Merck Company Foundation Launches $3 Million HIV Care Collaborative
Merck Company Foundation Launches $3 Million HIV Care Collaborative
The Merck Company Foundation has announced a three-year initiative to support public health departments in Atlanta, Houston, and Philadelphia working to improve access to care for people living with HIV.
Announced at the International AIDS Society's Conference on Sunday, the HIV Care Collaborative for Underserved Populations in the United States will award up to $1 million each over three years to the Atlanta/Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness, the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, and the City of Philadelphia Department of Public Health to expand their existing efforts and foster new approaches to serving people living with HIV/AIDS. With support from George Washington University's School of Public Health and Health Services, the three city health departments also will work independently to tackle problems among local providers and health systems while meeting on a regular basis to discuss the common and unique challenges they face.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than a million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, while a third of Americans with known HIV infections are not receiving care. Indeed, between 20 percent and 40 percent of patients fail to connect with care within six months of receiving an HIV-positive diagnosis.
"Too many people living with HIV/AIDS are not getting the health care they need to stay healthy and contribute to healthy communities," said Merck Company Foundation president Geralyn S. Ritter. "Merck has a long-standing commitment to expanding access to health care and helping respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the HIV Care Collaborative reinforces this commitment here in the United States."
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