Georgia receives $63.9 million in Ryan White funding

May 20 2009

Georgia has received $63.9 million in Ryan White Program grants to fund treatment and other services for people living with HIV, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Grant recipients include county health departments and community organizations. The funding will be used to provide outpatient health services, health insurance coverage and support services, such as transportation and housing. According to the Journal-Constitution, more than $1.79 billion in Ryan White funding was allocated nationwide.

Several HIV/AIDS organizations said that the funding is necessary to continue providing services for people living with the disease. Tracy Elliot, executive director of AID Atlanta, said that the funding is "critical," noting that more than 18,000 HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in Georgia. He continued, "We would have a lot of deaths without [the funding]. There would be significantly more illnesses without it and significantly more transmission of the disease without it." According to Elliot, "[m]edical treatment and medications are of no value if people cannot have access to them" (Poole, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/19).