The New York State Department of Health is Making Awards to New York to Invest $1.88 Million to Prevent HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Gay and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men
ALBANY, N.Y. (May 26, 2010) – The New York State Department of Health (DOH) today announced $1.88 million in awards to support 12 contracts statewide to help address the prevention needs of gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM), a population that continues to be disproportionately impacted by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
According to an analysis by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of new HIV diagnoses among MSM in the United States is between 44 and 86 times greater than the rate for other men. Both nationally and in New York State, new HIV and syphilis diagnoses of gay and bisexual men outnumber those of cases from all other known risk categories combined. Between 2002 and 2008, new HIV diagnoses in New York State fell by 25 percent. New diagnoses fell over this period for men of all age and risk groups, except for MSM aged 13-29 and MSM of the same age group who were also drug injectors. In these two categories of young men, HIV diagnoses increased by 80 percent over the 2002 level.
"Even in difficult financial circumstances, New York State continues to make new prevention investments in populations that are disproportionately impacted by the epidemics of HIV, syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases" said State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, M.D. "We appreciate that CDC continues to provide us with new epidemiologic tools that quantify the impact of HIV and STDs on particular populations and help us target our resources wisely."
CDC says the rate of new HIV diagnoses for MSM was between 522 and 989 per 100,000 per year, as opposed to 12 per 100,000 for other men and 13 per 100,000 for women. The rate of primary and secondary syphilis among MSM was 46 times that of other men and 71 times that of women.
"These awards will supplement what is already a strong response to HIV and sexually transmitted diseases among New York State's gay and bisexual men," said Humberto Cruz, Director of DOH's AIDS Institute. "Due to our tremendous success in virtually eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV and dramatically reducing cases among injection drug users, we are left largely with an epidemic that is sexually transmitted and inextricably linked to syphilis and other STDs. In addition to MSM, we are still seeing too many cases among other groups, such as young women of color. Regardless or your gender or sexual orientation, if you are having unprotected sex outside of a truly monogamous relationship, you are at risk for HIV and STDs."
Of the total awarded, $1.31 million is from State funds and nearly $558,000 is from federal funds. The following is the list of awards:
| Agency | Award Amount | Location | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gay Men of African Descent | $350,000 | New York City | Brooklyn-based Comprehensive MSM Program |
| Ali Forney Center | $141,505 | New York City | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| Harlem United Community AIDS Center | $150,000 | New York City | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| Gay Men's Health Crisis | $150,000 | New York City | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| MOCHA Center | $150,000 | Erie County | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| MOCHA Center | $150,000 | Monroe County | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| Mid-Hudson Valley AIDS Task Force | $150,000 | Westchester County | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth | $149,696 | Nassau and Suffolk Counties | Programs for Young Gay Men/MSM of Color |
| MOCHA Center | $200,000 | Statewide | Capacity Building Network |
| Latino Commission on AIDS | $200,000 | Statewide | Capacity Building Network |
| AIDS Council of Northeaster New York | $40,000 | Albany County | Syphilis Elimination |
| Long Island LGBT Center | $40,000 | Nassau and Suffolk Counties | Syphilis Elimination |
