In 1991 NBA basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson announced that he was HIV positive. The following year, he was chosen for the U.S. Olympic team and used the spotlight to promote understanding about the epidemic.1

Other News In 1991

DDL (didanosine) is the second drug for the treatment of AIDS to be approved by the FDA.2

1991

First Grants Are Awarded Under New AIDS Bill

With ink barely dry on the new Ryan White CARE Act, HRSA distributed its first grants in April 1991. Working virtually nonstop, agency staff created grant guidelines, carried out administrative guidelines, and worked with funding applicants to build administrative structures as rapidly as possible. Staff also labored to ensure that funds were spent locally in a manner that would achieve the greatest impact.

“We really felt like we were doing some good,” says Shelly Gordon of HRSA, who remembers an early Sunday morning call to her home from a HRSA official. “We were excited about the work, so we did what we had to do,” she adds. “If that meant going in on Sunday or working late into the night, that’s what we did.”

First-year appropriations are summarized below.

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HRSA AIDS Programs Appropriations
Ryan White CARE Act Appropriations	FY 1991 Funding
Title I: (Part A) - Emergency Relief	$87,831,000
(STATE)	($87,831,000)
Title II: (Part B) - HIV Care	$87,831,000
Title III: (Part C) - Early Intervention	$44,891,000
Total Ryan White Funding	$220,553,000

Non-Ryan White Appropriations	FY 1991 Funding
Pediatric AIDS Demonstrations	$19,518,00
AIDS Education and Training Centers	$17,078,000
Facilities Construction (1610b)	$4,029,000
Total Non-Ryan White Funding	$40,625,000

Total HRSA Appropriations	FY 1991 Funding
Total:	$261,178,000