-income people with HIV receive medical care, medications, and essential support services to help them stay in care. More than 50 percent of people with diagnosed HIV – more than a half million people – receive services through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program each year.
In 2020, the RWHAP served more than 561,000 people. Of the RWHAP clients who received HIV care, 89.4 percent reached viral suppression. This means they cannot sexually transmit HIV to HIV negative partners. This rate exceeds the national viral suppression average of 64.6 percent.
HIV has cost America too much for too long and remains a significant public health issue: More than 700,000 American lives have been lost to HIV since 1981. More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with HIV and many more are at risk of HIV infection. More than 160,000 Americans are unaware they are living with HIV. Early detection coupled with rapid linkage to care is critical and can lead to improved individual and community health outcomes. Improved, more accessible, and routine HIV testing, immediately connecting people with HIV to care services, and connecting those who test negative to appropriate prevention services are important activities supporting the EHE initiative.
The EHE initiative is closely aligned and complementary to President Joe Biden’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022-2025 (the Strategy).The Strategy is the broader, overarching national plan that extends across many federal departments and encompasses the entire nation. The EHE initiative is a leading component of HHS’ work – in collaboration with state, tribal, territorial, and local partners – to implement the Strategy.
For a list of the FY 2022 HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) EHE award recipients, visit: https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/about/parts-and-initiatives/fy-2022-ending-hiv-epidemic-awards.
For more information about HRSA’s role in the EHE initiative, visit: www.hrsa.gov/ending-hiv-epidemic.
For more information about HRSA’s RWHAP, visit: https://ryanwhite.hrsa.gov/.
For more about the EHE initiative, visit: https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/overview.