HIV HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLANNING COUNCIL
OF NEW YORK
Thursday, May 22, 2025
3:00-5:20pm
By Zoom Videoconference
M I N U T E S
Members Present: D. Klotz (Governmental Co-chair), D. Martin (Community Co-chair), B. Fields (Finance Officer), R. Babakhanian, R. Brown, G. Bruckno, P. Carr, V. Decamps, J. Edwards, R. Ford, R. Fortunato, L. Francis, J. Goldenbridge, S. Hemraj, R. Henderson, M. Maia Soares, N. Martin, L. F. Molano, MD, J, Natt, C. Nuñez, J. Palmer, G. Plummer (ex-officio), L. Richberg, M. Rodriguez, L. Sabashvili, J. Schoepp, M. Sedlacek, S. Stallings, T. Troia
Members Absent: M. Bacon, M. Baney, M. Caponi, L. Cyrus, J. Dudley, M. Gilborn, E. Kaywin, F. Laraque, W. LaRock, H. Martinez, B. Montes, J. Roman, S. Safo, MD, A. Tomlin, G. Ty
Staff Present: DOHMH: D. Saab, M. Navejas, S. Spiegler, J. Acosta, G. Gambone, T. Leong-Pelrine, A. Omeyoma, K. Mack, T. Leong-Pelrine, H. K. Muk; Public Health Solutions: B. Silver, A. Shahi
Agenda Item #1: Welcome/Introductions/Minutes/Announcements
Mr. Martin and Mr. Klotz opened the meeting followed by a roll call and a moment of silence. The minutes from the April 24, 2025 meeting were approved with no changes.
Agenda Item #2: Public Comment, Part I
Mr. Schoepp noted that proposed reductions to federal programs could cause many to lost Medicaid coverage, which would burden the ADAP program. Ms. Edwards noted that the HIV Uninsured Care Programs (incl. ADAP and APIC/insurance continuation) has never turned away an eligible applicant.
Agenda Item #3: Recipient Report
Ms. Acosta reported that HRSA observed Asian and Pacific Islander HIV Awareness Day and Hepatitis Awareness Month. The CDC released 2023 HIV surveillance reports as well as National HIV Prevention and Care Objectives. NASTAD (a network of state health directors) released a statement condemning proposed cuts to HIV and hepatitis programs.
The EMA received a 2nd partial award of $23.8M. Combined with the first partial award, this adds up to $40.1M (44% of GY 2024 funding). Final awards will be processed as soon as HRSA receives the full GY 2025 appropriation amount for this program. Ms. Plummer assured subrecipients that the priority for the partial award is to ensure continuous operation of programs.
The DOHMH HIV Care & Treatment Program (CTP) distributed viral suppression reports for all Ryan White Part A (RWPA) programs for 2023. These reports offer a surveillance-based snapshot to help providers understand viral suppression trends among their clients and help support RWPA programs in their efforts to keep clients engaged in care and adherent to treatment to achieve viral suppression and better health. On April 4, PHS on behalf of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) Initiative – Be Into Health, Enhanced Data to Care, and Expanded Emergency Financial Assistance Concept Paper in advance of an expected August RFP.
Planning for the 2025 Annual RWPA Provider Meeting for the NY EMA continues for the event taking place on July 29th at the Baruch College. The Consumers Committee will again lead a workshop, along with other workshop sessions on quality improvement planning, data entry/management, and accessible programming and services. The NY EMA Quality Management (QM) Committee met on April 22 and discussed the start of the quality management and improvement training season. The Committee also reviewed a presentation on evaluation findings from the 2024 RWHAP all-provider meeting. AIDS Institute partners have started delivering trainings focused on best practices for developing quality improvement methods and projects.
DOHMH staff joined the annual Anti-HIV Stigma March in the Bronx. DOHMH BHHS updated its mpox and hepatitis webpages. On May 9, Public Health Solutions (PHS) on behalf of the New York City Health Department released a concept paper for the EmpowHER: Strengthening Women’s Sexual Health Through HIV Prevention and Community Collaboration program.
The Recipient and PHS staff answered questions about subrecipient contract renewals.
Agenda Item #4: GY 2024 4th Quarter Closeout Report
Mr. Fields introducedthe GY 2024 4th quarter closeout report. showing the spending in grant year that ended on February 28, 2025. Spending in almost all service categories was on target. The overall underspending, which will be available for carryover in the current year is about $1.5 million, a big improvement over last year’s underspending of $2.3 million. This is the lowest underspending since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. The final amount of carryover will be adjusted slightly as the Recipient completes its final reconciliation. In June, the PSRA Committee will develop a carryover plan for the use of the unspent funds.
Ms. Plummer provided the details of the report. Highlights include:
- ADAP was able to absorb substantial reprogramming and carryover funds, resulting in spending of 187% of the original allocation (the allocation had been reduced at the beginning of the year to cover a reduction in the award).
- Non-Medical Case Management/Inmates and Releasees was underspent due to the Dept. of Corrections dropping a requirement that correctional officers attend appointments. The GY 2025 spending plan reduced the ongoing allocation for this category to reflect the new need.
- Food & Nutrition Services in both NYC and Tri-County spent more than their original allocation through one-time enhancements.
