Ryan White Part C Outpatient EIS Program - Address: 900 Stark Road, Starkville, MS 39759 Project Director Name: Jamil Dawson, CBDO Contact Phone Numbers: (662) 628-6278 x301 Email Address: jdawson@fivehorizons.org Website Address: www.fivehorizons.org Grant program funds requested: $178,429 West Alabama AIDS Outreach, Inc. dba Five Horizons Health Services (FHHS) requests continuing HIV Early Intervention Services Program funding to provide Part C HIV Early Intervention Services in three counties (Oktibbeha, Lowndes, and Clay) in its Service Area. The entire state of Mississippi is one of seven states targeted for ending the epidemic funding because of the burden of HIV. The entirety of these three counties, more commonly referred to as The Golden Triangle, is designated rural, underserved, and having a dearth of medical providers. The Mississippi Department of Health is woefully understaffed and behind in surveillance data. The needs for services, both medical and social, is overwhelming and cannot be overstated. There are no other RWHAP Part C recipients in these counties. This project aims to provide early intervention services to people testing HIV positive in The Golden Triangle. Services include, but are not limited to, linkage and access to care, retention in care, and antiretroviral use and viral suppression. While all will be served, women, especially women of color, are at the greatest risk. Lack of transportation, lack of health literacy, meager financial resources, little to no access to healthcare, and few private or public healthcare providers of all types are scarce to nonexistent. Funding from this project will go a long way towards addressing these issues.
