Montefiore AIDS Center, one of New York’s largest HIV prevention and treatment programs was recently awarded a $1 million, 5-year grant from New York State Department of Health (DOH), hospital officials announced on Oct. 8.

 

The funds will be used to offer HIV testing, sexual and reproductive health workshops, mental health and supportive services, as well as employment readiness opportunities, including vocational counseling, interview preparation, clothing vouchers, and referrals to childcare resources.

 

According to Montefiore, funding will support engagement of around 200 women of color in The Bronx, ages 16 and up, by offering HIV testing, sexual and reproductive health workshops, mental health and supportive services, as well as employment readiness opportunities, including vocational counseling, interview preparation, clothing vouchers and referrals to childcare resources.

Reacting to the news, Barry Zingman, MD, medical director of the Montefiore AIDS Center, professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and clinical director of infectious diseases at the Moses division of Montefiore Health System, said, “Comprehensive healthcare for women of color is essential to break the cycle of HIV transmission in our communities.”

 

Zingman added, “With this funding, we are building upon decades of our team’s experience in HIV counseling, testing, linkages to care, patient education and outreach work. These strategies were chosen because we’ve successfully used many of them to engage and empower historically stigmatized individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing.”

 

Since the conclusion of Project HEAL (Healing Environment Altering Lives) in 2015, a Montefiore AIDS Center program funded for many years by DOH, which Montefiore officials said resulted in the screening of 1,400 women for HIV over 12 years, Montefiore officials said there has been a significant lack of supportive services to reach and protect HIV-negative women in The Bronx, where, as reported, the prevalence of HIV and AIDS far exceeds other NYC boroughs. A similar trend is seen for other communicable diseases like Gonnorhea, Syphllis and Chlamydia.

 

According to the latest NYC Community Health Profile, new Bronx HIV and diagnoses were approximately 50% higher than New York City overall. Additionally, one in four new HIV diagnoses in New York City occur in The Bronx, and Black and/or Hispanic women make up nearly 90% of new HIV diagnoses, and 90% of women living with HIV in New York City. Among Bronx women living with HIV, only 68% were in continuous care and 78% were virally suppressed and untransmissible.

 

According to Montefiore, the new funding allows its AIDS Center to employ a dedicated community health worker (a trained local expert), and support other Montefiore AIDS Center staff in screening for social determinants of health, including conditions that people are born into, work and live in, that impact health outcomes such as housing, transportation, and education.

 

With the goals of preventing HIV infections, streamlining HIV treatment within three days of a positive test, and connecting patients to support services, Montefiore officials said the AIDS Center aims to provide affirming and supportive care that will in turn reduce disparities throughout The Bronx.

 

For some related stories on this topic, click here, here, and here.

 

Click here to read the latest Health Equity report for The Bronx dated April 2021.