CDC Grants $21 Million to Enhance HIV Prevention

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Regional and national organizations dedicated to preventing HIV in communities of color will receive $21 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The awards go to 27 different organizations targeting prevention activities for African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino communities at high-risk for HIV infection.

"Minority communities are disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson. "Partnerships with these communities are critical if we are to get testing and treatment to the people at risk and ultimately reduce the number of new infections."

The grants, which represent an increase of nearly $760,000 over last year's capacity building funding, will be used by the organizations to strengthen infrastructure, science-based prevention interventions, access to and use of prevention services, and community planning.

"These awards reflect CDC's continued commitment to reducing the burden of HIV among people of color by building capacity within their own communities," said Dr. Ronald O. Valdiserri, deputy director of CDC's HIV, STD and TB prevention programs.

Following are examples of organizations receiving the awards:

· Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) - To ensure adequate support for HIV prevention programs tailored for Asians and Pacific Islanders at high-risk, APIAHF will focus on increasing the participation of Asians and Pacific Islanders in community planning at the state and local levels.

· The Black AIDS Institute - To mobilize African-American communities in the fight against AIDS, the Institute will expand its innovative African-American HIV University, a two-year training and internship program for developing HIV prevention educators in those communities.

· LLEGO - Through its Avanzando program, LLEGO provides expertise to Latino community-based organizations as they implement and evaluate culturally competent, linguistically appropriate, evidence-based HIV prevention interventions, such as "Community Promise" and "Hermanos de Luna y Sol."

· National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC) - Focusing on Native populations at high-risk for HIV and those living with HIV, NNAAPC will work to improve local organizations' management and grant-writing strategies and their financial and performance reporting.

Communities of color are a high priority for CDC's "Advancing HIV Prevention" (AHP) Initiative, the comprehensive strategy to reduce new HIV infections in the United States that CDC launched almost one year ago. Through the AHP Initiative, CDC is working with national and local partners to increase access to early diagnosis and treatment by using rapid HIV testing; to make HIV testing a routine part of the medical care for high-risk individuals; to further reduce the number of infants born with HIV infection in the United States; and to integrate HIV prevention services into the medical care of patients with HIV to reinforce safer behaviors.

For more information about the initiative, including activities related to HIV prevention in communities of color, visit: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/partners/question.htm.

Source: CDC