U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Announces Over $14 Million for HIV/AIDS Care and Support Services in Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin today announced more than $14 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the quality of health care and support services for Wisconsinites living with HIV/AIDS. Senator Baldwin has been a strong supporter of increased funding for domestic HIV/AIDS programs to improve prevention and education efforts and to help save lives.

These federal grants, which are part of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, will support Wisconsin organizations and clinics including the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers in Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“HIV/AIDS remains a public health crisis in our country and despite medical advances, people living with HIV still face significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens to quality health care,” said Senator Baldwin. “I am proud to have helped secure this funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programs and other efforts aimed at building healthier families and saving lives throughout Wisconsin.”

Every year, almost 40,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV and today, there are an estimated 5,900 people in the state of Wisconsin living with HIV. 

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides support for people living with HIV/AIDS who do not have adequate health coverage or resources to cope with the disease. Grants were awarded by Parts B, C and D of the Ryan White Program and funding will be directed to the following areas:

• Part B provides funding to states to improve the quality and availability of HIV health care and for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP); 
• Part C directly funds community clinics and health centers that deliver quality, comprehensive HIV care to over 275,000 Americans per year; and
• Part D funds local organizations’ efforts to provide family-centered comprehensive HIV care and treatment for women, infants, children and youth.

Senator Baldwin introduced the HIV Clinical Services Improvement Act to ensure that our community providers have the capacity and support to deliver high-quality care to those living with HIV/AIDS. Senators Baldwin and Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) have also repeatedly lead calls for strengthening federal investments in our domestic programs to address the serious public health threat of HIV/AIDS in America. 

More information about the grant funding is available here.