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On Tuesday, CDC announced it has awarded $42 million in grants to 133 community-based organizations (CBOs) fighting HIV/AIDS in 28 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy unveiled last month at the White House emphasizes targeting those at greatest risk: men who have sex with men (MSM), African Americans, Latinos, and injection drug users (IDUs). "This funding is a critical part of CDC's national HIV prevention efforts and is in line with the priorities identified in the recently released National HIV/AIDS Strategy," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin, director of CDC's Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. "Governments on the federal and state levels cannot end this epidemic alone, and these resources will help give many communities the tools they need to fight HIV locally."
"Because community-based organizations have the cultural knowledge and local perspective to reach people who might not otherwise access HIV testing or other prevention services, partnership with these organizations represents a critical part of CDC's fight against HIV," CDC said in the release.
The average grant is approximately $323,000 per year for five years. The awards will be used for implementing effective prevention programs and increasing HIV testing and people's awareness of their HIV status. A limited amount will be given to some CBOs to help monitor impact and behavioral outcomes.
By risk group, 49 percent of the CBOs target MSM, 38 percent heterosexual men and women, 5 percent IDUs, and the remaining on combinations of these groups, CDC said.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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