- Emergency Financial Assistance was underspent due to issues with the program’s staffing and agency reorganization. A procurement of a new provider for the NYC portion of the EMA is underway for services that will begin March 1, 2026.
- Medical Transportation was underspent due to the reduced need for parking vouchers.
- Legal Services in Tri-County was underspent due despite one of the two providers rescinding their contract. The remaining provider served relatively few clients. The TC Steering Committee will review the allocation for this service. If there are adequate providers in the region, then the Committee may decide to reallocate those funds to an area of high need in the TC portfolio such as Housing or Food.
Agenda Item #5: Framing Directive (FD) Implementation Report
Ms. Plummer and Ms. Gambone presented an update on the implementation of the Council’s Framing Directive, which was approved by the Council in 2021 and serves as an overarching service directive that provides guidance on program design, service provision, and client/agency eligibility applicable to all RWPA-funded service categories in the NY EMA. The Recipient has worked on implementing the components of the Framing Directive through various interventions and improvements to service models. A summary of progress towards implementing the strategies in the FD were provided. Highlights include:
Provider Plans for pay and racial equity: due to labor laws and collective bargaining agreements, the Recipient cannot impose salary requirements, but providers are encouraged to pay livable salaries and the Recipient has increased maximum payment amounts (MPAs) across new service category rebids while reducing the number of contracts.
Organizational Assessments on stigma, implicit bias and racism: The Recipient’s equity team led the development and piloting of an Organizational Racism, Stigma, and Bias Assessment with subrecipients, but did not move forward with implementation of the tool due to subrecipients reporting that the tool was excessive and taking time away from providing services to clients, and due to conflicts with organizational structure and staff capacity. In 2023, the Recipient also tried to compensate subrecipients for completing a Culturally Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) assessment and plan development, but HRSA did not approve using RWPA funds for that.
Client Crisis Plan: The Recipient will consider how to approach this in the foreseeable future.
Tracking Referrals to entitlements and benefits: The Recipient updates its RWPA Referral Directory regularly and has created interactive Google maps. All subrecipients are required to complete an appendix in their contract package by identifying at least one provider (internal or external) for a range of services and if external, a Memorandum of Agreement and/or Linkage Agreement must be established and updated at least every two years. Newly rebid categories, beginning in 2024, are utilizing the Referrals/Appointments Tracking Log, which documents referral steps and outcomes.
Quality Management (QM) Plan: All subrecipients must submit a QM plan during the first year of their contract. In subsequent years, subrecipients update their QM plans and typically report on an annual required quality improvement project.
Other initiatives from the FD that the Recipient has not been able to address due to time and staff constraints include: outreach protocols for reaching priority populations, PWH-led trainings, and ratings on accessibility of spaces and reasonable accommodations. Other initiatives where measures show progress include: opportunities for peer support (e.g., 50% of Harm Reduction and Supportive Counseling programs have drop-in centers or hours); client experience surveys (95% of providers report doing this); stigma questions added to eSHARE intake assessments; opportunities for grant writing workshops and other funding opportunities; trainings on trauma-informed care and CLAS standards; health equity; and client engagement (including work done with the Consumers Committee on client advisory boards).
Agenda Item #6: Needs Assessment Committee Recommendations: Service Delivery for PWH who Engage in Chemsex/Use Methamphetamines
Ms. Saab and Mr. Ford presented a set of recommendations developed by the Needs Assessment Committee (NAC) to address the needs of RWPA clients who have issues around chemsex and methamphetamine use. The presentation covered personal and structural factors surrounding chemsex and crystal meth use, motivations for use, and sexual behaviors that negatively impact mental wellbeing, physical health, and HIV outcomes. While there are no pharmacotherapies approved for methamphetamine use disorders, therapies are often used in combination with harm reduction approaches and, in some cases, pharmacologic interventions. The NAC obtained key insights from several presentations received this year from DOHMH and community partners on the interconnected challenges that many individuals face when navigating substance use, mental health, and survival.
The recommendations developed by the NAC include:
- Adopt a Culturally Safe, Trauma-Informed, and Harm Reduction Approach and provide an environment where clients can safely talk about their crystal meth use, free from judgment or shame.
- Promote Ongoing Staff Training, including fundamentals of chemsex and harm reduction principles.
- Offer Harm Reduction Materials and Safer Use Supplies, including drug-checking tools like fentanyl or xylazine test strips to prevent overdose.
- Encourage Peer and Community Engagement to provide culturally affirming, nonjudgmental care.
- Offer referrals to affirming, substance use-focused providers, including behavioral and mental health providers, harm reduction programs, and community-based organizations.
A resource directory was also developed that the Recipient can distribute to RWPA programs to provide referrals and other resources that agencies can use to assist clients.
There was an extensive discussion concerning elements of crystal meth use. It was stressed that the background and context slides are not meant to be an exhaustive study of psychological and sociological meanings for gay men who use meth. The NAC spent months discussing a wide range of data to develop recommendations that will help RWPA clients who use receive understanding and appropriate services.
Mr. Ford, on behalf of the Needs Assessment Committee, moved to accept the recommendations as presented. The motion was adopted 17Y-2N.
Ms. Saab and the NAC were thanked for their extensive and thorough work to develop these recommendations.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Minutes approved by the HIV Planning Council on June 26, 2025
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David Klotz
Governmental Co-chair
