 On September 20, for the first time in the programâs nearly 40-year history, HRSA announced the first ever multi-vendor contract awards to modernize the nationâs organ transplant system to improve transparency, performance, governance, and efficiency of the organ donation and transplantation system for the more than 100,000 people on the organ transplant waitlist. This transition from a single vendor to multiple vendors to support OPTN operations is a critical step in advancing innovation in the transplant system to better serve patients and their families and implements the bipartisan Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act signed by the President in September 2023. HRSA has awarded separate contracts to reform the organ procurement and transplant network to support improving quality and patient safety, modernizing IT, bolstering communications with patients, and more. Read the release. |
 On September 19, HRSA announced $240 million in awards to launch and expand mental health and substance use disorder services in more than 400 community health centers across the country that care for more than 10 million people. Health centers are trusted community providers and a primary source of care for individuals across the country who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicaid â making them well-positioned to respond to the urgent need for behavioral health services that are high quality, stigma-free, culturally competent and readily accessible. These grants will help expand access to needed care to help tackle the nationâs mental health and opioid crises â two pillars of the Biden-Harris Administrationâs Unity Agenda for the nation. Read the release.  On Friday, September 27, HRSAâs Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program will observe National Gay Menâs HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This day is an opportunity to raise awareness about HIV stigma and to encourage HIV prevention and treatment among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Of the more than half a million clients receiving care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in 2022, nearly 42% are gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and 90.2% of are virally suppressed. This means they are taking their HIV medication, reaching viral suppression, and can live longer and healthier lives without fear of sexually transmitting HIV to their partners. Learn more. |
 On Tuesday, September 7, HRSA announced nearly $100 million in awards to grow, support, and strengthen the health workforce and improve access to quality care in high-need areas across the country. The announcement was made in conjunction with an HHS Health Workforce Roundtable convened as part of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerraâs Health Workforce Initiative. Read the release. |
 Time is running out to complete your 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment survey. The deadline has been extended to this Friday, September 20, and the survey link is available on the conference virtual platform. More than 6,500 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients, federal, national, state, and local organizations and partners, providers, HIV community leaders, and people with lived experience participated in the 2024 National Ryan White Conference between August 20-23, 2024, in Washington, DC. In total, the 2024 National Ryan White Conference, coordinated by HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau, featured more than 160 workshops, nearly 130 poster presentations, four plenary sessions, a special session with Ryan White's mother Jeanne White-Ginder, and several listening sessions. Additionally, the event included an exhibit hall with more than 40 organizations, including federal partners such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, HHS' Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, and HRSA's Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Bureau of Primary Health Care, and Division of Independent Review. Learn more. |
 This Hispanic Heritage Month, join HRSAâs Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs on Wednesday, October 2 from 1-2:30 p.m. ET for the next session of our Advancing Health Equity among Hispanic/Latino Populations series. The webinar will feature grantees from HRSAâs Rural Communities Opioid Response Program and Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program and highlight efforts to strengthen behavioral health services and reduce barriers to care for Hispanic/Latino populations, particularly in rural areas. The webinar will be broadcast in Spanish with live English translation. You can also watch past webinars in the series. |
 On September 18, HRSAâs Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recognized National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day to highlight the unique needs of people with HIV aged 50 and older. This is a day to raise awareness about HIV, address stigma and barriers to care, and encourage people 50 and older to get tested and know their status. People with HIV are now able to live longer, fuller lives because of highly effective treatments. Yesterday, HRSA and CDC recognized National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day with the release of a joint letter. Currently more than 48% of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients are aged 50 and older. Through this program, HRSA ensures that people aging with HIV receive comprehensive care that addresses both their medical and social needs. Last month, HRSA also released a new program letter focused on how Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients can support older adults, long-term survivors, and life-term survivors. Learn more about how you can support people aging with HIV. |
 HRSA Chief of Staff Garrett Devenney, Associate Administrator for Intergovernmental and External Affairs Antigone Dempsey, and Office of Tribal Affairs Director Juliana Blome represented the agency at the Secretaryâs Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) meeting in Tacoma, WA. The annual meeting is a critical opportunity for the Department to engage with Tribal Governments and work together on health programs and opportunities in Indian country.  HRSAâs HIV/AIDS Bureau highlighted efforts to end the HIV epidemic at the 2024 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS in New Orleans, Louisiana from September 12-15. The U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS is the HIV communityâs largest conference, and this yearâs theme was âSouthern Joyâ with a focus on improving HIV health outcomes in the South. HRSAâs HIV/AIDS Bureau Deputy Associate Administrator Heather Hauck and staff collaborated with federal partners, Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients, and HIV community leaders to spotlight efforts on community engagement, using implementation science within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and improving HIV health outcomes through collaborative approaches to public health. |
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