HHS Awards Pilot Funds to Three Jurisdictions to Jumpstart Federal Initiative to End HIV Epidemic in the U.S.

Content From: HIV.gov•Published: July 03, 2019•2 min read

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On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) officially kicked off the implementation phase of its Ending the HIV Epidemic, A Plan for America initiative by announcing the award of $1.5 million each to three jurisdictions to jumpstart activities to further reduce the number of new HIV transmissions. Funded through the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund (which is administered by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health [OASH]), the three jurisdictions are DeKalb County, GA; Baltimore City, MD; and East Baton Rouge, LA. In addition, the Indian Health Service (IHS) awarded $1.5 million in pilot funds to the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

The funds will allow the jurisdictions’ health departments to move swiftly to implement key parts of the initiative, including providing treatment for those living with HIV, increasing HIV testing, and expanding preventative services, including PrEP. Information gleaned from these pilot site activities will inform further efforts in all jurisdictions [PDF, 44KB] that have been prioritized for Phase I of the initiative, should it be fully funded in 2020.

These awards mark a major milestone in implementing the initiative, which aims to reduce HIV transmissions by 75% in 5 years and 90% in 10 years. Phase I focuses on those parts of the country most affected by HIV. These include geographic and demographic hotspots in 48 jurisdictions, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, where the majority of new HIV diagnoses occurred in 2016-2017, as well as in seven states with a disproportionate occurrence of HIV in rural areas.

These and other efforts are just the beginning of the implementation phase to accomplish the initiative’s visionary goals and end the HIV epidemic. As part of the kick-off, OASH and the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP) hosted a conference call with stakeholders from across the nation—one of many events that will be held to inform the HIV community and other partners and stakeholders about implementation of Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.

Please subscribe to the Ending the HIV Epidemic listserv on HIV.gov for updates and events on the initiative.