HHS Awards $14.5 Million for Local and State HIV/AIDS Planning

The HHS has awarded $13.5 million to conduct state and local planning in order to begin community involvement for the proposed federal initiative, Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, which seeks to reduce new HIV infections in America by 90% by 2030.

A $12 million portion of the HHS Minority HIV/AIDS fund has been awarded to 32 CDC-funded state and local departments to develop comprehensive Ending the HIV Epidemic plans that are tailored by and for each community. Plans will be based on a national framework that has identified the highest-impact HIV prevention, care, treatment, and outbreak response strategies. This one-time funding has been awarded to health departments representing 57 geographic areas that have been prioritized for the first year of the initiative.

The National Alliance of State and Territorial Directors (NASTAD) has been awarded $1.5 million per year from 2019 to 2023, based on the availability of resources, to enhance the capacity of local health departments to end the epidemic in the 57 geographic areas. The funding will also support strategic communication and policy activities, partnerships, data analyses, and technical assistance. NASTAD will also provide technical assistance in the development of local plans, and will establish, build, and maintain collaborative relationships with local organizations to support the implementation of the plans.

The agency noted that input from leaders through national conferences, webinars, meetings with national organizations, site visits with communities across the country, and ongoing engagement with CDC-funded partners and organizations led to the integration of several key elements that will shape local planning. These include greater flexibility for states and communities to design and direct approaches that best meet their individual needs, ongoing inclusion of new and diverse partners in local planning activities and more.

Health departments will be required to engage members of local communities that are most heavily impacted by HIV, people with HIV, local prevention and care integrated planning bodies, local HIV service providers, new partners, and others. The CDC also plans to issue additional guidance to ensure robust and diverse community involvement in development of local plans, which will continue to be refined over time by the community.

To see the full list of state and local health department award recipients, visit the CDC website.

Reference

• HHS Awards $13.5 Million to Accelerate State and Local Planning Efforts for Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America [press release]. CDC Website. Published October 2, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/2019/HHS-Award-press-release.html. Accessed October 3, 2019.