The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it had awarded $2.2 billion in grants through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in fiscal 2015.
The program provides crucial health services, including dental care, to people living with HIV/AIDS who could not otherwise access them. The grants were awarded to cities, states, and local community-based organizations.
While many sections within the program use funds to provide oral health services, the program also includes two programs that focus on funding oral healthcare for people living with HIV:
- The HIV/AIDS Dental Reimbursement Program
- The Community-Based Dental Partnerships Program
The department awarded $8.8 million in grants through the reimbursement program and $3.5 million through the community-based program.
"Over the last quarter century, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program has played a critical role in the United States' public health response to HIV," stated HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell in a press release. "These grants will make a difference for the most vulnerable Americans who lack adequate healthcare coverage or financial resources to pay for treatment."
