Yearly Archives: 2018

This article originally appeared on hiv.gov. To see the full article click here. 

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that approximately $2.34 billion in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grants were awarded to cities, counties, states, and local community-based organizations in fiscal year (FY) 2018. This funding through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) supports a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care, medication, and essential support services to more than half a million people living with HIV in the United States.

“New medical advances and broader access to treatment have helped transform HIV/AIDS from a likely death sentence into a manageable chronic disease,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. “The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is an important way to ensure that these life-saving treatments reach the Americans who need them, and the Trump Administration is committed to continuing to improve the care by Americans living with HIV/AIDS receive.”

“The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program plays a vital role in the United States’ public health response to ending the HIV epidemic,” said HRSA Administrator George Sigounas, M.S., Ph.D. “These grants will help ensure that the most vulnerable Americans living with HIV/AIDS have access to life-saving care and treatment needed to improve their health quality and medical outcomes.”

HRSA oversees the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which is a patient-centered system that provides care and treatment services to low income people living with HIV to improve health outcomes and reduce HIV transmission among hard to reach populations. The program serves approximately 50 percent of people living with diagnosed HIV infection in the United States. In 2016, approximately 85 percent of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients who received HIV medical care were virally suppressed, up from 69 percent in 2010.

“The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is critical to improving clinical and public health outcomes by reducing HIV transmission and serves as an important source of ongoing access to HIV treatment and antiretroviral medication,” said Laura Cheever, M.D., Sc.M., Associate Administrator, HIV/AIDS Bureau. “Today people living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and who achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of sexually transmitting the virus to an HIV-negative partner.”

Under Part A of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, approximately $624.3 million was awarded to 52 metropolitan areas to provide core medical and support services for people living with HIV. These grants were awarded to 24 eligible metropolitan areas and 28 transitional grant areas with the highest number of people living with HIV and AIDS and experiencing increases in HIV and AIDS cases and emerging care needs. For a list of the FY 2018 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Part A award recipients, visit https://hab.hrsa.gov/awards/fy-2018-ryan-white-hivaids-program-part-a-final-awards….

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on August 29 announced $23 million to assist more than 1,700 low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families annually over a three-year period. The funding announced today is offered through HUD’s Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA)  and will renew HUD’s support of 22 local programs. These grants provide a combination of housing assistance and supportive services for this vulnerable population.

“We recognize the profound effect stable housing can have on a person trying to manage their health,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “Working closely with our partners on the ground, these grants will provide critically needed housing and care for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.”

Research shows that a stable home is critical to the well-being of persons living with HIV/AIDS, and results in better health outcomes and reduced transmission of the disease. In addition to housing assistance, these local programs will provide access to supportive services such as case management, mental health services, substance abuse services, and employment training. The combination of housing assistance and supportive services are critical in sustaining housing stability, promoting better health outcomes, and increasing quality of life, which promotes self-sufficiency efforts for those able to transition to the private housing market…

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Access CDC’s Latest Tools and Information for HIV Care Providers about HIV Treatment and Care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched new tools and information for HIV care providers on its Prevention IS Care website, highlighting the latest science and guidance from CDC on HIV treatment and care and transmission prevention. This new content can help you start the conversation with your patients about HIV treatment, care, and transmission prevention strategies. LEARN MORE

HIV care providers can access:

• A new HIV treatment and care webpage, featuring information to help you implement HIV prevention and care recommendations, including sample questions to get the conversation started with patients, evidence-based approaches for retention in care, and how to build trust with patients.
• A new transmission prevention webpage, highlighting the benefits of treatment as prevention, prevention methods, and what is known about each method for different modes of transmission.

Talk to your patients about HIV treatment, care, and transmission prevention to help them live longer, healthier lives. Because a patient’s needs may change over time, HIV care providers should engage patients in brief conversations at every visit to discuss the prevention steps the patient is taking.

“Antiretroviral therapy suppresses HIV to very low levels, normalizes life expectancy, and prevents sexual transmission of the virus. However, these benefits are lost if an individual stops taking the medications as prescribed,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH. “If proven safe and effective, periodic infusions of potent, broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies may be a potential alternative to daily antiretroviral therapy.”

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This article originally appeared on NIH.gov. To access the original article, click here. 

An intervention designed to facilitate treatment for HIV and substance use was associated with a 50 percent reduction in mortality for people living with HIV who inject illicit drugs, a study has found. In addition, the people who received the intervention were nearly twice as likely to report being in treatment for HIV and substance use after one year as those who received their national standard of care. They also were about twice as likely to have suppressed their HIV to undetectable levels after one year. The intervention consisted of psychosocial counseling along with guidance and support navigating the healthcare system. These findings were reported today in the journal The Lancet.

People who inject drugs often have high rates of HIV infection, poor access to and use of treatment for HIV and substance use, and high mortality in the United States and globally. Needle sharing among people who inject drugs is the main route of HIV transmission in some parts of the world.

“People living with HIV who inject drugs often encounter multiple obstacles to beginning and adhering to treatment for HIV infection and substance use,” said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. “This study demonstrates that providing guidance and counseling can help such individuals overcome barriers to starting and staying in care and treatment, leading to a significantly higher rate of HIV suppression and a much lower rate of death.”

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The following is an excerpt from NIH.gov. To read the full article, click here. 

Daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) that suppresses HIV to levels undetectable by standard blood tests is lifesaving for individuals living with HIV and prevents sexual transmission of the virus to others. The public health community must use targeted interventions, however, to do a better job of reaching populations with low levels of viral suppression, according to experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

If HIV treatment as prevention is to help us reach the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, it is critical to understand, address and bridge gaps in achieving viral suppression, NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and colleagues write in an editorial commenting on an NIH-funded study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. (Full Article)