Nearly $2.21 billion in federal funding was awarded to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which then grants money to state, local and community-based groups that provide HIV care, treatment and prevention to low-income people affected by HIV.

An additional $99 million was awarded to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program through funding from the federal initiative “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.” The initiative aims to lower new HIV rates 75% by 2025 and 90% by 2030. This would amount to fewer than 3,000 HIV cases a year.

Nearly half of people living with HIV in the United States—about 560,000—receive care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, according to an announcement made earlier this month by the Department of Health and Human Resources. The funding for fiscal year 2021 arrives from the federal government’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which is an agency within the health department.

In writing about federal HIV grants awarded in Georgia, Project Q in Atlanta spoke with Dave Ward, the CEO of MedLink Georgia. Describing the grants as “vital,” Ward added,  “With the help of these resources, we will be able to make a big impact in the health of our communities by raising awareness of HIV prevention services available and increasing testing and treatment to improve health outcomes and decrease the risk of transmission of HIV.”

This round of funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is divided into numerous grants. For a complete breakdown and links to all the grantees, read the health department press release. The following list provides an overview:

  • About $621.4 million was awarded to 52 metropolitan areas to provide core medical and support services for people with HIV. These grants were awarded to highly impacted urban areas with the highest number of people with HIV and AIDS.

  • About $1.3 billion was awarded to 59 states and territories to improve the quality, availability and organization of HIV health care and support services and for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

  • About $67.2 million was awarded to 114 local community-based organizations across the country to provide comprehensive family-centered HIV care and treatment for women, infants, children and youth with HIV.

  • About $67.6 million was awarded to support clinical training, oral health services, quality improvement and the development of innovative models of care through several different programs.

  • About $10.2 million was awarded to 29 states and territories in Part B Minority AIDS Initiative grants.

  • About $179.8 million was awarded across the country to 347 local, community-based organizations to provide core medical and support services to people with HIV.

  • About $30.3 million was awarded to support education and training of health care professionals, which includes a network of eight regional and two national centers.

  • About $8.9 million was awarded to 45 recipients through the Dental Reimbursement Program.

  • About $4.4. million was awarded in capacity development grants to 30 organizations.

“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.,” said HRSA Acting Administrator Diana Espinosa in the release. “These grants support lifesaving care, treatment and medication that improves health outcomes and reduces HIV transmission to patients across the country.”

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is one of nearly 90 programs within HRSA, an agency within the federal health department. Last year, the Ryan White program celebrated its 30th anniversary (see the video above). In December, HRSA announced that 88% of people with HIV receiving Ryan White care have viral suppression, a high mark for the program.

The program is named after the Indiana youth who died of AIDS-related illness in 1990 at age 18 after becoming a world-famous advocate and inspiration. He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, a result of his hemophilia. For more, see “The Importance of Remembering Ryan White,” penned by POZ blogger Shawn Decker on the 20th anniversary of White’s passing.