HHS announces $2.21B in new funding for Ryan White HIV/AIDS program
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday $2.21 billion in new funding under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for cities, counties, states and local community-based organizations providing care for low-income people with HIV/AIDS.
This funding is provided under the fiscal year 2021 budget through the Health Resources & Services Administration, or HRSA, supports a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care for an estimated 560,000 people with HIV in the United States, according to the Department of Health & Human Services.
Secretary of Health & Human Services Xavier Becerra said in a statement the funding represents the latest in efforts in three decades of the department fighting HIV/AIDS.
“These funds support viral suppression that saves lives, reduces health disparities, and slows the spread of HIV. We will continue to support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.”
The announcement comes on the heels of HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program awarding in March $99 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, which seeks to reduce new HIV transmission in the United States by 90 percent by 2030.
“Our Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is a groundbreaking effort that has made extraordinary progress over the years toward ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S.,” HRSA Acting Administrator Diana Espinosa said in a statement. “These grants support life-saving care, treatment, and medication that improves health outcomes and reduces HIV transmission to patients across the country.”