Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4/30/2025
Ryan White Title III HIV Capacity Development and Planning Grants - Title: Via Care HIV/OH Integration Project. Organization: Via Care Community Health Center (Via Care), 3601 E. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90063, https://www.viacarela.org. Project Director: Hilda Hernandez, 323.268.9191, hhernandez@viacarela.org. Funding Preference: Qualification 2–Underserved Populations. Via Care requests $150,000 from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Part C Capacity Development Program to support diversifying and expanding our HIV service structure and improve integration of oral health (OH) services for people living with HIV (PLWH). The goal of this project—under the HIV Care Innovation category—is to advance HIV and OH outcomes for PLWH in East Los Angeles through expanded access to oral health care integrated as part of overall HIV care. Via Care is a 17-site FQHC system located within LA County’s Service Planning Area (SPA) 7, a low-income area whose population is disproportionately underserved and underinsured, and experiences significantly poorer health outcomes than much of the rest of the County. SPA 7 is home to approximately 4,700 PLWH. With a linkage to care rate of 69%, 73% for engaged in care, 52% retained in care, and 67% achieving viral suppression, PLWH living in East LA, who are Latino and low-income, are considerably underserved despite efforts of the few HIV providers in the area. While Via Care’s own data for our PLWH patients skews higher, our initiation of HIV clinical services is still relatively new (since 2020) and there is much work to be done to “de-silo” this new service internally. Particularly critical to improving performance on these measures is expansion of and increased access to existing culturally competent services that address OH problems. Based on current patient assessments, only 1 in 5 have seen a Via Care dental provider in the past year. Our HIV/OH integration project will consist of: (1) conducting start-up activities needed to more effectively coordinate and integrate oral health services with HIV primary care inclusive of Warm Hand-Off to Dental (WHO-D); (2) launching a pilot of the model we develop and beginning data collection, evaluation and reporting on measures; (3) monitoring of progress and sharing of project results with other local entities invested in addressing the HIV epidemic in East LA communities and beyond; and (4) producing a sustainability plan for continuity of HIV/OH care integration. Systematic and comprehensive development of policies and procedures and training of staff will underpin activities. By the end of the project period, these efforts also will have further developed the HIV programmatic infrastructure established with previous Part C funds, will have determined reliable baseline figures for RWHAP and other relevant oral health performance measures, and will have processes in place to begin to assess and improve progress on these measures. Via Care’s HIV Care Innovation activities will take into account the cultural challenges presented (especially stigma when accessing HIV primary care and shame around poor oral health), will be integrated seamlessly into clinic operations, and will work cohesively with existing programs that meet the needs of underserved Latinx PLWH and subgroups with elevated HIV risk due to untreated mental illness and substance use problems and other socioeconomic and cultural barriers to care. A special focus of this project will be to ensure that our services directly address the needs of high-risk heterosexual cis- and transwomen, many of whom have experienced gender-based violence, as well as MSM, people who inject drugs, unhoused and reentry individuals—all in the context of establishing a coordinated comprehensive primary care/HIV health home in the community for PLWH—inclusive of easily accessible oral health care and that addresses social determinants of health in addition to clinical needs.
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).