Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) is being implemented through collaboration among agencies and offices across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), leveraging scientific advances in HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care along with the programs and expertise of each agency and office.
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Under the leadership of ADM Brett Giroir, MD, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) leads this cross-agency initiative through the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), providing overall project coordination and management and by monitoring progress and delivering information through HIV.gov. OASH’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund further supports EHE activities that are designing and testing innovative solutions to address critical and emerging needs for HIV prevention, care, and treatment among communities of color.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works closely with state and local governments, communities, people with and at risk for HIV, as well as federal partners to expand the use of the highest-impact HIV prevention strategies: Diagnose; Treat; Prevent; and Respond. With resources from the HHS Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, CDC is working with state and local health departments to build the foundation for effective Ending the HIV Epidemic implementation efforts through jumpstart activities in three communities and EHE planning in all 57 Phase I jurisdictions. Using these tailored, community-driven plans, CDC is providing additional resources, technology, and expertise to help scale-up the use of the four strategies. Efforts focus on innovation and outreach to increase HIV testing in clinical and non-traditional settings; developing robust networks to rapidly link persons with HIV to clinical care and support services and re-link people who have fallen out of care; increasing awareness, delivery, and uptake of PrEP and comprehensive Syringe Service Programs; and building capacity to detect and respond quickly to potential HIV outbreaks. Read more about CDC’s EHE activities.
Health Resources and Services Administration
Through its Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and its Health Center Program, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) plays a critical role in diagnosing, treating, preventing and responding to the HIV epidemic. The Health Center Program is increasing HIV testing in the initiative’s 57 Phase I priority jurisdictions by conducting expanded outreach within their communities and increasing routine and risk-based HIV testing of health center patients. These health centers also are expanding access to PrEP for patients who are at risk of infection. HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is focusing on linking people living with HIV who are either newly diagnosed, or are diagnosed but currently not in care, to the essential HIV care, treatment, and support services needed to help them achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load. Read more about HRSA’s EHE activities.
Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service (IHS) provides health services to approximately 2.6 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from 573 federally recognized tribes in 37 states, through a network of over 605 hospitals, clinics, and health stations. As part of a comprehensive public health approach, the IHS focuses its EHE efforts on coordinating and promoting HIV prevention and treatment activities in the communities most impacted. In partnership with Native communities, the IHS promotes HIV, HCV, and STI testing, prevention, and treatment using innovative tools such as telehealth, electronic health record clinical reminders, and PrEP guidelines.
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through its 19 Centers for AIDS Research and six AIDS Research Centers at academic and research institutions nationwide, collaborates with community partners on research to determine optimal implementation of proven HIV treatment and prevention tools. NIH informs HHS partners on best practices, based on state-of-the-art biomedical research findings, and by collecting and disseminating data on the effectiveness of approaches. Read about the $11.3 million awarded in September 2019 to help enhance the implementation science knowledge base needed for the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is utilizing its expertise to address the intersection of HIV and substance use disorders and help ensure that appropriate and effective behavioral health interventions are implemented as part of the national plan to end the HIV epidemic in United States. SAMHSA’s ongoing efforts to increase providers of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for individuals with substance use disorder help control the spread of HIV and provide access for people who use drugs to HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. SAMHSA also works to increase access to syringe services programs (SSPs), reducing the spread of infectious diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C (HCV), via injection drug use. SAMHSA-supported activities serve as a bridge to MAT for opioid use disorder as well as other health services, including HIV and HCV diagnosis and treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).