June 27, 2007

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is pleased to announce that four awards, totaling $359,000, have been granted to health care facilities dedicated to reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS by providing screening services in areas in Michigan hit hardest by the disease.

The recipients include the St. John's Health Systems of Detroit ($77,644), the Sinai-Grace Hospital of Detroit ($81,140), the Hurley Medical Center of Flint ($100,000), and the Center for Family Health of Jackson ($100,000).

"Promoting HIV testing in high prevalence communities is vital in making individuals aware of their own status and in preventing the spread of HIV to others," said Janet Olszewski, MDCH Director. "We estimate that only 39.5 percent of all Michigan adults aged 18-64 years have ever been tested for HIV and we would like to see that number increase."

MDCH estimates that up to 17,000 Michigan residents are infected with HIV. Roughly one-quarter of these individuals do not know that they are HIV-infected. Each year, approximately 800 Michigan residents are diagnosed with HIV. The annual number of cases diagnosed has remained approximately level for the past five years. At the same time, the number of individuals living with HIV or AIDS in Michigan has been steadily increasing due to the availability of effective medical treatments for HIV disease.

Pursuant to recommendations made by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MDCH supports and encourages implementation of voluntary HIV screening as a routine part of care provided in health care settings where the prevalence of HIV is at least 0.1 percent.

HIV testing through screening programs in health care settings is an important strategy by which to increase the number of individuals who know their infection status and, if found to be HIV-infected, are linked to needed care, prevention, and support services funded by MDCH. To support implementation of HIV screening in high prevalence health care settings, the Michigan Department of Community Health issued a Request for Applications (RFA) to support planning for, and initial implementation of, HIV screening in high prevalence health care settings.

For more information on HIV screening in health care settings, please visit http://michigan.gov/documents/mdch/Routine_Testing_MDCH_Position_Statement_final_3-14-07_193176_7.pdf. For general information regarding HIV, please visit http://www.michigan.gov/mdch/0,1607,7-132-2940_2955_2982---,00.html.