As part of $550 million in federal HIV/AIDS funds for hard-hit areas nationwide, Palm Beach County will receive $7.7 million to provide care and treatment for people living with the disease.

This year's Ryan White allotment for the county represents a $68,000 increase over last year's award. "It's still not enough," said Ed Rich, director of the county's Department of Community Services, which distributes the federal funds to agencies and organizations serving HIV/AIDS patients. Ryan White funds provide for medical and social services, as well as for food and transportation assistance.

In 2007, 2,145 county patients were receiving HIV/AIDS treatment through the health department, said spokesperson Tim O'Connor. The number of patients is expected to increase, and the cost of treating them rises every year, he said.

The funding also falls short of what the county received five years ago, prior to an unprecedented and unexplained 13 percent cut in Ryan White money.

The region has one of the highest rates of black HIV/AIDS cases in the nation. An estimated one in 42 black residents of Palm Beach County and one in 35 black residents of St. Lucie County is infected with HIV. It is expected the region will also receive roughly $500,000 from the Minority AIDS Initiative, a fund targeting disproportionately affected communities.

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