Bill Keeton, Vice President, and Chief Advocacy Officer at Vivent Health (Photo/Vivent Health)
By Karen Stokes
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Health and Human Services is considering closing the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) HIV Prevention Division, which spent approximately $1.3 billion in the 2023 fiscal year on infection tracking and HIV prevention and testing efforts.
The CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention is one of the few federal agencies designed to help HIV prevention efforts at the local and state levels.
Approximately 4,000 people in and around Milwaukee are living with HIV.
Vivent Health is a multi-state nonprofit focused on HIV testing, treatment, and prevention, primarily serving low-income communities at higher risk.
“Prevention services are one of the core functions of the national response to HIV,” said Bill Keeton, Vice President, and Chief Advocacy Officer for Vivent Health. “Over the years they evolved to really be responsive to the local communities especially those groups within communities who are most vulnerable to HIV so groups like Vivent Health use the funding coming from the federal government to help deliver programs, services, intervention, and medications.”
Vivent operates in four states and receives more than $5 million in federal funding to provide HIV and STD prevention services. It also provides a variety of medical, dental, pharmacy, and mental health services to people living with HIV, according to wpr.org.
“The CDC funding that is being threatened here is typically granted to state and local health departments or community-based organizations that are doing the work on the ground to reach out directly to impacted communities. We know unfortunately that HIV has a disproportionate impact on folks in and around Milwaukee especially within the African American community and other communities of color in Milwaukee and folks in the LGBTQ community,” Keeton said.
“We help reach thousands if not tens of thousands of individuals in and around Milwaukee with free, anonymous, and confidential HIV tests,” he said. “We provide access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) which is a medication that helps prevent HIV acquisition by folks who might be exposed to the virus then we also provide things like safer sex kits. Those services are all made possible through the funding that’s at risk here.”
Nearly $2 million of that funding goes to the organization’s work in Wisconsin.
Since 1981, HIV has claimed over 700,000 lives in the United States. Federal data shows that more than 1.2 million Americans live with the virus, with about 13% unaware of their infection, contributing to its ongoing spread.
Keeton notes that funding has become more effective in reaching impacted communities but warns that cuts would have devastating consequences.
“During the time where we have seen reductions in HIV transmission diagnosis across the nation, I fear we will see increases,” he said.
The public is encouraged to take action against the cuts by contacting elected officials, including members of Congress and U.S. Senators to advocate for continued support and federal investment in these vital programs.