World AIDS Day supplies a yearly name to motion for us to work collaboratively to finish the HIV epidemic in the USA and worldwide. This 12 months marks the thirty fifth anniversary of World AIDS Day, a milestone that provides us the chance to commemorate these we have now misplaced to AIDS-related diseases; to honor the greater than 40 million individuals world wide, and greater than 1.2 million People who’re residing with HIV; and to lift consciousness of the significance of HIV testing, prevention, care, and therapy. This 12 months’s World AIDS Day theme, Bear in mind and Commit, additionally offers us the chance to emphasise the urgency of our collective dedication to end the HIV epidemic. We have now made important progress in our effort to finish the HIV epidemic in the USA, however challenges stay. In lots of communities, accessing complete HIV prevention and therapy are impacted by restricted consciousness, entry, and HIV-related stigma, which proceed to hinder efforts to implement and speed up the dissemination of efficient instruments to forestall and deal with HIV.
SAMHSA’s mission is to guide public well being and repair supply efforts that promote psychological well being, stop substance misuse, and supply remedies and helps to foster restoration whereas making certain equitable entry and higher outcomes. SAMHSA’s grant recipients work to handle the syndemic of HIV, viral hepatitis, substance use, and psychological sickness. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everybody ages 13-64 get examined for HIV not less than as soon as as a part of their routine well being care and know their standing. For individuals with sure danger components, together with many individuals with or in danger for behavioral well being situations, CDC recommends getting examined not less than yearly. Moreover, per recently-updated medical tips, all sexually-active adults and adolescents needs to be knowledgeable about pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as an possibility to guard in opposition to HIV.
In 2023, SAMHSA awarded over $34 million in grants to satisfy the behavioral well being wants of people that both are in danger for contracting or live with HIV/AIDS. These grant applications embrace:
- $21.9 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative: Substances Use Disorder Treatment for Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations at High Risk for HIV/AIDS. This program will increase engagement in look after racial and ethnic medically underserved people with substance use problems (SUDs) and/or co-occurring SUDs and psychological well being situations (COD) who’re in danger for or residing with HIV. For instance, one grantee serves their neighborhood with SUD therapy, HIV and hepatitis C testing as nicely screening for any psychological sickness which will warrant a referral for extra providers. The grantee additionally supplies restoration assist providers by making a protected atmosphere centered on household and employment to help grant beneficiaries with sustaining and sustaining long run restoration. In accordance with the grant recipient, “with out SAMHSA funding it will have been an enormous problem for this neighborhood to obtain these providers.”
- $10.5 million for the Minority AIDS Initiative: Substance Use and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Navigator Program for Racial/Ethnic Minorities. This program supplies substance use and HIV prevention providers to these at excessive danger for SUDS and HIV, together with racial and ethnic minority populations. This system locations emphasis on supporting individuals who establish as Lesbian, Homosexual, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and Intersex who should not in steady housing and/or reside in communities with excessive charges of HIV, viral hepatitis (together with Hepatitis A, B, and C), and/or sexually transmitted infections. For instance, one grantee seen hesitancy among the many Black males who’ve intercourse with males (MSM) in the direction of initiating Pre-Publicity Prophylaxis (PrEP) or Put up-Publicity Prophylaxis (PEP). The grantee accomplished an environmental evaluation which confirmed the hesitation stemmed from lack of know-how about PrEP/PEP, together with the place and tips on how to entry it. To handle this barrier, the grantee carried out a media marketing campaign on radio and TV with Black MSM spokespeople to teach the general public on PrEP and PEP.
- $1.9 million for the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund: Integrated Behavioral Health and HIV Care for Unsheltered Populations Pilot Project. This pilot program goals to offer complete healthcare for medically underserved individuals, together with racial and ethnic populations experiencing unsheltered homelessness, specializing in supporting the combination of behavioral well being and HIV therapy and prevention providers by means of the supply of transportable medical care delivered on the road or in different areas handy to unsheltered populations. Moreover, by means of this pilot program, which include two grant recipients based mostly in California and one grant recipient based mostly in Arizona, SAMHSA anticipates gaining some invaluable information, together with greatest practices for addressing Substance Use Issues, HIV/Hepatitis and psychological well being for unsheltered populations which might be shared with the general public.
SAMHSA continues to prioritize reducing HIV/AIDS transmission amongst individuals who have psychological diseases and/or SUDs and linking People who’ve HIV and co-occurring psychological sickness and/or substance use dysfunction to applicable care and therapy. In 2020, SAMHSA revealed Prevention and Treatment of HIV Among People Living with Substance Use and/or Mental Disorders, which evaluations efficient applications and practices to forestall HIV and enhance adherence to and retention in care. SAMHSA MAI-funded programming is in alignment with the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) (PDF | 1.8 MB), replicate SAMHSA’s commitments specified by our contribution to the NHAS Federal Implementation Plan (PDF | 707 KB), and are in alignment with the objectives of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative, of which SAMHSA is a proud contributing company. SAMHSA works with grantees, federal businesses, well being care suppliers and others to implement these objectives.
SAMHSA is also dedicated to centering fairness inside our HIV response by making certain improved entry to applicable HIV testing and linkage to applicable HIV therapy and prevention providers, together with in nontraditional, community-based settings. A lot of these with HIV are unaware they’re contaminated. HIV self-testing performs a vital function in reaching individuals who both don’t have entry to or want to not get examined in conventional medical settings. To get entry to an HIV self-test, go to CDC’s Together TakeMeHome. Lastly, for those who, or somebody you recognize, is searching for assist for substance use or psychological sickness, SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator may also help you join with therapy applications in your space.
On World AIDS Day 2023, SAMHSA wish to thank workers, grantees, federal companions, well being care suppliers, and the substance use and psychological well being neighborhood in working towards our shared aim of ending the HIV epidemic in the USA. Thanks for the work you do to save lots of lives and enhance the well being of the individuals of America.
