Local support services for residents infected with HIV hang in the balance as Congress deliberates a stop-gap spending package this week to continue funding the crucial government services and programs.
The Project of the Quad Cities Development Director, Tyler Mitchell, says the non-profit relies on grant funding from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) to provide healthcare and services to LGBTQ+ residents.
The future of the RWHAP is unknown as the Senate has until Friday night to vote on the bill already approved by the House this week, which would continue its funding through the Health and Human Services Department.
The program started in 1990 when Congress passed the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act to financially assist individuals infected with the disease who are low-income, uninsured and underinsured.
The Act honors Ryan White, who was diagnosed with HIV after a tainted blood transfusion when he was 13 years old. White was subsequently expelled from his school and, until his death at age 18, advocated for AIDS research. White shocked the nation at a time when millions of LGBTQ+ Americans were dying from the disease with little media coverage and government intervention.
The legislation was reauthorized multiple times, until it expired in 2013, but Congress has still provided funding each year.
Mitchell said the funding accounts for nearly 40% of the non-profit’s grants.
“[W]hat it comes down to, this has an impact on real human lives,” Mitchell said. “We can talk all we want about the high figures and the dollar signs, right? But these are services that are going to human beings who are already in vulnerable positions. And we want to continue to support them. So that they can live the lives that they deserve to live.”
These services include access to medication, housing, transportation and caseworkers who help individuals as they adapt to living with the virus.
Mitchell said the organization’s goal is to end new transmissions of HIV in the Quad Cities.
“We've made excellent progress in that fight,” Mitchell said. “But we also find ourselves now at an important crossroads where, not just here in the Quad Cities but nationally, we'll have to decide, you know, are we going to continue to fight HIV in this way? Or, are we going to abandon the fight from a funding standpoint? And the consequences of that could be absolutely dire. Not just for people living with the virus right now, but for those across our community.”
Following the interview, in an email statement to WVIK Wednesday, March 12th, Mitchell said “At this juncture, the most likely outcome will be flat funding of HIV services. While this does maintain service provision, it does so to a limited degree as costs continue to increase and the need for resources grows.”
He stresses the organization is still providing the same care to people in need. In fact, the non-profit is starting a new harm reduction support group open to the public.
“It's actually called the Calm Within Harm Reduction Support Group,” Mitchell said. “And so, this will be happening actually every Thursday at The Project from 3 to 4 p.m. And it is a drop-in style. So, what that means is you don't need to register in any way. You can just show up. It is free. Insurance is not required. We're not asking people for their information, right? The intent of this group is to help folks who might be using substances in order to cope and to really focus on building confidence and coping skills and to do so in a supportive and confidential environment”
WVIK asked Mitchell if The Project was seeing an increase of individuals seeking care from Iowa. He responded that the Project will not share specific numbers to protect their privacy. Mitchell did mention LGBTQ+ residents are reaching out after Iowa passed legislation amending its civil rights code to not include protections for gender identity, affecting trans people.
“[I]f you are a trans person, intersex or non-binary, right, that can impact you mentally to know that that is happening, you know, in a state just across the river. And so for people in our community, you know, this is not an easy moment in which we find ourselves. And our community has been through such tremendous challenges in the past that for me personally, I try to cling to that sense of hope to carry us forward.”
This story was produced by WVIK, Quad Cities NPR. We rely on financial support from our listeners and readers to provide coverage of the issues that matter to the Quad Cities region and beyond. As someone who values the content created by WVIK's news department, please consider making a financial contribution to support our work.
