FUNDING TO HELP LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH HIV
July 1, 2020
Resource Center’s 1,800 HIV-positive clients have a new option on where they can receive primary medical care in a familiar, stigma-free environment. The Center’s LGBTQIA+ Health program, located on the Health Campus, is now seeing clients who receive services under the federally funded Ryan White program. This will help to close the gap between HIV diagnosis and treatment.
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act (CARE) is the largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. Named in honor of Ryan White, the Indiana teen who died from AIDS in 1990, the act provides funding to improve the availability and access to care for low-income, uninsured, and under-insured people and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
This federal grant has helped fund HIV services at the Center for almost three decades. The funding covers the various needs of low-income individuals living with HIV when no other resources are available. Center services such as insurance assistance, eligibility intake, hot meals, food pantry, LGBTQIA+ primary health, and dental are all programs that utilize Ryan White’s federal funding.
Dallas consistently tops the list of metropolitan areas with the highest HIV and AIDS infection rates, which means Ryan White funding is crucial in meeting the needs of clients, especially when it comes to providing primary health care. In 2019, the Center opened the primary care program with infections disease specialist Dr. Gene Voshkul at the Health Campus. Now, that program is expanding to also see patients who qualify for Ryan White-funded services.
Dr. Voskuhl states, “While this is the first time the Center has received federal funding for primary care, we have provided referral services to HIV positive clients for over 20 years. The goal of the Outpatient/Ambulatory Health program is to provide outpatient health services to low-income, uninsured HIV positive individuals. We are proud to offer these clients access to our primary care services including treatment for chronic conditions, HIV and STI treatment, smoking cessation, gender-affirming care and more in a safe and stigma-free environment.”
LGBTQIA+ Health primary care is open to anyone. For more information, click HERE or call 214-540-4492 or email lgbtqhealth@myresourcecenter.org to set up an appointment.
