Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) Initiative

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The Indian Health Service (IHS), Office of Urban Indian Health Programs (OUIHP) announces an open competition for the 4-in-1 Title V grants responding to an Office of Minority Health, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) Initiative. This program is authorized under the authority of the Snyder Act and 25 U.S.C. 1652, 1653 of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, Public Law 94-437, as amended. This program is described at 93.193 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). This open competition seeks to expand OUIHP's existing Title V grants to increase the number of American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) with awareness of his/her HIV status. This will provide routine and/or rapid HIV screening, prevention, pre and post test counseling (when appropriate), and data collection. Enhancement of urban Indian health program HIV/AIDS activities is necessary to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the urban Indian health communities. The purpose of the announcement is to respond to the fact that communities of color have been disproportionately affected by HIV and the need exists for access to early testing, diagnosis, treatment and prevention services. Over the past decade, the AI/AN community has developed and maintained a higher rate of HIV than Caucasians. It has also been demonstrated that AI/ANs have a decreased longevity once diagnosed compared to other races/ethnicities. These supplements will be used to enhance HIV testing, including rapid testing and/or standard HIV antibody testing and to provide a more focused effort to address HIV/AIDS prevention, targeting some of the largest urban Indian populations in the United States. The nature of these projects will require collaboration with the OUIHP to: (1) coordinate activities; (2) participate in projects in other operating divisions of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resource and Services Administration and the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy; and (3) submit and share data on HIV/AIDS testing, treatment and education.

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