TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager, or designee, to execute a first amendment, and any subsequent amendments, to the current agreement between the City of Long Beach and the State of California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS, to extend the term of the agreement for the provision of HIV/AIDS health care services through March 31, 2016, and to add $2,382,301, for a total agreement amount of $3,049,931. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
For the past 26 years, the California Department of Public Health, Office of AIDS (State) has contracted with the City, through the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide the HIV Care Program (HCP), formally known as the HIV Early Intervention Program (EIP). The HCP provides quality of life enhancement to those individuals infected with, and affected by, HIV. Integrated into the HCP services is the Minority AIDS Initiative (MAl) which provides additional funding to assist to prevent further transmission and reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS on racial and ethnic minorities.
The HCP provides comprehensive medical services including diagnostic testing, case management, health education, treatment coordination and advocacy, counseling and specialty referrals and other direct linkages to outside services as needed. The MAl portion of these services include treatment adherence, outreach, risk reduction and other services which assist HIV infected individuals with overcoming barriers that prevent linkage to and transition into care. Additionally the MAl brings individuals who have been newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, into medical care and assists those who fall out of care to overcome barriers and return to care. These funds also provide for enhanced partner counseling and referral services. These new funds will increase our client caseload by 100 unduplicated clients per year. The City of Long Beach still maintains a high incidence and rate of HIV disease, which necessitates and depends on this ongoing funding.
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