Expanded HIV Care Services Coming To West Orange Facility

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A $650,000 state grant will help to expand a new, “status neutral system” of HIV care in West Orange and nearby Essex County.

Zufall Health announced the grant from the New Jersey Department of Health’s Division of HIV, STD and TB Services on Tuesday. The grant program, Comprehensive Status-Neutral HIV Services for Focus Populations, is part of the state’s efforts to elevate HIV strategy in line with efforts to end the epidemic nationally.

According to a news release from Zufall:

“Zufall has until now, been unable to provide the full spectrum of HIV care to patients in Essex County, home to its West Orange location, where rates of HIV infection are the highest in the state. Essex County has also been identified as one of the 57 highest-priority areas nationwide where efforts to end the HIV epidemic are focused. About two thirds of Essex County’s population earn incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level, 42 percent identify as Black/African American and 24 percent identify as Latinx/Hispanic. Roughly 16 percent of working-age adults do not have health insurance.”

Using a “status-neutral approach” – which engages all patients in quality, comprehensive, person-centered prevention and care regardless of their HIV status (e.g., HIV-positive, unknown, or HIV-negative) – Zufall said it will put the grant money to work reducing barriers to HIV care in West Orange and surrounding communities using the following initiatives:

• Extended HIV Services hours at Zufall-West Orange
• Hiring new staff to provide infectious disease care, case management, and community outreach
• Providing access to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), and Non-Occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (nPEP)
• Distributing information at community events and on social media to provide education and reduce stigma
• Spanish-speaking support groups for people impacted by HIV
• Referrals to dental care
• Linkage to housing, legal, and food access resources

The expanded services coincide with the 2023 opening of Zufall’s new West Orange facility. The 16,500-square-foot building at 49 Mount Pleasant Avenue will provide additional clinical space to help Zufall better serve its HIV Services patients.

According to Zufall, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which can progress to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) without treatment, is still considered an epidemic in the U.S. There were more than 30,000 new cases reported in the U.S. in 2020 and, of the 1.2 million people currently living with HIV, it’s estimated that one in seven are not aware of their HIV status.

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