Twenty community organizations will receive $15,000 each for community-driven innovative solutions to address the needs of people aging with HIV or long-term survivors in rural and urban areas.
These funds are part of the first phase of two challenges worth a total of $1 million that focus on HIV and aging and long-term survivors. The two challenges were organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), and the Administration for Community Living (ACL).
The two challenges are:
- “Innovations for Needs of People Aging with HIV/Long-term Survivors in Urban Communities” Challenge
- “$500,000 Rural HIV and Aging Challenge”
These efforts support innovations that help improve health outcomes for people aging with HIV and long-term survivors, particularly among racial and ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ populations.
Each challenge is split into two phases. The first phase, which is referenced above, awards winners $15,000 each for their design of concept. In the second phase, these winners will begin the development of solutions and small-scale testing of their concepts.
“These community-driven solutions focus on the needs of older adults living with HIV to address their non-biomedical needs, such as nutrition, social isolation, and peer and caregiver support. These solutions can be highly effective in improving their overall health and well-being,” said Kaye Hayes, MPA, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Infectious Disease & Director, OIDP.
The challenges are funded by the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund (MHAF), which aims to improve HIV prevention, care, and treatment for racial and ethnic minorities through supporting innovative solutions that address critical emerging needs. MHAF also works to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of federal investments in HIV programs and services for racial and ethnic minorities. The challenges are also part of actions identified in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Federal Implementation Plan.
“We offered both a rural and urban challenge seeking effective community-based solutions because different communities often require a different approach,” said Edwin Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, ACL.