For Release:
   April 18, 2002

Clifton R. Lacy, M.D.
Commissioner

For Further Information Contact:
Laura Otterbourg or Dennis McGowan
(609) 984-7160

TRENTON - The Department of Health and Senior Services has been informed it will receive nearly $45.7 million in grant funding this year from Title II of the Ryan White CARE Act, a record amount from the fund that supports important programs and services for persons with HIV and AIDS. In federal fiscal year 2001, New Jersey received $43.5 million in Title II Ryan White CARE Act funding.

Health and Senior Services Commissioner Clifton R. Lacy, M.D. said the funds will be used to support vital state initiatives including the AIDS Drug Distribution Program (ADDP), local service planning, home care services, and health insurance continuation for persons with HIV and AIDS.

"We are particularly appreciative of the support Ryan White funds provide for our prescription program, ADDP," said Dr. Lacy. This year, the department expanded ADDP to allow residents with HIV free access to all medications approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. New Jersey is only the second state to offer this wide-ranging number of medications at no cost to HIV patients. More than 4,000 residents are currently enrolled in ADDP.

"With this expansion, no New Jersey resident with HIV will be denied medication because they cannot afford them," said Dr. Lacy. "Providing the best possible access to medication means prolonging lives and increasing quality of life for people with HIV."

Dr. Lacy said the Title II funding would also be used to support:

• Home health and nursing services for homebound persons with HIV and AIDS.



• Continuing health insurance for persons with HIV and AIDS who are about to lose coverage because they can no longer afford to pay the premiums.



• Local consortia - planning groups that identify health and social services needs for persons with HIV and their families - and essential programs and services including support groups, transportation, medical, nursing, dental, mental health, and substance abuse treatment and counseling services.



• Special initiatives such as discharge planning for persons with HIV about to be released from correctional facilities, outreach to under-served and hard-to-reach HIV positive individuals in order to bring them into care, ADDP quality assurance monitoring, and health outcome surveys.

For more information on these programs, call the AIDS Hotline at 1-800-624-2377, or visit the department's website at www.state.nj.us/health.

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