The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), awarded $1,808,416 to expand access to HIV care, treatment, medication, and prevention services in Oklahoma.

HRSA awarded $1,058,416 to four health centers in Oklahoma with service delivery sites in geographic locations. These awards are part of a program to reduce the number of new HIV infections in the United States by 90 percent by 2030.

The money will go to Community Health Connection Inc. in Tulsa ($257,845) and Morton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. ($257,680). Two groups in Oklahoma City also got funding.

“HRSA is a leader in working to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.,” said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.

HRSA’s Health Center Program awards will be used to identify at-risk individuals in Oklahoma and engage in prevention services, test for HIV, and prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) where appropriate. Awards made to HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program recipients will be used to link people with HIV who are either newly diagnosed, or diagnosed but currently not in care, to essential HIV care, treatment, and support services, helping them reach viral suppression and reduce HIV transmission.

Nationally, HRSA awarded $117 million to 48 counties, Washington, D.C., and San Juan, Puerto Rico, areas where more than 50 percent of new HIV diagnoses occurred in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, Oklahoma is among seven states identified with a substantial rural HIV burden.