Higgins: $2.2 million for Evergreen Health

Announced on World AIDS Day

√ Over $731,000 in annual funding will support primary care for people living with HIV

Congressman Brian Higgins announced $2.2 million over three years in federal monies for Evergreen Health. Funding in the amount of $731,362 will be provided to Evergreen annually through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Early Intervention Services Program.

“The personalized health care treatment and support services provided by Evergreen Health are allowing Western New Yorkers living with HIV to lead long and meaningful lives,” Higgins said. “This funding will continue these valuable services in our community.”

The federal funding is allocated to Evergreen Health through the Ryan White Part C Outpatient EIS Program, which distributes funding to community-based organizations, health centers and health care facilities to provide comprehensive primary medical care and support services in an outpatient setting for low-income individuals living with HIV. Evergreen provides HIV medical care to 1,700 patients.

“We are deeply proud of Evergreen Health’s longstanding work for and commitment to the needs of people living with HIV, including our work to be at the forefront of the evolving field of treatment, including our early adoption of rapid access to HIV Care,” said Matthew Crehan Higgins, associate vice president of specialty care at Evergreen. “This funding will allow us to continue and enhance our efforts to make sure that all people living with HIV are able to access the medical care they need.”

Congress approved the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in 1990 to address the HIV crisis, and it has been reauthorized and supported by Higgins in subsequent years to continue vital programs. In 2019, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program served 567,803 people through program providers across the U.S.

The grant was announced on World AIDS Day, an observance dedicated to raising awareness and coming together in the fight against HIV.

Higgins’ team said, “Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. and 38 million people worldwide are living with HIV. Great progress has been made in HIV treatment since the first World AIDS day in 1988, thanks in part to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. This year’s World AIDS Day theme is: ‘Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice.’ ”

Evergreen Health delivers a range of medical and behavioral health services including primary care and HIV testing and is the leading provider of HIV prevention drug PrEP in Western New York. For more information, visit www.evergreenhs.org.