By: Ranier Simons, ADAP Blog Guest Contributor
Federal funding cuts driven by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are ongoing, affecting many elements of healthcare infrastructure nationwide. Amidst all the uncertainty, chaotic communications, and inconsistencies currently experienced by federal departments, agencies, and institutions, it’s essential to illuminate the local impacts. Nationwide, community organizations and patient advocates are speaking out to amplify the impact of these potential HIV funding cuts on treatment and prevention services from a front-line perspective. What follows is local voices speaking to local impact.
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| Photo Source: Let's Kick ASS Palm Springs |
In Wisconsin, Vivent Health serves people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) with an integrated model of care, including both clinical and social services. The clinical services include medical, dental, mental health, and pharmacy. Holistic HIV treatment and prevention entails testing and providing access to medication as well as social service support such as food and housing security. Via contractual relationships with the state, Vivent Health receives approximately $1.9 million from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), with most of the funds supporting care in the Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin areas (Peralta-Arellano, 2025).
These funds are part of the approximately $1 billion in national funding for HIV testing, treatment, and prevention presently under scrutiny for significant cuts. Wisconsin does not have robust investment per capita in terms of public health; thus, the loss of funds would harm many of the communities Vivent Health serves. Bill Keeton, Vivent Health’s chief advocacy officer, explains, “At the end of the day, what it means is, if the $1.9 million in CDC-derived funding that Vivent Health receives goes away, we’re going to be unable to sustain the level of services and reach the number of people we need to reach to continue to successfully address the HIV epidemic in the state of Wisconsin. And that’s really unfortunate because we know that these programs are working” (Peralta-Arellano, 2025).
Marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by HIV and, thus, are disproportionately affected by funding freezes and cuts in funding. Columbus, Ohio-based Equitas Health system, which specializes in serving the LGBTQ community and PLWHA, is also alarmed at the potential for funding cuts (Johnson, 2025). The health system was already dealing with the effects of the Trump administration’s freeze on domestic and foreign aid in January. Announcements of HIV treatment and prevention cuts add urgency to the health system’s need to make plans to deal with the outcomes. According to David Munar, CEO of Equitas Health, “Ohio stands to lose not only the funding but also the ability to fight the epidemic in our state and curve the epidemic for our people.” He further explains, “Every case, every new infection means a lifetime cost of half a million dollars. So, it’s not even the human suffering, but economically, it’s also a big step back” (Johnson, 2025).
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| Photo Source: San Francisco AIDS Foundation |
Suffering setbacks in HIV prevention and treatment would result in an increase in preventable HIV infections as well as decreases in the rates of viral suppression. The negative ramifications of these adverse effects are multifocal, given that Ohio has several active HIV criminalization laws. Six laws have resulted in 214 HIV-related prosecutions from 2014-2020.
Palm Springs, California, is especially vulnerable to potential cuts in HIV funding due to its demographics. It has one of the largest populations of PLWHA in the country as well as many PLWHA who are aging. Palm Springs has the highest prevalence of gay men living with HIV who are 50 years of age or older (Murphy, 2025). Jax Kelly, President of Let’s Kick ASS Palm Springs (AIDS Survivor Syndrome), states, “As someone who has lived through the earliest years of the AIDS epidemic and now works closely with older adults aging with HIV, I can tell you plainly: these proposed cuts—and the chaos emanating from Washington—are retraumatizing long-term survivors and sparking real fear throughout our community.”
Kelly added, “Community health organizations are unsure how long they can continue offering stable care. Clients—many of whom rely on multiple safety net programs—are afraid their doctors will be taken away, their medications interrupted, and their lifelines severed.” Aging while living with HIV is uniquely stressful when faced with healthcare access challenges, in addition to potential cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Moreover, funding cuts could adversely impact clinical trials that are uniquely beneficial to aging PLWHA.
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| Photo Source: ACLU Georgia |
Georgia, one of the most heavily impacted states in terms of HIV, faces significant losses because of potential funding cuts. Ninety-five percent of Georgia’s budget for HIV prevention comes from federal funding through the CDC (Scaturro, 2025). If all the cuts go through, Georgia would lose $21 million of its $24.4 million HIV prevention budget.
ADAP Advocacy reached out to Jeff Graham, Executive Director of Georgia Equality (seen above in photo from 2004), for insight into the gravity of HIV funding cuts in the state. Graham stated, “The State of Georgia in general and the metro Atlanta area in specific have been especially hard hit with the number of new HIV diagnoses in recent years, especially among black communities. The Georgia Department of Public Health and most local health departments rely almost exclusively upon federal funds to conduct the surveillance and re-granting of funds that community-based organizations depend upon to do the front-line work that is so desperately needed.” He further explained, “Any cuts to federal funds will have a direct impact on those communities who are already facing challenges due to this administration's policies attacking people of color, transgender individuals, and LGBTQ serving organizations. We are not just looking at a probable increase in new HIV diagnoses. We are looking at the roll-back of decades of work addressing the root causes of HIV and AIDS in the South.”
In many aspects, it is sometimes difficult for people to understand how the actions of the federal government impact citizens’ daily lives. Elevating the plight of local communities navigating the ever-changing developments in HIV funding cuts colors the slashed numbers on a ledger with humanity.
[1] Johnson, C. (2025, April 2). HIV funding cuts will hinder Ohio treatment and prevention, LGBTQ+ health group says. Retrieved fromhttps://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/hiv-funding-cuts-will-hinder-ohio-treatment-and-prevention-lgbtq-health-group-says/ar-AA1C9iv9?ocid=socialshare
[2] Murphy, T. (2019, October 10). Living the Golden Years With HIV in Palm Springs, California. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thebody.com/article/living-the-golden-years-with-hiv-in-palm-springs-california
[3] Peralta-Arellano, M. (2025, April 2). Health organization in Milwaukee concerned over potential federal cuts to HIV prevention. Retrieved from https://www.wuwm.com/health-science/2025-04-02/health-organization-in-milwaukee-concerned-over-potential-federal-cuts-to-hiv-prevention
[4] Scaturro, M. (2025, March 21). Georgia could lose nearly all HIV prevention funds with proposed CDC cuts. Retrieved from https://www.ajc.com/news/health-news/georgia-could-lose-nearly-all-hiv-prevention-funds-with-proposed-cdc-cuts/2KIVL4R6QVBM5D56YF3XMIY6GA/
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