HIV and Hispanic/Latino Gay and Bisexual Men: What CDC Is Doing

CDC is pursuing a high-impact HIV prevention approach to maximize the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and strategies. Funding state, territorial, and local health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop and implement tailored programs is CDC’s largest investment in HIV prevention. This includes longstanding successful programs and new efforts funded through the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. In addition to funding health departments and CBOs, CDC is also strengthening the HIV prevention workforce and developing HIV communication resources for consumers and health care providers.

  • Under the integrated HIV surveillance and prevention cooperative agreement, CDC awards around $400 million per year to health departments for HIV data collection and prevention efforts. This award directs resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need, while supporting core HIV surveillance and prevention efforts across the US.
  • In 2019, CDC awarded $12 million to support the development of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. plans in the nation’s 57 priority areas. To further enhance capacity building efforts, CDC uses HIV prevention resources to fund the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) with $1.5 million per year to support strategic partnerships, community engagement, peer-to-peer technical assistance, and planning efforts.
  • In 2020, CDC awarded $109 million to 32 state and local health departments that represent the 57 jurisdictions across the United States prioritized in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. This award supports the implementation of state and local Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. plans.
  • Under the cooperative agreement for CBOs, CDC awards about $42 million per year to 96 CBOs to implement program components that align with key strategies of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. This award supports the development of new, and enhancement of existing strategies focused on populations disproportionately affected by HIV.
  • In 2017, CDC awarded nearly $11 million per year for five years to 30 CBOs to provide HIV testing to young gay and bisexual men of color and transgender youth of color, with the goal of identifying undiagnosed HIV infections and linking those who have HIV to care and prevention services.
  • In 2019, CDC awarded a cooperative agreement to strengthen the capacity and improve the performance of the nation’s HIV prevention workforce. New elements include dedicated providers for web-based and classroom-based national training, and technical assistance tailored within four geographic regions.
  • CDC reviews and synthesizes national surveillance data and identifies best approaches for scaling up comprehensive HIV care and services.
  • CDC’s Prevention Research Synthesis (PRS) Project identifies evidence-based interventions and best practices through ongoing systematic reviews. The PRS Project has identified several interventions for Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men in its Compendium of Evidence-Based Interventions and Best Practices for HIV Prevention:
    • HOLA en Grupos examines HIV prevention strategies and teaches Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men how to prevent HIV and other STDs.
    • No Excuses (Sin Buscar Excuses) reinforces HIV prevention messages and encourages Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men to talk about strategies to increase safer sex.
    • STYLE (Strength Through Livin’ Empowered) promotes HIV testing, supports outreach to youth-serving venues, and coordinates medical support for young Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men with HIV.
  • Through its Let’s Stop HIV Together (Detengamos Juntos el VIH) campaign, CDC offers English and Spanish resources about HIV stigma (estigma), testing (prueba), prevention (prevención), and treatment (tratamiento). Our Spanish campaign resources are created in Spanish or transcreated (tailored and recreated) to meet the cultural needs of Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men. This campaign is part of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative.
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