HHS Funds Innovative Aids Programs; New Collaboration With Hud To Assist Homeless

Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the award of $7.1 million in federal funds to 19 innovative community-based AIDS service programs. The programs, funded under the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, are designed to improve the delivery of care to HIV-positive and/or at-risk individuals, including homeless persons, those with mental illness or substance abuse problems, women and children, adolescents, Native Americans, and former prisoners.

Two grants are being awarded through a new collaboration between HHS and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). By coordinating funding from the two departments, the collaboration aims to integrate the full range of housing, health care, and support services needed by homeless people living with HIV/AIDS whose lives are further complicated by mental illness and/or substance abuse.

Baltimore and San Francisco will receive grants through the collaboration, with HHS' Ryan White CARE Act contributing an expected $4.2 million over the next five years and the HUD Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program awarding $7.1 million for these and six related projects.

"Many people living on the streets face an overwhelming series of challenges, ranging from substance abuse to mental illness to HIV/AIDS," Secretary Shalala said. "These innovative programs extend a helping hand and the promise of a better life."

"Homeless individuals living with HIV are much less likely to obtain the needed and often life-saving care they need. By combining housing support and health care services, we can make a real difference in people's lives," added HUD Secretary Henry G. Cisneros.

In total, HHS awarded 19 grants under the Ryan White CARE Act=s Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program. Today's grants are being made in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington.

The grants being awarded in collaboration with HUD are:

Health Care for the Homeless in Baltimore received $350,000 to develop an integrated system of outreach, multi-disciplinary service, community resources linkage, and access to housing. The project will be implemented in conjunction with a complimentary $1.2 million grant from HUD to the City of Baltimore.
Lutheran Social Services of Northern California in San Francisco received $397,430 to provide direct access to housing, substance abuse treatment, mental health and primary care services for multiply-diagnosed persons living with HIV/AIDS. Lutheran Social Services also is receiving a $1.2 million grant from HUD.

The remaining SPNS projects include:

$1,715,330 in New York state, including $347,499 to the Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Inc., New York City, to improve access to health care for Asians and Pacific Islanders living with HIV/AIDS who speak little or no English.
Fortune Society, Inc., received $375,121 to focus on the problems of HIV-positive ex-offenders and their families in receiving primary and HIV-specific ambulatory care.
Montefiore Medical Center received $242,718 to establish a culturally-competent integrated care team for HIV/AIDS services.
Columbia University School of Public Health was awarded $750,000 to establish a new Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center to support and assist all SPNS projects and to direct a national evaluation of both the SPNS and HOPWA programs. The Center will disseminate knowledge gained through the evaluation to help other communities build effective integrated systems of care for people with HIV/AIDS.
The state of California received more than $1,000,000, including $400,000 for the Harbor-UCLA Research and Education Institute in Torrance to integrate medical and mental health care, neuropsychological assessment, and follow-up care with training in life skills, job seeking, and job placement. Northeast Valley Health Corp., in Los Angeles, received $203,545 for "Cybermall," a computer-based program that will permit agencies to enroll AIDS patients in a variety of service programs.
The state of Florida received more than $826,000, including $299,529 to the University of Miami-Coral Gables, to develop the "Whole Life" Project to plan, deliver, and evaluate a woman-centered, family-focused, culturally competent one-stop model program for women and children. The project will integrate primary care, obstetrical and gynecological care, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, and other support services.
University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami received $527,029 to implement an outreach services model to encourage and provide the means for adolescents (age 13-18) with HIV to enter a comprehensive primary specialty care program.

Other SPNS projects awarded today include:

Cook County HIV Primary Care Center/Hektoen Institute of Chicago, Ill., received $670,040 to establish collaborative relationships with organizations that provide direct services to young people in high-risk situations.
Duke University, Durham, N.C., received $400,000 to establish an integrated delivery system in eastern North Carolina and thereby improve services to underserved, Medicaid-eligible people with HIV/AIDS in rural communities.
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center in East Boston, Mass., received $220,470 to provide case-managed mental health and substance abuse treatment and develop contractual relationships with facilities offering their services. The aim of the project is to relieve access problems and facilitate the link to primary care.
University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, received $400,000 to fund "La Frontera," a collaborative partnership among organizations with experience in delivering services to migrant and seasonal farm workers and their families who are living with HIV/AIDS.
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, N.J., received $702,931 to link three existing youth initiatives that facilitate on-the-street HIV testing, ensure post-test counseling through tracking and case management, and improve access to mental health and other support services.
University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., received $292,739 to improve collaboration among providers of services to HIV patients by facilitating linkages and cross-training among individual health care providers.
Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I., received $176,789 to promote utilization of primary care through intensive case management and outreach for treatment of HIV disease among HIV-positive persons released from prison or from drug rehabilitation.
The Jefferson Comprehensive Care System, Inc., of Pine Bluff, Ark., received $243,441 to bridge and fill gaps in the HIV early intervention services program by linking it with staff and resources to provide enhanced case management and psychosocial support to clients in eight Arkansas counties.
Navajo Nation, in Window Rock, Ariz., received $200,000 to plan and develop culturally-specific models of care for Navajo people with HIV disease. The project will address the behavioral, environmental, and social factors that enhance or impede service delivery to persons needing comprehensive care. The model will integrate services provided by the Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Navajo Nation community-based providers of HIV/AIDS case management, mental health, alcohol and substance abuse counseling and rehabilitation, transportation services, social services, housing services, and long-term care.

Note: HHS press releases are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.hhs.gov.

This article comes from Science Blog. Copyright ï¿½ 2004
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