HRSA Launches New Resource and TA Center Initiative to Improve HIV Services for Black MSM

To align with the goals of both the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the 2013 White House HIV Care Continuum Executive Order, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) HIV/AIDS Bureau which, in partnership with HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau, will engage with community leaders, health departments, Black MSM organizations, and other key stakeholders to research, compile, and disseminate culturally and behaviorally appropriate models of HIV prevention and care for Black MSM.

“As the United States government, in partnership with our State, local, and community partners, continues to focus our efforts on achieving outcomes that move us toward the vision of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, it is exciting to learn of the announcement of this partnership between the HIV/AIDS Bureau of HRSA and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors,” said Douglas Brooks, Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

The Black MSM initiative aligns with the national goals of accelerating improvements in HIV prevention and care in the United States and reducing HIV-related disparities and health inequities. It is also a prime example of improved targeting of resources from the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund (SMAIF), managed by the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy (OHAIDP), to better serve the needs of vulnerable racial and ethnic minority populations; SMAIF provided $750,000 to support this program which will help to improve outcomes along the entire HIV care continuum for Black MSM.