Sunday, April 27, 2025
4/27/2025
Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - Special Health Resources for Texas, Inc. (SHRT) is a federally qualified health center (FQHC)including a network of ten healthcare clinics, and a mobile clinic, servicing twenty-three counties in North East Texas and one county in Arkansas. SHRT mission is “making healthcare accessible” particularly for the underinsured, uninsured, those living in poverty, and/or located in rural areas. With clinics in Longview, Tyler, Paris, Jacksonville, and Texarkana, Texas and Arkansas, as well as a mobile unit to serve rural areas, SHRT provides clients a full-range of primary care services including adult and pediatric primary care, dental care, women’s health services, and immunizations and vaccinations. Behavioral health care, substance use services, Title X services, and PLWHA outreach, prevention, screening, and treatment are also available. In 2019, the SHRT Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center in Longview, Texas, reported 622 people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) clients. Of this 622, 199 were Ryan White clients. In 2020, the number of PLWHA clients dropped to 529, primarily due to the impact of COVID-19,whereas the number of Ryan White clients increased to 210. In spite of COVID-19, there was an 8% in the use of dental services by Ryan White clients in 2020. In 2021 there was a 23% increase in the number of PLWHA clients attending the Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center, and a 5% increase in the number of Ryan White clients. From 2020 to 2021 the total number of dental visits increased 82%, with a 48% increase in Ryan White client visits. It is anticipated that there will be a continued increase in the number of PLWHA and Ryan White clients attending the Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center to access dental services. To better meet this need, we are proposing to upgrade and enhance three dental operatories at the Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center to better meet the needs of PLWHA and Ryan White clients seeking dental care. The activity proposed falls within the category of infrastructure development. The purpose of this project is to upgrade and enhance three dental operatories through the purchase of equipment, promote enhanced dental service availability through a marketing campaign, and work with local community organizations to increase the number of dental referrals to the Jim Meyers Comprehensive Health Center in Longview, Texas. This project will enhance our capacity to provide HIV primary care services for low-income, uninsured, and underserved people with HIV as the new equipment will enable staff to work more efficiently with clients, as well as reducing barriers to access. SHRT is requesting funding preference under Qualification 2: Underserved Populations. We are requesting $150,000 for this project.
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).