August 29, 2007

The Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) is pleased to announce it has been awarded Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) funding through the federal Health Resources and Services Administration.

MDCH is scheduled to receive $141,887 each year, for a three-year project period, beginning August 2007. MAI provides funding for activities to evaluate and address the disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities.

MDCH will use these funds to contract with AIDS Partnership Michigan (APM)-an experienced Detroit community-based organization-to increase access of eligible minority HIV positive releasing prisoners to the Part B AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) (and, as appropriate, other programs that provide prescription drug coverage), and increase access of eligible minority youth (aged 13-24) to the Part B ADAP, other prescription programs, and medical care and treatment services.

"In addition to continuing to fund current programs and working to contain costs, MDCH has a unique opportunity to support some of our most vulnerable citizens," said Janet Olszewski, MDCH Director. "Receiving this additional funding is an important step in addressing and reducing those health disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in Michigan."

These projects will focus on two separate populations. One project, Community Re-entry, targets HIV positive prisoners and their release from Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) facilities. Annually, MDOC facilities release approximately 70 HIV positive individuals in need of community-based, follow-up assistance that properly links released prisoners to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, other medication programs, and into medical care and treatment plans.

The other project, Youth Link, will link minority youth who are living with HIV to medical care and treatment services, including the ADAP. Activities will include: engagement - to establish trust, assess barriers to accessing medical care and ADAP services including mental/emotional challenges and substance use, provision of HIV education/information; stabilization - linkage to HIV case management services to address basic needs of food, clothing and housing; transitioning- linkage to appropriate medical care services including escorting into the medical care setting; and recruitment of successful peer models to provide ongoing mentoring and support particularly as it relates to retention in medical care and treatment adherence.

Services will be provided primarily in the metropolitan Detroit area, including the city of Detroit and contiguous counties.