Single Source Procurement: End of AIDS - Prime Care Initiative PrEP Specialists

Pursuant to New York State Finance Law § 163.10(b), The New York State Department of Health is presenting the following summary of relevant circumstances, and material and substantial reasons why a competitive procurement was not feasible.

In June of 2014, Governor Cuomo announced a three-point plan to end the AIDS Epidemic by reducing the number of new annual HIV infections below 750 by 2020. One of the cornerstones of this plan is the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to those at highest risk of contracting the virus in order to keep them HIV negative. Many community medical programs have expressed concerns about whether their medical staff will be able to provide adequate behavioral and adherence counseling needed for patients undergoing PrEP treatment, and have cited this concern in declining to initiate on-site PrEP programs. Grant enhancements would support a PrEP Specialist at each clinic site initiating the program. The PrEP Specialist would be responsible for:

  • Working with clinic staff to identify current patients appropriate for PrEP;
  • Educating potential patients about PrEP, and encouraging their participation in the program;
  • Providing behavioral and adherence counseling for clients receiving PrEP treatment;
  • Encouraging increased acceptance of PrEP by educating community residents and agencies about the clinic's program;
  • Conducting community outreach to increase the PrEP caseload;
  • Providing staff training for clinic personnel about PrEP; and
  • Ensuring patients are connected to and maintained in primary health care.

The Primary Care Initiative funds programs to provide a wide range of health care and supportive services including facilitated linkage to services. Development in the use of Truvada has supported the increased use for individuals at high risk of HIV infection and the addition of PrEP to the menu of evidence-based interventions to prevent HIV transmission would be a good match to the facilities currently funded. These medical providers serving high risk populations will ensure expanded use.

All state funded contractors that received awards through the AIDS Institute Primary Care Initiative's Request for Applications in 2009 - OSC Code: 12000GLN002 and all were offered an opportunity to initiate PrEP at one or more clinic sites through an enhancement to their contracts. These community medical providers, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, are best situated to serve the target population. Responses were received from all PCI contractors and all but one contractor agreed to initiate the program.

Procurement / Program Name End of AIDS - Prime Care Initiative PrEP Specialists
Contractor Name(s) Multiple – Please see attached.
Contract Period 6/1/2014 – 5/31/2015
Contract Number(s) C026240 – C026252