Ryan White Part B Supplemental - Wisconsin’s HIV Care Unit in the Bloodborne and Sexually Transmitted Infections Section (BSTI), Division of Public Health, Department of Health Services, requests $9,000,000 in Ryan White Part B Supplemental funding for five program initiatives to improve HIV care and treatment along the HIV care continuum. The HIV Care Unit is applying for funding based on need for HIV-related services attributed to an increased need due to an increase in relative rates and prevalence in HIV cases and the decline in the amount of funding available for HIV services, specifically in 340B rebates reinvested in the HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP) and other HIV services. Wisconsin is also seeing a new emerging population with special needs in people living with HIV (PLWH) who live in southern Wisconsin outside the Dane County area and therefore need to travel farther to access care. The HIV Care Unit will use funds awarded under this grant to address gaps in services due to decreased 340B rebates through the HDAP program, provide medication and insurance assistance to a record number of participants on the HDAP and IAP in Wisconsin, and increase services to under-resourced populations in Southern Wisconsin where there is additional need for HIV testing and linkage to care services. With Ryan White Part B Supplemental funding, the HIV Care Unit will: 1) ensure continued access to HDAP without waiting lists, enrollment caps, or lack of staff capacity; 2) provide intensive outreach, care, and support services to PLWH in rural areas and small cities in southern Wisconsin seeing increases in new diagnoses and move-ins; 3) use early intervention services and outreach services to diagnose PLWH, link them to care, and provide education and outreach to PLWH to prevent the transmission of HIV; 4) ensure continued access to health care services through medical care and services that enable access to medical, dental, and mental health care; and 5) supplement funding for the HIV case management spectrum of services to preserve existing support infrastructure. The HIV Care Unit will implement these initiatives by strategically funding Ryan White-allowable service categories in all parts of the state, with a focus on areas with higher HIV prevalence and areas with emerging priority populations. Each of the objectives outlined in this application align with at least one stage of the care continuum and aims to provide needed medical and supportive services that will keep PLWH in medical care and with access to antiretroviral medications. The HIV Care Unit will use performance measures outlined in the work plan to assess the effectiveness of the initiatives and their impact on outcomes for PLWH in each stage of the care continuum. In 2024, 274 people in Wisconsin were diagnosed with HIV, an increase of 9% from 2023. In addition, 298 people previously diagnosed with HIV moved to Wisconsin from other states and countries, and another 64 people who received an HIV diagnosis in another country moved to Wisconsin. These numbers bring the total number of people known to be living with HIV in Wisconsin to 7,725 at the end of 2024, with an estimated additional 1,132 people who are living with HIV and have not yet been diagnosed. Wisconsin’s 2024 incidence rate for HIV diagnoses was 4.7 per 100,000 people, an increase of 27% from the 2019 incidence rate of 3.7 diagnoses.
