Grantee Name
Amida Care, Inc.
Funding Area
Special Projects Fund
Publication Date
July 2013
Grant Amount
$75,000
Grant Date:
October 1, 2011 – September 30, 2012
New York City has one of the highest rates of new HIV/AIDS cases in the nation. The boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx comprise 64% of all HIV/AIDS cases in the State alone.
Some HIV-positive New Yorkers experience complex health needs and face an array of barriers to treatment, including homelessness, poverty, racism, stigma, addiction, homophobia, mental illness, and/or incarceration. Thus, many HIV-positive New Yorkers view HIV/AIDS treatment as a lower priority when compared to more immediate needs.
In order to reach these difficult-to-access populations, Amida Care devised a plan to use mobile engagement teams (METs) in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx to work with individuals who are dually or triply diagnosed as HIV-positive and with co-occurring mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The METs built off a collaboration called AmidaCONNECT, which attempted to combine access to primary care for HIV-positive New Yorkers who were not receiving treatment with a stronger service system. Amida Care received a three-year Social Innovation Fund grant from AIDS United, in the amount of $395,000 per year, to fund this project.
In 2011, NYHealth awarded Amida Care a $75,000 matching grant to support the initial enrollment period of the three-year initiative.