Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $2,144,080 to the Southern Nevada Health District to support the development and implementation of programs tailored to ending the HIV epidemic.
“We have made great progress in our efforts to address the HIV epidemic, but we still have a long way to go towards ending the epidemic. With Clark County having the highest rate of HIV cases in the state, these new funds bring critical resources to support quality care and treatment options to communities that need them the most. I’ll continue working in the Senate to secure additional federal funds for health centers across the state to bring the quality health care services our communities need.”
BACKGROUND:
Presently, Nevada ranks 18th in the nation for the number of individuals diagnosed with HIV. Nevada’s HIV profile is unique in that HIV infections span all age groups. Youth between the age of 13 to 24 account for 16% of new HIV diagnoses and the burden of new diagnoses is highest among those between the age of 25 to 34 (40%).
There are people living with HIV in all 17 counties in Nevada. Clark County has the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses (20.0 per 100,000 population) and the highest rate of people living with HIV and AIDS (460.1 per 100,000 people). Washoe County, the next populous county in Nevada, has the second highest rate of new HIV diagnoses (7.3 per 100,000 people) and rate of persons living with HIV and AIDS (282.6 per 100,000 people).
This grant funding program is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through funds made available by HHS. You can find more information here.
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