Thursday, May 22, 2025
5/22/2025
Ryan White Part C Outpatient EIS Program - Requested grant program funds: $1,049,784 (three-year performance period) Requested funding preference: We are requesting a funding preference based on Qualification 1 and 2 under Increased Burden and Rural Areas (see Attachment 4). Geisinger Clinic is applying for a continuation of Ryan White Part C funding to provide Early Intervention Services Program in the nine-county region of Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Lycoming, Montour, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, and Union counties. According to the HRSA website, there are no current Part A, Part C or Part D Ryan White funded organizations in this geography. Geisinger is currently included in a funded Ryan White Part B organization, as of July 2020. Geisinger was previously awarded the Ryan White Part C Grant for Capacity Building. It was used to build an HIV registry to better monitor Geisinger’s HIV positive patient population. This has helped improve overall HIV suppression rates (includes data from all Geisinger clinics) from 31% to 59% in approximately six months. Given this progress, Geisinger expanded its systematic approach to this largely uncovered region of Pennsylvania. In the Central Pennsylvania region, the HIV population is primarily White, comprising 69.3% of the patient population. Additionally, 26.11% are African American and 12.66% are Hispanic. There are 632 HIV positive persons who have accessed Geisinger’s central region clinics and hospitals in the last three years. Of them, 337 patients are linked to care, 382 were retained in care, and 406 are virally suppressed. Twenty-three percent (23%) of the patients seen in the past three years in the region are new HIV diagnoses. On average, the number of new HIV patients has been growing over the past 10 years and has grown 10.6% over the past five years alone. With continued funding in the request amount of $1,049,784, we will: • Continue to enhance the utility of our registry to monitor HIV care in the Geisinger system and easily identify care gaps using the HIV Care Continuum model. • Maintain additional ancillary central region staff. • Continue to refine case management protocols to increase retention and patient follow-up. The project also provides all five RWHAP Part C Early Intervention (EIS) services either directly or through referrals, contracts or memoranda of understanding with other HIV providers; 1) counseling for individuals with respect to HIV; 2) targeted HIV testing; 3) periodic medical evaluations of individuals with HIV and other clinical and diagnostic services regarding HIV; 4) therapeutic measures for preventing and treating deterioration of the immune system, and for preventing and treating conditions arising from HIV; and 5) referrals for people with HIV to appropriate providers of health and support services. If allowed the opportunity to continue the Ryan White Part C grant, Geisinger will continue to expand resources by leveraging the existing infrastructure and ease of subspecialty access due to its tertiary referral center status. The program goal is to centralize and standardize the practice of HIV treatment, management, and prevention in our region while also offering diverse resources to individualize patient care and improve outcomes.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).