Connecticut Children's Receives Federal Grant For HIV/AIDS Care

Press release from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center:

Nov. 23, 2020

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, has received a three-year $850,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help advance and expand comprehensive medical care for HIV-infected women, children, youth, and HIV-exposed infants living in Connecticut. The grant is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Ryan White Part D HIV/AIDS Program, which helps people who lack sufficient health care coverage or financial resources to manage HIV.

“By receiving this additional funding from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, more children living with HIV in our state whose families have a difficult time affording medical care will receive comprehensive HIV/AIDS care available at Connecticut Children’s primary care HIV/AIDS clinics in Hartford and have access to emerging treatments that are improving the lives of patients with HIV,” said Juan C, Salazar, MD, MPH, Physician in Chief, Connecticut Children’s.

Dr. Salazar and the HIV team at Connecticut Children’s, are nationally recognized for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in children and adolescents, and continue to advance the long-term care of HIV positive patients and their affected family members through research and advocacy. Our staff has presented HIV treatment and innovative HIV prevention models developed over the years in our programs on local, state, national and international stages.

Comprehensive care provided at each clinic includes primary medical care, medical case management, behavioral health and nutritional services among other core medical services. The program’s support services also address barriers to comprehensive care that often occur within this underserved population such as lack of transportation, food and other social determinants to health. Ryan White dollars, in partnership with municipal and state agencies, granted to Connecticut Children’s have paid for emergency housing to several HIV infected families who have struggled financially as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our success in continuing to do our work in an extremely competitive environment for securing grants is due to passion and commitment to answer the needs of the communities and populations we serve,” said Danielle Warren-Dias, MS, HS-BC, Family Support Services Director for the CT Children’s and UConn Health Pediatric and Adolescent HIV Program.

The HHS grant targets resources to communities that need the most help within the geographic areas of institutions that receive funds. The grant is designed to provide core medical and support services for women, infants, children, and youth who are living with and affected by HIV: those newly diagnosed or newly identified persons living with HIV/AIDS who are new to medical care; previously diagnosed patients who have never been in care; and HIV/AIDS patients who are returning to care after more than a 12-month absence.

This press release was produced by Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.