Hhs Awards $36.1 Million To Expand Hiv/Aids Health Care
A $20 million contract announced in September by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing life-saving pharmaceuticals through the federal AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to 1,700 low-income people with HIV/AIDS who were on waiting lists for assistance in 10 states.
The contract with Chronimed Statscript Pharmacy of Minnetonka, Minn., implements an initiative announced in June to direct medications to people with HIV/AIDS who were on waiting lists for ADAP drugs in Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
ADAP helps supply vital drugs to over 100,000 patients a month across the United States.
In addition, 63 grants totaling $9.8 million have been announced to reimburse dental education programs for some of the costs of providing oral health services for Americans living with HIV/AIDS.
The grants are awarded to eligible dental schools, postdoctoral dental education programs, and dental hygiene education programs. Grant recipients provide a full range of oral health services, including diagnostic and preventive care, oral health education, oral medicine, oral surgery and comprehensive restorative care.
Another 20 grants totaling $6.3 million will test the efficacy of using buprenorphine to treat substance abuse in HIV primary care clinics and evaluate ways to reach out to and care for young HIV-positive men who are not in treatment.
The five-year grants, from HRSA’s Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) program, support the development of innovative HIV/AIDS service delivery models that have the potential for replication by other organizations.
