Washington, D.C., Health Department Announces $700,000 in HIV/AIDS Grants

The Washington, D.C., Department of Health on Friday announced $700,000 in grants to support HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment services citywide, the Washington Post reports. The health department also announced that groups providing such services to residents east of the Anacostia River in wards seven and eight will receive $50,000 each. According to the Post, the health department is calling on groups citywide to provide HIV/AIDS services to specific populations -- including those who are homeless, hearing-impaired or transgender and HIV-positive women returning from prison -- using a model developed by the Ward 7 Collaborative. The collaborative is a partnership of eight groups and the health department formed to fight HIV/AIDS in the community. Groups participating in the new program will receive $20,000 in grants, the Post reports. According to the Post, an additional $300,000 will be used to implement training and assistance with grant writing. The city will provide groups serving specific populations with six months of training on how to improve their services, and organizations will receive assistance in writing grants to obtain federal and private funds. "What we are doing is talking about putting the money in the hands of organizations ... who know how to do outreach," Mayor Adrian Fenty said, adding, "We never thought we could, and know that we can't, do this alone." Jatrice Martel Gaiter -- president of Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. -- said the Ward 7 Collaborative has filled a gap for the district by using groups that "have been in the community for decades," adding, "This is a real grass-roots organization. We have a health crisis in this community, and it means things have to change." Effi Barry -- who works on special projects for the Administration for HIV Policy and Programs and coordinates the Ward 7 Collaborative -- said, "These groups were competing for the same pot of money, but these organizations came together and they bonded" (Stewart, Washington Post, 3/10).