Modified Sebelius Letter

We’ve heard that HHS has decide that HIV/AIDS will get less then $50 million but more then $5 million from the Prevention and Wellness Fund. Even if they have decided the amount, we have not heard about how this money will be distributed. It is now more imperative that we get our recommendations to them about how we would like to use these critical prevention funds. The letter goes out Monday, May 17th.

The letter to Secretary Sebelius has been modified, we added the CDC directly funded local jurisdictions. Because the money from the Prevention and Wellness Fund needs to be encumbered by Sep 30th, we need to use existing cooperative agreements Our goal is to get money to address the HIV Prevention challenge in the US. We are open to multiple mechanisms as long as HIV/AIDS prevention gets a portion of the funds.

Please look at the diversity of organizations that have signed onto this letter so far. We have Native American agencies, church groups, LBGT organizations as well as traditional community based organizations.

For those organizations who have already signed onto the letter, unless we heard differently, we will keep your organization on the letter. For new organizations that would like to sign onto the letter, please send an email to info@nmac.org to confirm. The letter will be held until noon (eastern) on Monday, May 17th. Please share this letter with your networks and colleagues. Thank you for your support. Paul

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Dear Secretary Sebelius

Thank you so much for your commitment to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The organizations who have signed this letter (see below) look forward to working with you to implement the Health and Human Services (HHS) components of this plan. We also appreciate all your work on health care reform. This letter is to begin a dialogue on the Prevention and Wellness Fund within the health care reform bill and how to distribute these important funds. As you know, HIV is a leading cause of preventable death for people of color, particularly for women, transgender women, gay men and men who have sex with men. We would like you to consider the following:

1. Increase the number of community based organizations (CBOs) that receive funding from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for program announcement (FOA) PS10-1003
2. Make-up budget shortfalls in state and local HIV/AIDS prevention programs and
3. Include HIV/AIDS Prevention in the Community Transformation Grants
   

As we await the final NHAS, we know that full implementation will take money. Yet these are very difficult times and the prospect of significant new resources to meet the growing demands for HIV/AIDS prevention are limited. Thank you so much for your commitment to use a portion of these funds for HIV/AIDS prevention, now we want to make sure that the money gets to the community based organizations and health departments that can make the most difference.

Directly Funded CBO Program
In the Fall of 2009, the CDC announced funds for HIV prevention projects for minority and other community based organizations serving populations at increased risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV infection. Over 500 applications were submitted. Currently a review is underway to determine which CBOs to fund. The current funding level will allow for 150 (approximately) applications to be supported. They are slated to start July 1, 2010. We are asking HHS via the Prevention and Wellness Fund to support an additional 100 applications at $30,000,000 per year for five (5) years for program announcement (FOA) PS10-1003.

We make this request because

• These projects are shovel ready and slated to start July 1, 2010
• The applications have undergone a federal review so there will be no delay is getting funds to these qualified CBOs
• The organizations funded are expected to support the goals and objectives within the NHAS.
• Without new money, it will be very challenging to implement a comprehensive NHAS.
  

Budget Shortfalls In State and Local HIV/AIDS Programs
According to the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), in FY2009 more then $170 million was cut from state HIV/AIDS budgets. 25 jurisdictions (55% of the respondents) reported cuts to their HIV prevention programs. For FY2010 there are already an additional $18.5 million in cuts to the HIV and viral hepatitis budgets. When you factor out new monies for testing initiatives that only certain states were eligible to apply, federal funding for core state HIV/AIDS cooperative agreements has also decreased by $23 million.

Despite local investments, directly funded jurisdictions that shoulder over 1/3 of the US HIV epidemic have not been able to overcome the enormity of state and federal cuts. According to the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS), directly funded jurisdictions have experienced an average 73% loss in state prevention resources since 2006. All directly funded local health departments are facing dire budget deficits in FY 2010, crippling efforts to combat HIV in major urban areas.

Once again, if we are to have a successful NHAS, we need money. We are asking HHS to address state and local budget cuts (55% of the $170 million that was cut in FY2009 plus the $23million in federal cuts) and continued support for urban jurisdictions experiencing the heaviest burdens of HIV.

We make this request because

• CDC has existing state and directly funded city/county cooperative agreements that can quickly funnel money to states, territories, counties or cities
• The money requested is to support state, county or city HIV/AIDS prevention budget/programs where cuts are having a devastating impact on our country’s HIV/AIDS prevention agenda.
• Without new money, it will be very challenging to implement the NHAS.
  

Community Transformation Grants
In the near future HHS via the CDC will award Community Transformation Grants to state and local governmental agencies and community-based organizations. These grants are for the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of proven evidence-based community preventive health activities in order to reduce chronic disease rates, address health disparities, and develop a stronger evidence-base of effective prevention programming.

We are asking that HIV/AIDS prevention programs be eligible to apply for the Community Transformation Grants. Unfortunately HIV has a disproportionate impact on communities of color, we need stronger evidence-based prevention programs, and we would suggest that HIV disease to both an infection and a chronic disease. Community Transformation Grants should be used to address fundamental/structural issues of risk and lack of health care utilization in the most affected communities – on the topic of HIV and other health issues affecting these “high impact” communities.

