Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced Ryan White CARE Act awards totaling $1 million to three organizations to develop and evaluate health care models that provide the range of health care and social services needed by Native Americans living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Awardees include Alaska Native HIV/AIDS Case Management Project, Anchorage, Alaska; Native Care: HIV/AIDS Integrated Services Network, Oakland, Calif.; and Red Ribbon Bridge Project, Santa Barbara, Calif. "These projects offer models of HIV/AIDS care that break down the barriers Native Americans face in accessing needed services--medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, legal assistance and other support services--that respect their culture, spiritual needs and traditions," said Secretary Shalala.

The projects were funded under the Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program, which is part of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Its purpose is to demonstrate and evaluate for national replication innovative HIV/AIDS service delivery models for hard-to-reach individuals. It is not intended for long-term services delivery.

Through the SPNS Program, HRSA also funds an Evaluation Technical Assistance Center for grantees at the Columbia University School of Public Health in New York City.

"The SPNS Program tests innovative models of care to give communities and states better solutions for meeting the unique health care needs of hard-to-reach individuals and families, including Native Americans," said HRSA Administrator Ciro V. Sumaya, M.D., M.P.H.T.M. "This is an investment with a future once successful models are replicated around the country and individuals with HIV/AIDS have better access to a full range of coordinated services."

The grantees and their awards are:

- Alaska Native HIV/AIDS Management Project $272,770 - This project is a collaborative effort of three regional Alaska Native health providers--Chugachmiut, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation and Kodiak Area Native Association. It will give Alaska Natives living in rural and remote villages nearby access to HIV/AIDS resources and services, with a special focus on preventing the transmission of HIV. Regional case management systems will help coordinate and integrate services. A comprehensive intake and client evaluation tool will be used to assess the multiple needs of Native villagers and develop individualized plans of care.

- Native Care: HIV/AIDS Integrated Service Network $500,000 - This project will increase access to care for Native American (American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian) individuals and families through an extensive network of eight regional sites: Phoenix, Ariz.; Chinle, Ariz.; O'ahu/Maui counties, Hawaii; Oklahoma City/Tulsa, Okla.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Robeson County, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; and New York City, N.Y. The sites will better coordinate providers of HIV/AIDS services, including medical, mental health, nursing care, social, essentials of life, substance abuse and traditional healing services. Native Americans in correctional institutions are included in the project. All sites are linked with the grantee, the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC), which will provide administrative oversight, training, technical assistance, information exchange and dissemination, and program design and evaluation services.

- Red Ribbon Bridge Project $227,230 - American Indian Health and Services, a non-profit community agency, is funded to develop a culturally appropriate model for the comprehensive, coordinated delivery of services by and for Native Americans in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Services will include counseling, nurse case management, social work/benefits counseling, risk reduction and other supportive services. By recognizing and respecting the unique cultural, spiritual and traditional values of Native Americans, the project aims to ensure client utilization and compliance.

In addition to these three projects, the Navajo Nation Division of Health in Window Rock, Ariz., received a 5-year SPNS grant on September 30, 1996, to develop a tribal-focused model of HIV care. First year funding is $200,000.

From fiscal year 1991, when CARE Act grants were first awarded, through fiscal year 1997, more than $3.8 billion in federal funds have been appropriated to assist people living with HIV/AIDS in every state, 49 major metropolitan areas and U.S. territories.

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