HHS pledges $70 million to reduce HIV’s outsize impact on marginalized women & kids

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be supplying $68 million to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, a massive treatment program that provides services to about about a half million people living with HIV. The funding, which was announced by HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) last Wednesday, will specifically go towards women and children who are living with HIV.

“HHS is committed to helping new moms and their babies stay healthy, so we are making vital health care services–including care for those living with HIV–available and accessible,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “The funding that HRSA is announcing today will provide resources to promote the health and well-being of women, infants, and children in communities across the country.”

Related:

Republicans gut HIV/AIDS spending by over $400 million in next year’s budget

Last year Republicans attempted to cut HIV prevention funds, but the committee rejected the budget cuts.

This funding is the latest development in the Biden-Harris administration’s strategy to combat HIV/AIDS. The strategy aims to reduce new HIV infections by 90% before 2030.

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This funding will especially benefit marginalized and low-income people living with HIV. Numerous studies have shown that Black women continue to be disproportionately affected by disease, as over half of the women living with HIV are Black.

This targeted effort will benefit nearly 200,000 women who are receiving care through program. Treatment through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program has managed to achieve viral suppression in nearly 90% of all women receiving services.

This announcement came during the HRSA’s Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative, a convening of leaders, activists, and policymakers at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. This initiative is dedicated to increasing funding and visibility for mothers living with HIV.

“We know that many women with HIV continue to face barriers accessing HIV care and treatment, including stigma and lack of social support,” HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said in a statement. 

“Through this funding, community-based organizations across the country will deliver lifesaving, culturally responsive HIV care to help women with HIV access the health care they need and live long, healthy lives,” Johnson added.

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