TRI-COUNTY STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING
March 11 2026, 10:00 am-11:39 am
By Zoom Videoconference
DRAFT MINUTES
Members Present: J. Palmer (Co-chair), L. Cyrus (Co-chair), M. Acevedo, V. Alvarez, L. Best, J. Braithwaite, L. Bucknor, V. Carlone, A. Contreras, M. Diaz, J. Gago, J. Gobler, L. Hakim, A. Milian, K. Palencia-Lua, A. Pizarro, K. Scott, S. Thomas
Members Absent: R. Agarwal, B. Malloy, P. Germinaro, A. Hardman, A. Ruggiero, S.Servadio, P. Tang
Other PC Members Present: J. Schoepp
Guests Present: R. Collura,D. Norman, G. Thomas
Staff Present: NYC DOHMH: D. Klotz (Governmental Co-Chair), D. Saab, M. Navejas, A. Omeyoma, G. Dominguez-Plummer (ex-officio), J. Acosta
Agenda Item # 1: Roll Call/Moment of Silence/Announcements
LaShonda Cyrus and Julian Palmer opened the meeting with a roll call of members followed by a moment of silence. The minutes for the January 14th, 2026, meeting were approved with no changes.
Doienne Saab reminded members that she created a Google map directory of Non-Ryan White Part A HIV testing and Legal service organizations located in the Tri-County region. Available to both clients and providers to use, the directory provides the location, website, and additional information to these listed organizations. The google map will be posted on the NY HIV Planning Council website but can also be found here:
Agenda Item #2: Updates
Recipient Report
Johanna Acosta reported on the observance of HIV is Not a Crime Awareness Day (PWH in more than 30 states face laws that target them). Also, February 7th was National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. HRSA released their 2025 Year in Review, highlighting advancements made in their mission to improve health and access to care across the nation. Nearly 602,000 people with HIV were provided with health care and supportive services through Ryan White programs nationally.
The EMA received a Partial Notice of Award for Grant Year (GY) 2026 from HRSA. The EMA will receive $24.3M. Final awards will be processed as soon as HRSA receives the full 2026 appropriation amount for 4 this program. The Recipient’s Research and Evaluation Unit has released the GY 2024 Enrollment Reports 5 for RWPA in the EMA. The reports provide a breakdown of RWPA consumers by enrollment status, 6 demographic makeup, and priority population. In GY 2024, there were 10,387 PWH served in the EMA by all RWPA programs.
The EMA’s Quality Management (QM) Committee met on January 27th to continue discussion on recent quality improvement training courses and begin preparing for the next iteration of the QM Plan. The committee began discussions on methods to evaluate the quality of services delivered through the RWPA program moving forward. The QM and Program Implementation Unit has begun preliminary planning on events for subrecipients and participating consumers to engage with one another and connect to learn more about RWPA services.
Mayor Mamdani announced during a press conference the appointment of Dr. Alister Martin as the New York City Health Department’s Commissioner, effective February 23rd, Commissioner Martin previously served as an emergency department physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris, and Fellow in the White House Office of Public Engagement.
DOHMH released a Dear Colleague letter on twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir for HIV PrEP, describing clinical recommendation and eligibility, minors’ right to sexual health care under New York State law, coverage under federal and New York State law, and recommendations by the New York City Health Department. Other initiatives announced include an updated snapshot of HIV among people over 50 and new RFPs for HIV prevention and testing services.
Consumer Update
Committee members emphasized the importance of addressing the following concerns:
- Fall injuries and neurological conditions among aging PWH and the importance of screenings, research studies on aging and HIV-related conditions.
Planning Council and Federal Administration Update
David Klotz provided a Planning Council and federal budget update.
D. Klotz summarized current federal budget negotiations, outlining that on February 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed H.R.7148 into law, enacting the FY 2026 Congressional appropriations package, which includes funding for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bills. Compared with FY 2025 levels, the FY 2026 budget largely level-funds HIV and STI programs within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The legislation also increases funding for HHS’s viral hepatitis program and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program.
Key federal updates to funding included:
- Flat funding levels for HHS’s HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis programs and HUD’s HIV program include:
- $2.6 billion in HRSA funding for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (Ryan White) Parts A, B, C, D, and F: flat-funded*
- $220.0 million in CDC funding for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE), $165.0 million in HRSA funding for EHE-Ryan White, $157.3 million in HRSA funding for EHE-Community Health Centers: flat-funded*
- $755.6 million in CDC funding for HIV prevention: flat-funded
- Flat funding levels for CDC STI prevention, a slight increase for viral hepatitis prevention, a decrease in Minority HIV/AIDS Fund funding (7%) and an increase in HOPWA funding (5%)
David highlighted ongoing work by the Consumers Committee and Needs Assessment Committee related to safe access to services for immigrants.