HIV prevention in the US is a collaborative effort between the federal government, state AIDS offices, local health departments, and community based organizations. The rapid response challenges of implementing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy that will successfully reduce HIV incidence require increased resources and a combination approach to funding. We are recommending the first two projects because they are shovel ready and can start this fiscal year. The third recommendation depends on your timeline, we just want HIV/AIDS prevention to be included. The first two projects not only significantly increase our country's ability to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, but they will also save or add much needed jobs and economic stimulus. Without this additional funding, some community based organizations will be forced to close their doors. Not only is this bad for prevention, it is also bad for the economic burden/recovery.

Thank you so much for considering this proposal to include HIV prevention in Prevention and Wellness funds. We are eager to discuss this challenge or any other HIV/AIDS issue. Please contact Paul Kawata (pkawata@nmac.org <pkawata@nmac.org> ) to schedule a meeting.

Sincerely,

A.A.F.I at Calvary Baptist Church
Salt Lake City. UT

The ACCESS Network, Inc.
Ridgeland, SC

Access to Racial and Cultural Health Institute, Inc.
St. Croix, VI

Action for Boston Community Development
Boston. MA

AIDS Coalition of Southern New Jersey
Bellmawr, NJ

AIDS Project Worcester
Worcester, MA

AIDS-Related Community Services (ARCS)
Mid Hudson Valley, NY

Allen Temple Baptist Church-AIDS Ministry
Oakland, CA

The American Academy of HIV Medicine
Washington DC

A&PI Wellness Center
San Francisco, CA

Black Educational AIDS Project
Baltimore, MD

Brighter Beginnings
Oakland, CA

Broadway House for Continuing Care
Newark, New Jersey

CAB Health & Recovery Services
Peabody, MA

Cascade AIDS Project
Portland, OR

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Ft Lauderdale, FL

Central City AIDS Network/The Rainbow Center
Macon, GA

Chattanooga CARES HIV/AIDS Resource Center
Chattanooga, TN

Citywide Project/Citywide Ministries
Atlanta, GA

Coai, Inc.
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Cocaine and Alcohol Awareness Program, Inc
Memphis, TN

Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP)
New York, NY / Providence, RI

Community Information Center, Inc.
Portland OR

Desert AIDS Project
Palm Springs, CA

Reggie Dunbar II
Atlanta, GA

Eternal Hope Community Development Corporation, Inc.
East Orange, NJ

Fayetteville Area Health Education Foundation, Inc
Fayetteville, NC

Family Service of Greater Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA

Mark Fisher
Atlanta, GA

Friends For Life
Memphis TN

Gil Gerald & Associates, Inc.
San Francisco, CA

Hartford Gay & Lesbian Health Collective
Hartford, CT

Healing with CAARE
Durham, NC

Healthcare Responses, Inc.
Birmingham, AL

HIV ACCESS
Alameda County, CA

Dennis Huff, LCSW
Behavioral Health Director, Native Health
Phoenix, AZ

Impact Marketing + Communications
Washington, DC

In The Life
New York NY

Indigenous Peoples Task Force
Minneapolis, MN

Iris House, Inc.
New York, NY

Latino Community Services, Inc.
Hartford, CT

Liberty Research Group
Rochester, NY

Love Heals, the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education
New York, NY

Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center
NY, NY

Karen Krigger MD, MED, FAAFP, AAHIVM(S)
University of Louisville School Of Medicine
Louisville, Kentucky

Freddie Don Little, MPH
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Mecklenburg Co. Health Department
Charlotte, NC

Mid-South Coalition on HIV/AIDS in Memphis
Memphis, TN

Minnesota AIDS Project
Minnesota, MN

MOCHA Center Inc.
Buffalo, NY

National Coalition for LGBT Health
Washington, DC

National Association of People With AIDS
Washington, DC

National Minority AIDS Council
Washington, DC

Native Health
Phoenix, AZ

New Jersey Women and AIDS Network
New Brunswick, NJ

New Mexico AIDS Services
Albuquerque, NM

NorthEast Two-Spirit Society's
New York, NY

The Orixa Healing Dance Project
Memphis, Tennessee

Partnership Project
Portland, OR

SafeGuards LGBT Health Resource Center
Philadelphia, PA

Sisters Together And Reaching Inc. (STAR)
Baltimore Maryland

South Jersey AIDS Alliance
Millville, NJ

Street Works
Nashville, TN

Strongest Link AIDS Services, Inc.
Danvers, MA

Tennessee, Partnership to End AIDS Status
Memphis, TN

Test Positive Aware Network
Chicago, IL

Total Health Awareness Team
Rockford, IL

Treatment Access Expansion Project
Boston, MA

Tri- County Health Coalition
New Albany, Indiana

Triad Health Project
Raleigh, NC

Two Spirit Society of Denver
Edgewater, CO,

Vermont CARES
Burlington VT

Vision Que!, LLC
Washington, DC

Volunteers of America Greater Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, LA

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network
Framingham, MA

Brenda C. Williams
Albany, Georgia