SAMHSA awards approximately $1.3 million to help communities

SAMHSA awards approximately $1.3 million

to help communities offer expanded HIV testing, counseling, and referral for care

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is announcing that it is awarding approximately $1.3 million in one year federal grants, funded through the Department of Health and Human Services Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) Secretariat Emergency Fund, to expand the capacity of current SAMHSA MAI grantees to provide rapid HIV testing, counseling and referral to care.  These grants will promote the principal goals of the MAI which are to improve HIV-related health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority communities disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and reduce HIV related health disparities. In addition, the grants are aligned with the objectives of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) to: 1) reduce the number of people who become infected with HIV, 2) increase access to care and optimize health outcomes, and 3) reduce HIV-related health disparities. Intensifying HIV prevention efforts with the utilization of rapid HIV testing of individuals with substance use and/or mental disorders is also consistent with the NHAS, given the disproportionately high prevalence of HIV among ethnic and racial minorities.   “These grants will help communities address the problem of HIV infection which still puts many Americans at risk – including people experiencing mental illnesses or substance abuse,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “If people get tested and counseled they can stay healthy. If they test positive for HIV, they can be linked to HIV care earlier to greatly improve their overall well being and quality of life, and also reduce the risk of others being infected with the virus.”   “Combating HIV/AIDS in communities of color and among substance users are critical priorities of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS),” noted Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases. “Increasing the number and improving the capacity of minority-serving substance abuse prevention and treatment programs that provide HIV and other infectious disease screening, counseling, and referral to care will help us address the Strategy’s call to prevent HIV among substance users and actively connect those diagnosed with HIV into care and treatment.”   Below is a list of awardees and their projected award amounts:   Grantee City State Amount Awarded Hope Action Care San Antonio Texas $50,000 Park Center, Inc. Nashville Tenn. $50,000 Boston Public Health Commission Boston Mass. $50,000 Community Counseling Institute Tacoma Wash. $50,000 Latino Health Institute, Inc. Boston Mass. $49,109 Pima Prevention Partnership Tucson Ariz. $50,000 Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc. New York N.Y. $50,000 Northern Ohio Recovery Association, Inc. Cleveland Ohio $50,000 JWCH Institute, Inc. Los Angeles Calif. $49,912 Metropolitan Interdenominational Church Nashville Tenn. $50,000 Hope and Help Center of Central Florida Winter Park Fla. $50,000 Wright State University Dayton Ohio $49,999 Special Health Resources for Texas Longview Texas $50,000 Iris House, Inc. New York N.Y. $50,000 Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation Tucson Ariz. $50,000 Institute for Health and Recovery Cambridge Mass. $50,000 Recovery Consultants of Atlanta, Inc. Decatur Ga. $50,000 Hope Health, Inc. Florence S.C. $50,000 Stand, Inc. Decatur Ga. $50,000 AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin Milwaukee Wis. $35,684 Community Rehabilitation Center, Inc. Jacksonville Fla. $50,000 Pittsburg AIDS Task Force Pittsburgh Pa. $49,905 Metropolitan Charities, Inc. St. Petersburg Fla. $50,000 Tarzana Treatment Center, Inc. Tarzana Calif. $50,000 Tapestry Health Systems, Inc. Florence Mass. $50,000 Action for Boston Community Development Boston Mass. $50,000   SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.

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