Proposed CDC HIV prevention funding cuts threaten progress in Alabama

Alabama’s HIV prevention efforts face a severe threat as significant funding cuts to the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention are under discussion. These cuts would have devastating consequences for the state’s ability to prevent new infections, provide life-saving resources, and protect public health.

Funding from the CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention—including from President Trump’s 2019 Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative—has been instrumental in supporting the Alabama Department of Public Health and community-based AIDS Service Organizations. These funds are used to:

• Collect, track, and analyze surveillance data to efficiently allocate limited resources.

• Provide critical testing, linkage, and referral services.

• Support biomedical prevention methods proven to reduce transmission.

• Prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

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• Offer essential education to curb new infections across the state.

HIV prevention SAVES taxpayer dollars. Each new case of HIV brings a lifetime cost of at least $500,000 per person and new cases each year will result in billions in new (and what could have been avoidable) costs for the U.S. healthcare system. Nationally there has been a 12% reduction in HIV incidence between 2018 and 2022. President Trump’s Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative at the CDC has resulted in a 21% reduction in HIV incidence in EHE jurisdictions (Alabama is one of 7 states wholly designated as an EHE Jurisdiction) compared to a 6% reduction in other local jurisdictions. Eliminating the EHE funding will result in 44,000 new HIV cases and cost $24 billion in lifetime HIV related medical costs.

“HIV prevention saves lives and taxpayer dollars,” said Landon Nichols, Chief Advocacy Officer for Five Horizons Health Services. “These proposed funding cuts would dismantle our ability to reach those in need before they receive a lifelong diagnosis. Prevention is one of the most effective tools we can leverage to end the HIV epidemic, and stripping these resources will have catastrophic consequences.”

Five Horizons Health Services is a nonprofit community-based organization, headquartered in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that provides services from the Alabama Wiregrass, through the Alabama Blackbelt, and across East Mississippi. FHHS strives to promote a healthy, compassionate, and educated community through our five pillars: Medical Care, Prevention Education, Supportive Services, Advocacy, and Research. With a team of highly-qualified staff, a broadly representative board of directors, and robust community partnerships, Five Horizons is positioned to effectively and efficiently meet the needs of the citizens we serve.

For more information, to support ongoing efforts to protect HIV prevention resources, or to get connected with HIV testing or care, please contact Landon Nichols at lnichols@fivehorizons.org or (334)386-0853.