- Nashville-area HIV/AIDS prevention efforts aren’t anticipated to be impacted by the state’s determination to refuse sure CDC prevention grants
- State officers have refused to remark publicly on their determination to refuse the CDC grants aside from to say it is within the state’s ‘greatest curiosity’ to take over monetary duty for prevention
- The present CDC HIV/AIDS prevention grants finish Could 31. The state has promised to fill within the gaps.
A state Division of Well being determination to refuse sure federal grants for HIV prevention doubtless will not have an effect on city-affiliated packages in Nashville or Davidson County, a spokesman for Nashville’s separate public well being company stated Thursday.
The Metro Nashville Public Well being Division receives such federal funding by means of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which isn’t anticipated to be impacted by the state’s determination, stated Metro Well being Division spokesman Matthew Peters.
“The extra I take a look at it, it appears just like the impact goes to be extra pronounced exterior of metro areas. It appears like metro well being departments are going to be largely untouched on this,” Peters stated. “It appears just like the brunt of that is in all probability going to take impact in locations that aren’t metro well being departments.”
In a narrative first reported by the Industrial Attraction, the state notified companies working in HIV prevention that the state would cease accepting sure federal grants for that function after they finish on Could 31.
“The State has decided it’s in the very best curiosity of Tennesseans for the State to imagine direct monetary and managerial duty for these companies,” the letter, dated Jan. 17, states. “The State can be offering help equal to federal funding.”
Gov. Invoice Lee’s workplace referred all questions on this matter to the state Division of Well being. The division’s newly appointed commissioner, Ralph Alvarado, declined to remark by means of a spokesman.
Well being Division spokesman Invoice Christian additionally declined to reply questions in regards to the determination, as a substitute responding by e-mail that: “The letter speaks for itself in speaking: ‘…it’s in the very best curiosity of Tennesseans for the State to imagine direct monetary and managerial response for these companies.‘”
All additionally refused to verify the quantity of tax {dollars} at stake.
The Industrial Attraction reported that the grants are offered by the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention. In response to the state, the CDC funds: “HIV counseling, testing and referral, HIV companion counseling and referral companies, HIV well being training and danger discount packages, HIV prevention for optimistic people, public data packages, a toll-free HIV/STD hotline, capability constructing packages, and a high quality assurance and analysis part.”
Frank Gluck is the well being care reporter for The Tennessean. He may be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Observe him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.
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