The Family Health Centers at NYU Langone Receives $2 Million CDC Grant to Expand Effective HIV Prevention

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Affirming the success of its HIV prevention programs and support strategies, the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone has received an additional five-year, $2 million grant through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Comprehensive High-Impact HIV Prevention Programs for Community Based Organizations.

The grant is part of a nationally recognized HIV treatment and prevention program called Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States and is awarded to programs that have made a significant impact on their community. The CDC funds are directed to community-based organizations to help develop new and enhance existing strategies focused on populations disproportionately affected by HIV, which include gay and bisexual men, people who inject drugs, and transgender individuals.

"This competitive grant validates the progress and potential of our outreach efforts to prevent HIV and support our community," says Larry K. McReynolds, executive director of the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone and clinical associate professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "Continuity is vital. Keeping up and enhancing the effective work that's already making a difference will change more lives for the better."

By using creative, pandemic-appropriate outreach strategies, like social media outreach, at-home HIV testing, and online support groups, the FHC strengthened its ability to reach those most in need of HIV prevention services. Over 18 months in 2020 and 2021, the program reached 69 percent of its target, at-risk population, an increase of 46 percent over the prior year. The proven effectiveness of the new FHC programs helped secure the additional funding.

"For more than 30 years, the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone has been at the forefront of HIV care and prevention," says Finn Schubert, network HIV program director at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone. "It's rewarding to see our impact grow, so we can help more Latinx, Black and LGBTQ New Yorkers who were most effected by the pandemic."

Prevention Programs at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone

The additional funds help bolster the current HIV prevention services offered by the FHC, which include to following:

• Social media and dating app outreach that enables community health workers to connect with at-risk potential patients where they are.
• Virtual pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiation and at-home HIV testing to facilitate access for individuals in the comfort of their own home.
• Weekly transgender Latinx support group led by a community advocate.
• HIV prevention partnership with Turning Point Brooklyn, which provides education, housing, and related services in the Sunset Park, Brooklyn, community.
• HIV prevention partnership with Brooklyn Community Pride Center, an LGBTQ services organization.
• Healthy relationships support groups, offering an opportunity for individuals living with HIV to share their experiences and with others.

Principally located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, one of the highest Medicaid-concentrated communities in the United States, the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone is a community-based program providing high-quality primary and preventive outpatient care to adults and children, regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance status. The program serves approximately 100,000 patients each year throughout Brooklyn and other parts of New York City.

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SOURCE NYU Langone Health