Sunday, May 11, 2025
5/11/2025
Arkansas Integrated HIV Programs for Ending the HIV Epidemic - The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2018 population for the state of Arkansas at 3,013,825, an increase of 9,546 people from the previous year. The 2018 census data from the U.S. Census Bureau estimated Arkansas’s Caucasian American population at 79.1 percent, Black American population at 15.7 percent, with all other ethnic groups making up the remainder. The U.S Census Bureau indicated that the Hispanic population in Arkansas in 2018 was 7.7% of the total population of the state. According to 2019 data presented at the 2019 HIV Prevention Conference by CDC Director Dr. Redfield, Arkansas is one of seven states with substantial HIV burden. The efforts of this project will be statewide with strong emphasis on rural areas. The Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) will serve as the lead agency to facilitate strategies and activities to implement for identifying new HIV positive persons and re-engaging previous positives into care and treatment. Arkansas is a very rural state with limited resources for some regions in regards to transportation, provider access for treatment and care, housing resources, and workforce opportunities. The proposed project will dedicate personnel solely to the activities of identifying and linking persons to care. In addition, case coordinators and community health workers will offer continuous direction to HIV positive diagnosed persons to ensure their understanding of HIV medical care and to ensure their access for obtaining other socioeconomic resources needed to address any situational gaps and barriers. With accelerated planning efforts, the ADH seeks to eliminate HIV in the state. The first step in this process is to develop an individualized plan for the state. The ADH will utilize established relationships with Community Based Organizations (CBO) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) to assist with identifying the HIV barriers and gaps in resources within those areas of the state specifically served by their agencies. The second step will be through utilization of funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for increasing organizational capacity, providing provisions of core medical and support services, and improvements in data infrastructure development and system linkages. As the lead agency in the state for dissemination of public health awareness and protocol, the ADH will utilize its relationships with professional medical boards, agencies, and other organizations to engage medical providers statewide in the particular care and treatment efforts needed to ensure rapid access to medical services for newly diagnosed persons and previous positives being re-engaged into care. The third step, outlined in the proposed project, Arkansas’ Integrated “Ending the HIV Epidemic” efforts through PS20-2010 will expand reach and resources in under funded areas of the state for HIV testing. Ensuring partner medical provider practices and facilities implement "opt-out" testing within their electronic health record systems. Expanding the capacity of community based organizations to provide HIV linkage to care and transportation assistance, and PrEP education and navigation services. This project will also provide more support to the state for data collection and utilizing the data early detection of cluster and identification of areas with an unmet need or lack of resources. - Through funding of PS20-2010 the state of Arkansas will achieve: - new and innovative approaches for reaching high-risk groups for education, prevention, routine and mass testing; and - workforce expansion for promptly linking newly diagnosed persons to care, re- engaging previously diagnosed persons into care, and retaining persons in care. Arkansas has the capability of being the first state to eliminate new HIV infections.
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).