HIV Care Program

HIV Care (Ryan White Part B) Program

Overview

In Georgia the Ryan White Part B Program is administered by the Division of Public Health, Office of Essential Preventive Clinical Services, HIV Unit. The HIV Unit contracts with 16 Ryan White Part B consortia and several agencies to deliver HIV/AIDS services throughout the state. The consortia are responsible for planning and prioritizing the delivery of HIV services in their respective geographic areas. The District Health Offices administer Ryan White Part B funds and are the lead agencies in the respective consortia. All consortia provide primary care services. Support services are prioritized by the consortia, using needs assessment data, and funded based on the availability of resources. Part B funds also fund the Georgia AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and Health Insurance Continuation Program (HICP), which provide medications and health insurance coverage.

Eligibility Criteria

To receive Ryan White Part B services, a client must be a Georgia resident, HIV positive or affected, have no other payer source, and an income below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. Georgia Part B contractors screen clients for eligibility through a financial screening process that requires the client to present verification of documents. Documentation of the client’s available resources is assessed at the initial clinic visit and documented in the client’s record and is reviewed every six (6) months. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program requires that Ryan White funds are the payor of last resort.

Services

Part B funds must be used to fund 75 percent of “core medical services” which include outpatient and ambulatory health services; ADAP; AIDS pharmaceutical assistance; oral health care; early intervention services; health insurance premium and cost-sharing assistance; home health care; medical nutrition therapy; hospice care; community based health services; substance abuse outpatient care; and medical case management, including treatment adherence services.

The remaining 25 percent of funds must go to support services that are needed for people living with HIV/AIDS to achieve their medical outcomes, such as respite care, outreach services, medical transportation, linguistic services, and referrals for health care and support services.

For a list of core and support services, see the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act, Core Services.

Grant Allocation Tables

Contact: HIV Care Program Manager, (404) 463-2453

Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act

In response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States, Congress first enacted the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in August 1990 to improve the quality and availability of care for low income, uninsured, or underinsured persons living with HIV/AIDS and families affected by HIV/AIDS. The CARE Act was amended and reauthorized in May 1996 and in October 2000. In December 2006, the CARE Act was reauthorized again and renamed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006, commonly referred to as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.

The new law changed how Ryan White funds can be used. Key changes in the most recent legislation included:

• More money will be spent on direct health care for Ryan White clients. Under the new law, grantees receiving funds under Parts A, B, and C (formerly called Titles I, II and III) must spend at least 75 percent of funds on “core medical services.”
• The new law recognizes that HIV/AIDS has had a devastating impact on racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. African Americans accounted for 49 percent of all HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed in 2005. The new law codifies the Minority AIDS Initiative for HRSA's Ryan White programs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Health Resources, and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) administers the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which funds several programs (Parts A, B, C, D, and F).

• Part A provides grants to 22 Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) and 34 Transitional Grant Areas (TGAs) disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Part A grants fund medical and support services.
• Part B provides grants to States and Territories to improve the quality, availability, and organization of HIV/AIDS health care and support services. Part B also provides medications through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).
• Part C supports outpatient HIV early intervention services and ambulatory care. Grants are awarded directly to service providers. Part C also funds planning and capacity building grants.
• Part D grants provide family-centered comprehensive care to children, youth, women, and their families.
• Part F grants fund the AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Program, Dental Programs, and Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Program.
• The AETC Program supports education and training of health care providers through a network of regional and national centers.
• Dental Program consists of two programs: the HIV/AIDS Dental Reimbursement Program, which reimburses dental schools, hospitals with postdoctoral dental education programs, and community colleges with dental hygiene programs for uncompensated costs incurred in providing oral health treatment to persons living with HIV/AIDS; and the Community Based Dental Partnership Program, which supports increase access to oral health care providers by providing HIV/AIDS education and clinical training for dental care providers.
• SPNS Program supports the demonstration and evaluation of innovative models of HIV/AIDS care delivery for hard-to-reach populations.

For more information regarding the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program see the HRSA, HIV/AIDS Bureau website.