Day 3 Recap: 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment

Content From: HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services•Published: August 28, 2024•4 min read

Topics

Thousands of HIV care and treatment leaders, Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) recipients and providers, federal, national, state and local partners and organizations, and people with lived experience reconvened for the third consecutive day for the 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment. The theme for Day 3 was “Expanding Partnerships.”

Day 3 Plenary Session Spotlight: Expanding Partnerships

The Day 3 plenary session focused on expanding partnerships and highlighted how a core tenet of the Ryan White Program 2030 vision, which has been showcased throughout the conference, is building coalitions and expanding partnerships, especially if HRSA is to continue reaching people with HIV who are out of care and those who have not yet been diagnosed. Yemisi Odusanya, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau’s Ending the HIV Epidemic Senior Advisor, moderated a session that focused on how there is not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how partnerships can be expanded. Yemisi challenged the audience to be bold and innovative in how they develop partnerships in order to reach people with HIV who are not currently in care. Additionally, Yemisi highlighted HRSA’s recently released 2022 HAB Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. data, which showed that HAB EHE-funded providers served approximately 22,000 clients new to care and 19,200 clients estimated to be re-engaged in care. This is nearly double the number of new and re-engaged clients served in 2020.

Next, three panelists highlighted how they are addressing important priorities for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program communities, including how Medicaid supports addressing social drivers of health, how states can leverage Medicaid and 1115 waivers to support people with HIV, and how braided funding can be utilized for social determinants of health.

First, Dr. Jessica Lee, Acting Chief Medical Officer of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), shared an overview of how CMS is addressing social determinants of health through policy efforts and through the use of Medicaid section 1115 demonstration waivers. Dr. Lee summarized a range of Federal initiatives supporting people with lived experiences. She also shared that HIV viral suppression is part of the Medicaid Adult Core Measure Set and encouraged states to report this data to help better understand what is being done well and what could be improved using core set measures. Dr. Lee also reminded the audience the importance of peer-to-peer learning, and that partnerships are an opportunity to provide access to high-quality whole person care.

Next, Dr. Betsey Tilson, State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, highlighted the impact of North Carolina’s recent expansion of Medicaid and the Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver on their HIV services delivery system and clients with HIV. She shared how North Carolina is addressing access to care with last year’s launch of the state’s Medicaid expansion, where more than 600,000 North Carolinians became newly eligible for essential health services. Dr. Tilson concluded that the state continues to find innovative ways to utilize existing tools and partnerships to advocate for the communities it serves.

Lastly, Rebecca Hutcheson, a Social Worker and Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. Program Manager at Public Health - Seattle & King County, provided an overview of new partnerships and how their program addresses unmet health related social needs to reach those not engaged in care. Rebecca highlighted the MAX Clinic in Seattle, Washington, which is designed to engage clients who have extensive barriers to HIV care, and shared how it is an effective model for addressing the needs of patients with complex medical and social needs and provides low-barrier services. She shared how four years since the inception of the MAX Clinic, King County’s innovative partnerships have expanded into four areas and are thriving and introducing their own networks to tap into a host of indirect services, which would have not been possible before the clinic was envisioned.

Stay Connected to #NRWC2024

Want to stay connected to the 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment? Follow HRSA on X (formerly Twitter): @HRSAgov Exit Disclaimer. You can share which sessions you are enjoying throughout the week using #NRWC2024 and #34YearsofCARE.

Share Why You CARE

On Sunday, August 18, HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau recognized the 34^th anniversary of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act – the legislation that created the RWHAP. Help us celebrate by downloading the “I CARE Because…” flyer, print it out, fill it in, and post a picture of yourself with the flyer to our 2024 NRWC Photo Gallery. When posting, please use #34YearsofCARE and #NRWC2024. We will use the images throughout the remainder of the year to highlight how the RWHAP has made an impact in the lives of our community members.