Thank you to Dawn Fukuda, Director of the DPH HIV/AIDS Bureau for to outlining cuts to the HIV/AIDS Line Item for FY 2011. Here is a summary of those reductions, as outlined by DPH.

There is a total reduction of $2.2 million ($1.7 FMAP loss and $500,000 reduction through the usual state budget process). The AIDS Bureau looked “at internal efficiencies first, then non-direct service investments, and then direct service investments”. Dawn has stated that ”the objective is to absorb the reduction and limit the harm to clients (persons living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS) to the greatest extent possible. In the case of direct care contract reductions or eliminations these were limited to under $300,000.”

Amounts are rounded:

• $500,000 reduction to the total amount of resources allocated in the FY11 HIV/AIDS Prevention & Screening procurement. (This already happened in relation to this procurement.)

Elimination of OHA internal staff positions:

• $155,000 Elimination of two (2.0 FTE) positions in the Office of HIV/AIDS

Reduction to Medical Supplies purchases

• $300,000 Reduction in the Office of HIV/AIDS Medical Supplies line for condom purchases. A policy has been implemented to strictly limit distribution of free condoms to non-funded agencies.

Reduction in training and logistics support

• $625,000 of reductions to training, capacity building, and logistics contracts and subcontracts across four agencies

Elimination of the Service Coordination Collaborative (SCC) system

• $375,000 elimination of the SCC system compromised of nine agencies with a total of eleven contracts.

Direct care contract reductions

• $260,000 of reductions to direct care contracts in the areas of residential support services and non-medical case management for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Please contact Dawn Fukuda if you have specific questions about these cuts at dawn.fukuda@state.ma.us