AIDS United Announces Access to Care (A2C) Programs

Thousands of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in low-income and/or rural areas will now receive local, high quality care, thanks to new grants awarded by AIDS United for its Access to Care (A2C) initiative, as reported in a press release on February 4. The awards, supported by a grant from the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), will help fund the development of 10 innovative community-based programs to improve the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. Each grant represents a collaboration of multiple organizations in each community. SIF grantees will be developing innovative approaches including:

• Mobile Engagement Teams: These teams will reach the most complex, chronically-ill HIV-positive New Yorkers through street-based outreach and a full spectrum of supportive services, including psychiatric and housing support.
• Handheld technology: For outreach workers who need to record client data and contact information, one program will use handheld technology so that data appears instantly in the project database, thus eliminating extra steps in tracking and outcomes.
• Center of Excellence in HIV-positive Women's Care: Clinical care for women living with HIV will be integrated to address behavioral health needs, bilingual information and care, and childcare services. The Center of Excellence will be linked to clinical research, addressing a gap in existing research specific to women living with HIV/AIDS.
• Telemedicine: A ground-breaking approach to serving people who have a severe shortage of nearby HIV medical providers, one program will use video technology to allow local nurses to communicate and collaborate with medical providers at permanent HIV treatment sites.

A complete list of A2C grantees supported by AIDS United's SIF grant can be found at. www.aidsunited.org/uploads/docs/SIF_grantee_descriptions.pdf

"This is a game-changing opportunity for our grantee communities and the private sector to come together to make a real difference in the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS," said Mark Ishaug, AIDS United President and CEO. "The 2:1 match requirement of the SIF makes this a significant -- and expanding -- investment in the 'healthy futures' of our nation's communities hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These new partnerships enable strategic, innovative, community-driven interventions that change how we invest in improving the health outcomes of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States."

For more information about AIDS United's A2C Initiative, visit www.aidsunited.org/community-impact/access-to-care-a2c.