CDC cancels grant that funded free home test kits for HIV

Federal funding for a operation that used dating apps to connect people with free HIV home tests identifying nearly new cases since its start in has been canceled The Together Take Me Home project based at Emory University in Atlanta has delivered almost free home testing kits to people across the country through an easy-to-use website and integration with dating apps The Centers for Ailment Control and Prevention funded the project with about million to be granted over five years starting in The cancellation notice commented the CDC no longer has the staff to oversee the project declared Patrick Sullivan the project s lead scientist and professor at Emory s Rollins School of Constituents Fitness About employees of the CDC s HIV prevention division were fired in April gutting five of its branches The CDC fired around employees as part of a restructuring under President Donald Trump s executive order to eliminate waste in the federal authorities The CDC notified Emory in late April that funding for Together Take Me Home will end in September two years earlier than planned The venture has been effective in identifying and preventing HIV infection Sullivan revealed CDC staffing cuts have also resulted in a reduction in information published about HIV in the United States The latest figures issued in late April does not include information on HIV incidence or use of the HIV prevention drug PrEP due to a reduction in force according to a message posted on the CDC website Researchers use the input to track new cases and whether prevention efforts are working These are among the latest disruptions in HIV work under the new Trump administration People working on ending mother-child transmission of HIV were also fired from the CDC jeopardizing decades of progress Millions in federal grants have been cut to state and local healthcare departments universities and nonprofit organizations leading region groups across the South to cut back on their testing efforts At-home HIV test initiative exceeded expectationsThe Together Take Me Home project set a goal of mailing out at least home testing kits over the five-year period and had come close to meeting that with more than two years left on the grant The initial project really exceeded everyone s expectations Sullivan revealed The project also integrated with dating apps to reach people stated Jen Hecht of Building Healthy Online Communities a nonprofit partner in the project that has been working with dating apps on residents soundness initiatives for years About half of the site s users came from dating apps Hecht stated About a quarter of people who ordered testing kits disclosed testing themselves for the first time People liked the venture because it was easy free and discreet Hecht commented We identified that there were opportunities through the apps to reach people who ve never tested before And then in creating this effort we have been able to reach a huge number of people to test for the first time Hecht disclosed The effort had a particularly high reach in the South including in Georgia which has the second-highest rate of new HIV diagnoses in the United States after Washington D C Testing initiative provided privacy and informationThe tests which use an oral swab of the gums are delivered in discreet packaging People in the South who because of stigma choose not to go into selected of our AIDS organization organizations or clinics could now take control and still learn their HIV status in the comfort of their home declared Leisha McKinley-Beach founder and CEO of the Black Masses Strength Academy who has worked on HIV for more than years They don t have to worry about someone seeing them going into a clinic Eliminating this activity takes an option away from them she commented Being able to test at home means people don t have to take time off work she revealed The test kits also provide significant information If someone happens to be positive what are your next procedures and even if someone is negative materials for those who are on a journey to remain negative McKinley-Beach announced At-home testing is valuable to people in rural areas and for those who may not want their partner to know they are testing as in an abusive relationship mentioned Maximillian Boykin an HIV advocate who works for PrEP All Taking this away makes it even harder for us to help in the HIV epidemic and makes it even further away from the president s promise of ending the epidemic in Boykin disclosed During his first term Trump launched the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U S initiative with a goal of cutting new infections by by The initiative has steered guidance to the areas with the highest rates of HIV including DeKalb Cobb Gwinnett and Fulton counties in Georgia It has made progress with a reduction in new infections nationwide from to according to the CDC Together Take Me Home drew together partners like NASTAD a nonprofit membership organization representing populace medical leaders who work on HIV and hepatitis and Building Healthy Online Communities to create a website in English and Spanish where it takes just a sparse minutes to order a kit The testing kits provide guidance to people about next attempts if they test positive That website will have to be taken down when the funding ends in September Sullivan commented The CDC recommends that all Americans be tested for HIV at least once in their lifetime but only about a third are tested Sullivan reported Sullivan and Hecht reported they hope other funders might step in Especially for the South where we see the majority of new HIV diagnoses we want to provide absolutely every option available for people to be able to learn their HIV status McKinley-Beach commented It s very disheartening To find out where to get an HIV test near you visit https locator hiv gov Healthbeat is a nonprofit newsroom covering society vitality published by Civic News Company and KFF Physical condition News Sign up for their 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