The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene AIDS Administration received $2.7 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boost HIV testing in the state, particularly among black communities.
“These funds will enable the Maryland AIDS Administration to nearly triple the number of free HIV tests,” DHMH Secretary John M. Colmers said in a statement. “The administration will also be able to link many more newly diagnosed Marylanders to HIV care services.”
The money is intended to help reach at-risk populations of people who don?t have regular access to health care or STD clinics.
Maryland ranks third among U.S. states in rate AIDS cases. An estimated 32,000 Marylanders living with HIV or AIDS have been diagnosed and received treatment. Another 10,000 are thought to be living with HIV and not aware of their status. Blacks have been most heavily affected by HIV and AIDS, both in Maryland and nationally.
Currently Maryland provides for 65,000 to 75,000 tests per year.
