Blog: Helping Rural and Urban Communities Better Serve People Aging with HIV

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Helping Rural and Urban Communities Better Serve People Aging with HIV  By Andrea Callow, Office for Policy Analysis and Development   If you have an idea for how communities can better support people who are aging with HIV, you could win funding to make it a reality. HHS is looking for interventions and solutions that can be scaled up or down or adapted by communities across the country. Whether rural or urban, most individuals and organizations are eligible to win, and it’s easy to apply. Proposals are due January 31, 2023. Background:  Much has changed since the early years of the HIV epidemic, when life expectancy was months, not decades. Now, people with HIV are living and thriving well into later life. This is good news, but the specific needs of people aging with HIV may not always be well met by existing programs. ACL and the HHS Office for Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy have partnered to develop two national prize competitions, through Challenge.gov, that support innovative efforts that help improve health outcomes for people aging with HIV or long-term survivors, with a focus on racial/ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ populations, in either rural or urban communities.   These challenges are sponsored by the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, which aims to improve HIV prevention, care, and treatment for racial and ethnic minorities.  It’s easy to apply. Only a short video and a 2-page narrative are required. Community organizations, non-profits, and health care providers — as well as people unaffiliated with any group —  are encouraged to apply.  We encourage applicants to address interventions for LGBTQI+ individuals and people of color because these populations are disproportionately affected by HIV.  Some potential solutions to consider are ways to: Identify HIV and aging service integration interventions that improve health outcomes;  Reduce social isolation;  Address social determinants of health, particularly wellness through physical activity, nutrition, and health promotion programs; Reduce health disparities and health inequities among racial and ethnic minority populations and LGBTQI+ populations; Promote and provide employment and employment-related services and training; Expand communications and information dissemination on the issues and opportunities affecting the diverse aging HIV population; Evaluate scalability of existing approaches. The rural and urban competitions each have two phases. In the first phase, applicants submit a short top-line summary of their idea (two pages) and video (no longer than 10 minutes). Up to 10 winners will be selected to receive $15,000 prizes.  Then, in the second phase, the 10 phase-one winners of each competition will more fully develop their ideas with the support of group and individual coaching from subject matter experts. Up to five will be selected for a prize of $70,000 to fully expand their approach and prepare for implementation.  Because these are prize competitions, there are no reporting requirements, deliverables, or other restrictions associated with federal grants.  For more information, to register for updates about these challenges, and to apply, visit: Innovations for Needs of People Aging with HIV/Long-term Survivors in Urban Communities $500,000 Rural HIV and Aging Challenge Please send any questions to HIVAgingChallenge@hhs.gov.  ACL.gov   Advancing independence, integration, and inclusion throughout life

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