Van Hollen, Baldwin Call for HIV/AIDS Treatment and Prevention Funding in Next COVID-19 Response Package

In recognizing and honoring the 25th anniversary of National HIV Testing Day tomorrow, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are calling on Senate leadership to include federal funding for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and housing programs in the next COVID-19 pandemic response package to continue providing life-saving services to people living with and at risk of HIV and AIDS.

In their letter to Senate leadership, the Senators are urging Congressional leadership to include funding for the following programs in the next COVID-19 package:

• $500 million for HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program: Funding to support Ryan White Program providers and community-based organizations who are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Services and resources provided by this program include telehealth services, case management services, medications (prescription and over-the-counter), behavioral health services, and access to basic necessities, such as food and shelter. The additional funding for this program will also help people living with HIV and AIDS maintain access to care and treatment; meet the new needs of people living with HIV and AIDS who are without health insurance; keep clinics open and providers employed; and prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19. 
• $100 million for CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention: Funding to support core HIV prevention activities, personnel to respond to COVID-19, HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiations, and telehealth services at state and local health departments and community-based organizations. 
• $65 million for HUD’s Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program: Funding to support housing and rental assistance for people living with AIDS to promote the safety of clients, families, and the community.
• $58 million for CDC’s Infectious Disease and Opioid Program and Ending the Ban on Federal Funding for Syringe Service Programs: Funding to support Syringe Services Programs (SSPs), one of the most effective ways to prevent drug overdoses, as well as engage and serve individuals who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic already has resulted in increased drug overdoses, homelessness, and unemployment, and now is the time to end the ban on federal funding for syringes and other supplies, and support infectious diseases and opioid programs at the CDC. Clients trust SSPs as care providers and sources of support including shelter, food, health care, and access to medication assisted treatment.

In their letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the Senators write, “This additional support for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and housing programs is critical for ensuring that we can respond to two different pandemics that have impacted millions of Americans. Thank you for your leadership in our nation’s response to COVID-19 as well as your long-standing support of people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.”

National stakeholders are supporting the Senators’ effort today, including the HIV Medicine Association, AIDS Budget and Appropriations Coalition, National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), and The AIDS Institute.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a huge burden on a public health system that was already struggling to meet the needs of people living with and at risk of HIV,” said Stephen Lee, Executive Director of NASTAD. “We are grateful for the support Congress has already provided. We hope they will build on this support by adopting Senator Baldwin’s proposal for additional funding for HIV/AIDS diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and housing programs in the next COVID-19 response.”

“HIV clinicians, many of whom are infectious disease specialists, have been working harder than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic to take care of people living with HIV while leading the fight against coronavirus. During the pandemic, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and other HIV program funds have been essential to supporting access to care through telehealth as well as meeting emergency patient needs for food, housing, and medication.  As the pandemic persists, people living with HIV and their providers need additional resources to meet increased demand for services as more people living with HIV experience loss of jobs and health insurance and housing instability. On the 25th anniversary of National HIV Testing Day, the HIV Medicine Association and its Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition stand with Senator Baldwin and her colleagues to recommit to ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. as we fight to conquer COVID-19. We thank Senator Baldwin and her colleagues for their attention to the needs of people living with HIV during this unprecedented time,” said Andrea Weddle, Executive Director of the HIV Medicine Association.

Other Senators signing today’s letter include Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tom Carper (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).  

The full text of the letter is available here and below. 

Dear Leader McConnell, Leader Schumer, Chairman Shelby, and Vice Chairman Leahy, 

As you consider the next legislative package in response to COVID-19, we urge you to include supplemental appropriations to ensure HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and housing programs are able to adequately respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and continue providing life-saving services to people living with and at risk of HIV and AIDS.

We thank you for including $90 million for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and $65 million for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act. This funding is working now to provide services, including telehealth, medication, housing, food, and emergency support services for people living with HIV and AIDS nationwide.

In the next COVID-19 response, we urge Congress to include supplemental funding for the following programs:

$500 million for HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program

Ryan White Program providers and community-based organizations are on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they need additional funding to meet the pressing current needs of their patients and clients. Ryan White Program clients are especially vulnerable to the dangers of COVID-19 infection, as they share a number of risk factors with those who are more likely to die of the disease, including underlying conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic lung disease in addition to other factors including systematic racism, poor insurance coverage, food insecurity, and unstable housing. Ryan White clinics nationwide have shifted care to telehealth to protect patients during the pandemic but providing access to phones with sufficient minutes for patients and telehealth equipment for providers and clinics has been an immediate cost that clinics must support. Additionally, clinics are providing significantly more case management services and support to an increasing number of patients who are experiencing increased or new impoverishment from the current recession. Ryan White Programs are covering new costs, including medications (prescription and over-the-counter), behavioral health services, and access to basic necessities, such as food and shelter that is appropriate during COVID-19. Finally, as infectious diseases experts, Ryan White Program teams are on the frontlines of both the HIV and COVID-19 pandemics, often doing multiple jobs at once, and they need safety and protection, including PPE and mental health support. Additional funding across the program’s parts would help people living with HIV and AIDS stay in care and on treatment; maintain access to care and treatment during the economic downturn; meet the new needs of people living with HIV and AIDS who now are without health insurance; keep clinics open and providers employed; and prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19.

$100 million for CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention

As HIV prevention and surveillance staff are shifted to work on the COVID-19 response, it is important that the infrastructure of HIV prevention remains intact. HIV prevention programs at state and local health departments and community-based organizations are in immediate need of additional funds to continue to provide services critical to reach the goals of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative. HIV prevention programs at state and local health departments and community-based organizations have been forced to reduce and/or suspend core HIV prevention activities, redirect personnel to respond to COVID-19, reduce and/or suspend HIV testing, suspend pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiations, and transition to telehealth services. 

$65 million for HUD’s Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program

HOPWA is already seeing increases in demand for housing services during this pandemic. Demand for supportive housing and rental assistance will increase as the economic impacts of COVID-19 are felt. Social-distancing and quarantines are impossible if a person living with HIV or AIDS does not have housing, and we must continue to strengthen funding for HOPWA to promote the safety of clients, their families, and the community.

$58 million for CDC’s Infectious Disease and Opioid Program and Ending the Ban on Federal Funding for Syringe Service Programs

The COVID-19 pandemic already has resulted in increased drug overdoses, homelessness, and unemployment. Now is the time to end the ban on federal funding for syringes and other supplies, and support infectious diseases and opioid programs at the CDC. Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) are one of the most effective ways to prevent drug overdoses as well as engage and serve individuals who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clients trust SSPs as care providers and sources of information and have been reaching out for help and support during this crisis as they have been experiencing greater needs – including the need for shelter, food, healthcare, and access to medication assisted treatment – as a result of new or increased levels of impoverishment from the dramatic economic downturn. There also has been an urgent need for greater access to naloxone, especially since physical distancing has created social isolation that has increased overdose risk and incidents. 

This additional support for HIV/AIDS treatment, prevention, and housing programs is critical for ensuring that we can respond to two different pandemics that have impacted millions of Americans. Thank you for your leadership in our nation’s response to COVID-19 as well as your long-standing support of people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Sincerely,