AIDS Care Group

Philadelphia Health Department’s Press Release:

FEDERAL CUTS FORCE REDUCTION IN HIV/AIDS SERVICES
Some Programs To Be Eliminated

The Philadelphia EMA Ryan White HIV Planning Council has adopted a revised funding allocation in response to federal funding cuts totaling $2.4 million. The new plan preserves funding for the core medical and social services that are most needed by persons living with HIV and AIDS as well as other important supportive services.

In late May, the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) announced a reduction in Ryan White Part A Supplemental funds to the City of Philadelphia’s AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO). AACO is the designated grantee for the nine-county eligible metropolitan area (EMA) which includes Philadelphia and its adjacent suburban Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey counties.

Earlier in the year, the HIV Planning Council had adopted an allocation plan that included level funding for all medical and supportive services that had been funded during the preceding year. Because the final portion of this year’s award was not announced until late May, the plan had to be adjusted to compensate for the $2.4 million reduction.

“We are very grateful to the members of the Philadelphia EMA Ryan White HIV Planning Council for their many hours of hard and thoughtful work in making these painful decisions,” said AACO Director John Cella.

The Philadelphia HIV Planning Council is responsible for developing a plan that maintains support for the “core services” identified by Congress and HRSA that meets the medical needs of HIV positive consumers. Because of the severity of this year’s funding cut, and successive cuts over the last four years, every service or provider will be impacted by these reductions.

The HIV Planning Council’s Finance Committee developed a proposed plan in collaboration with the Comprehensive Planning Committee, which earlier in the year had developed priority rankings for all of the Ryan White-funded services. These rankings were based on key criteria including an analysis of trends in the nature of the epidemic; socio-demographic and economic data; service priorities, service utilization and spending data; consumers’ preferences as expressed in surveys, focus groups and “town hall” meetings; and the identification of alternate providers and sources of funding support for the included services.

In accordance with the Ryan White Act’s mandate, at least 75% of the Region’s service dollars must be allocated to ten “core services” categories. The HIV Planning Council’s revised allocations plan exceeded this requirement, funding Core Services at 81% of available service dollars.

Funding for ambulatory medical care, drug reimbursement, and case management, which are considered to be the highest priority services, was reduced by 4%; reductions for some other HRSA-designated core services (substance abuse treatment, mental health therapy, oral health, early intervention, treatment adherence) were capped at an overall level of 6%.

The second ranked tier of supportive services (transportation, food bank/home delivered meals, housing assistance, legal services, care outreach and direct financial assistance) were reduced by 11%. Current year funding for the third tier of services (nutritional services, home health, translation and interpretation, psychosocial support services, day or respite care, and rehabilitation care) will be terminated as of July 31, to free up dollars that will then be used to limit reductions to the three highest ranked services.

In May, HRSA also notified AACO that three supportive services that were included in the March allocations plan were no longer eligible to receive Ryan White support. These services (complementary therapies, client advocacy, and buddy/companion services) will be terminated as of June 30 and the resulting savings will be used to reduce the shortfall in funding for ambulatory outpatient medical care, case management and drug reimbursement..