HHC Among First To Receive Grant From
NY State Health Foundation

City’s Public Hospitals to Study Best Way to Expand HIV Testing

New York City – January 25, 2006 –The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) today announced the award of a grant from the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) funding a study of the most effective methods of expanding HIV testing.

NYSHealth, established by the State of New York with charitable funds from the privatization of Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield is in its first year of operation. On January 24, 2007, the foundation announced that HHC was among its first 23 grantees. The $73,554 grant will support a project to evaluate HIV expanded testing practices, including analyzing the different staff types, hours of operation, and clinic setting, in order to identify which approaches have been the most successful in maximizing limited resources. The evaluators will make recommendations to HHC on how best to integrate HIV testing into routine medical care settings.

James R. Knickman, President and CEO of NYSHealth said, “Twenty five percent of people who are infected with HIV do not know it. In fact, according to New York City health officials, each year more than 1,000 city residents only find out they have HIV when they come down with an AIDS-related illness. Clearly, there’s an urgent need for more testing and this project aims to identify the best models to accomplish that end, an invaluable contribution to health care providers everywhere.”

“The public hospitals are making HIV tests part of routine medical care to lessen the stigma that is sometimes associated with HIV testing and help reach more New Yorkers who may have the disease and not know it,” said HHC President, Alan D. Aviles. “By aggressively expanding testing to our Emergency Departments, and various out-patient clinics we are trying to reach more women, seniors and teens who may not consider themselves at risk. This grant will help us identify best practices and methods of providing HIV tests and allow us to connect our patients to treatment early.”

HHC currently serves about 19,000 HIV/AIDS patients – about one fifth of the more than 96,800 people known to be living with HIV/AIDS in New York City.

NYSHealth makes grants that reflect its three-part mission to (1) expand health insurance coverage to the 2.8 million state residents without it, (2) increase access to high-quality health care services to vulnerable populations, and (3) improve public and community health by educating New Yorkers about health concerns and by empowering communities to address them.

HHC is the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country—a $4.9 billion public benefit corporation that serves 1.3 million New Yorkers and nearly 450,000 who are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and nearly 100 community based clinics. For more information about HHC, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc.