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May 8, 2009
Free HIV Testing Clinic in New Jersey to Remain Open
While Bergen County, New Jersey, officials were considering closing the county’s only free HIV testing clinic, the New Jersey Board of Freeholders has rejected the notion, citing that the closure may jeopardize federal Ryan White CARE Act funding, NorthJersey.com reports.
“We are unanimously against it,” said Freeholder David Ganz.
According to the article, county spokesman Brian Hague supported plans to close the Bergen County Counseling Center, which he said would save the county $104,000 by moving testing services to a private nonprofit organization. However, opponents say that closing the clinic could have forced the federal government to suspend the county’s $4 million in Ryan White funding. The federal program would view the county’s withdrawing funds for the clinic as a failure to “maintain effort,” which is a stipulation of the Ryan White package.
Hague said May 7 that the county will continue receiving $106,000 in state funding for the center and providing its own $104,000 to keep it operational.
“However we need to satisfy that maintenance of effort, we will,” he said. “We’re not going to work in a capacity that would jeopardize $4 million in the region…. We never had any intention of getting rid of that service.”
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