Single Source Procurement: End of AIDS - PrEP in STD Treatment Settings

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 NYS, all county health departments provide core public health services, including STD services which are accessible and affordable to all county residents. The STD clinical staff that treat STD infections routinely are particularly well placed to identify individuals at high risk of HIV infection. Their patient population has a disproportionally high number of the hardest to reach population, young men of color who have sex with men (MSM). Young MSM have the highest rate of new HIV infections across NYS and do not routinely access health care. MSM and other individuals who believe they may have an STD are at high risk for HIV and the STD clinic may be their only point of contact with health care services such as PrEP. Fiscal support for the STD clinic PrEP prescribing model is urgently needed if we are to impact the spread of HIV and meet the governor's goal of decreasing new HIV infections in NYS to 750 by the year 2020.

DOH is requesting to fund 4 County DOH - STD Clinics to implement a program to prescribe PrEP. The high risk patient population will be targeted. This pilot will provide the opportunity to look at the unique challenges faced when prescribing PrEP in STD clinics instead of the primary care setting, where prescribing PrEP is more established. The 4 counties were chosen based on the rates of new HIV infections. A review of the rates of HIV infection in all NYS counties outside of NYC shows that these 4 counties, Monroe, Erie, Westchester and Onondaga, are ranked among the top 6 counties for highest number of new HIV infections. Nassau and Suffolk Counties are the other 2 counties with high rates of HIV infection, but in both counties, STD services are offered in primary care clinics rather than a "STD only" clinic. Therefore, Nassau and Suffolk Counties are not appropriate recipients of this funding.

Monroe, Westchester and Erie County STD clinics each have a small AIDS Institute contract in place to provide PrEP screening in their patient populations as well as outreach to their communities. We are proposing additional funding to each of these counties and Onondaga to expand their scope of services to include PrEP prescribing in their STD clinic. Expanding services would provide a point of access for PrEP to county residents who do not have access currently.

Procurement / Program Name	End of AIDS - PrEP in STD Treatment Settings
Contractor Name(s)	Multiple – Please See Attached.
Contract Period	4/1/2015 – 3/31/2019
Contract Number(s)	Multiple – Please See Attached.