Emerging Issues

Continuing efforts are needed to address the racial and ethnic disparities that persist in the areas of HIV and AIDS. HHS provides support to several initiatives aimed at reducing these disparities.

Through CDC, HHS is working to increase the proportion of HIV-infected persons who know about their infection by making testing routine in medical care settings and expanding testing in groups that may not have been tested previously.³²

Through HRSA, HHS is addressing these disparities by enhancing access to medications and care across the country. Individuals served through CARE Act-supported programs are from a disproportionately affected racial or ethnic population, primarily African American and Hispanic populations.²¹

Finally, the HHS-sponsored Minority AIDS Initiative supports programs that enhance HIV/AIDS efforts, which directly benefit these communities in three broad funding categories:³³

• Initiatives to increase access to prevention, care, and treatment services.
• Technical assistance, health system infrastructure support, and organizational capacity building.
• Building of stronger community linkages to address the HIV prevention and health care needs of specific populations.

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