SEATTLE, WA - At its business meeting on July 27, 2000, the Seattle HIV/AIDS Planning Council adopted a plan to distribute an anticipated $5.5 million to support delivery of care services for low income persons living with HIV/AIDS in King County in the 2001 contract year. The plan, which represents a projected $100,000 increase in available funding in fiscal year (FY) 2001, is summarized on the attached report.
The Planning Council is the local decision-making body that determines how particular federal, state and local funds will be awarded for HIV/AIDS care services and prevention interventions in King County. The Council is a diverse 30-member volunteer body whose members are appointed by King County Executive Ron Sims. Council members include persons living with HIV/AIDS, providers of HIV care and prevention services, and experts in Public Health, behavioral science, evaluation, research, health planning and education. The Council strives to be representative of the many communities impacted by the epidemic locally, and bases its resource allocation decisions upon extensive needs assessment and epidemiological data.
Of note this year is the Council's commitment to increased coordination of care and prevention services targeting those living with HIV. Funding has been prioritized for training to better equip prevention outreach workers to link newly identified HIV+ individuals with medical and care services. Providers of local care services will be trained in the provision of appropriate, effective prevention support to consumers in a continuing effort to curb the spread of HIV in King County.
In addition to the continuing public dollars for HIV/AIDS care services, the Seattle Metropolitan Area will receive its second year of special funding through the Ryan White Minority Initiative, a national effort targeting major cities with the intent of bolstering HIV care services among communities of color. The Initiative is meant to remedy noted disparities in health outcomes among HIV-infected persons of color.
Per the Council's recommendation, a new outreach/advocacy program has been launched to ensure the prompt and effective linkage of newly identified HIV+ persons of color to the care system and to support those in care toward successful treatment outcomes. The Council anticipates that the FY2000 Minority Initiative award of $102,000 will increase to $140,000 in FY2001.
Interested parties have through August 26 to review the plan and file any grievance regarding the process by which these decisions were made.
For more details about this report, the prioritization process, the Ryan White CARE Act through which the bulk of the Council's funding is granted, or for information on how to file a formal grievance or apply for Council membership, please contact Jim Jorgenson, Planning Council Coordinator at (206) 205-5511 or by click here to send an email.
HIV/AIDS Program staff at Public Health - Seattle & King County will be developing a request for proposal by which non-profit agencies can apply to utilize these funds during the 2001 contract period, which runs from March 1, 2001 through February 28, 2002.
For information on the application process, application materials, or scheduled bidders' conferences, contact Jeff Natter at (206) 205-5506.
Additional Information:
The document below outlines the allocation increments. Please note that this document is formatted in Adobe Acrobat PDF. You will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view it. To download the Reader program for free, click here.