He also provided an update on the approved Ryan White Part A spending plan which anticipates a possible 2.5% reduction to the base award, although this reduction is considered unlikely due to federal appropriations and HRSA’s formula change, which may result in a 2% increase over five years. The approved plan deliberated that $652,000 in savings from NYC Care Coordination contracts and $226,000 in Tri-County uncommitted funds may be used to offset any reduction and support the proposed enhancement to Food & Nutrition Services (FNS), which PSRA recommended to address rising demand and increased food costs.
If additional funds are needed, NYC Early Intervention Services (EIS)—currently funded at $3.7M—may be reduced.
Agenda Item #3: GY 2025 Third Quarter Expenditure Report
Guadalupe Dominguez-Plummer presented the Grant Year (GY) 2025 3rd Quarter Expenditure Report for the period March 1, 2025 – February 28, 2026, summarizing expenditure levels across service categories within the Tri-County portfolio. She noted that the benchmark expenditure rate at this point in the grant year is typically 75%.
Housing Services reported 66% expenditure. This category experienced a scale-down following the rescission of one contract. Public Health Solutions (PHS) is currently reprogramming funds to support reaching full expenditure by the end of the grant year.
The following service categories reported expenditure near or above the benchmark: Medical Transportation (72%), Food and Nutrition Services (79%), Legal Services (75%), Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support Services.
Oral Health Services (58%) reported lower spending due to staffing challenges. Medical Case Management (67%) reported that reduced spending reflects conservative program management approaches, including hiring freezes, in response to uncertainty regarding funding levels; this was noted as not reflective of contract performance.
Early Intervention Services (22%) reported significantly lower expenditure due to the rescission of contracts, which resulted from challenges identifying HIV-positive cases and engaging clients in HIV testing.
Guadalupe noted that a close-out report will be presented at a later date to the Steering Committee, which will provide a more complete picture of expenditures across all service categories.
Agenda Item #4: 2024 Lower Hudson Valley HIV Annual Epi Report
Randall Collura presented the Annual 2024 HIV Epidemiology Report for the Lower Hudson Valley region, providing an overview of trends in HIV diagnoses, prevalence, and care outcomes across New York State and the Lower Hudson Valley Ryan White region.
The data showed a 29% decrease in new HIV diagnoses among both males and females, indicating an overall decline in new diagnoses over time in NYS. Despite these declines, significant racial and ethnic disparities persist. Non-Hispanic Black males account for 38% of new HIV diagnoses in New York State, despite representing approximately 14% of the state’s male population. Similarly, Hispanic males represent 38% of new diagnoses, despite representing 20% of the state male population. Among women, disparities are particularly notable; non-Hispanic Black women represent 57% of new HIV diagnoses while comprising approximately 15% of the population.
There were 1,075 new HIV diagnoses among Non-Hispanic Black persons statewide, 392 among non-Hispanic White persons, and 923 among Hispanic individuals. By transmission category, male-to-male sexual contact remains the largest transmission group (n=1,266), followed by heterosexual transmission (n=618).Analysis by age group shows that the highest number of new diagnoses occurred among individuals aged 25–34 (n=931). Looking at the longer time trend between 2014 and 2024, diagnoses among individuals aged 35–44 have increased, while diagnoses among youth aged 13–24 have decreased.
Within the Ryan White region, the age-adjusted HIV diagnosis rate is 7.2 per 100,000 persons, with 96 new diagnoses reported. In the Lower Hudson Valley region, 76% of new diagnoses were among males and 24% among females. By race and ethnicity, Non-Hispanic Black individuals accounted for 43% of diagnoses, Hispanic individuals 32%, and Non-Hispanic White individuals 20%. Within Westchester County, several zip codes continue to have the highest concentrations of new diagnoses.
The report also highlighted data on people living with diagnosed HIV in New York State, totaling 106,754 individuals. Disparities remain evident in prevalence as well. Non-Hispanic Black individuals represent 39% of males living with HIV while comprising approximately 14% of the male population, and 58% of females living with HIV despite representing about 15% of the female population.
In the Lower Hudson Ryan White region, there are 770 Non-Hispanic Black individuals and 293 Hispanic individuals living with HIV. The report also noted 32 transgender individuals living with HIV in the Lower Hudson region.
By transmission category among people living with HIV statewide, male-to-male sexual contact remains the largest category (n=51,327), followed by heterosexual transmission (n=29,297) and injection drug use (n=8,691). Several municipalities in the Lower Hudson Valley have higher numbers of residents living with HIV, including the cities of Mount Vernon, Spring Valley, Yonkers, New Rochelle, White Plains, and Port Chester.
Mortality trends were also discussed. Between 2014 and 2024, all-cause mortality among people diagnosed with HIV in New York State decreased by 9%. Notably, HIV-related deaths did not increase during this period. Finally, the Lower Hudson Ryan White Region HIV Care Cascade was reviewed. Approximately 95% of individuals diagnosed with HIV in the region are virally suppressed, reflecting strong treatment outcomes. Among newly diagnosed individuals, 91% are linked to care within 30 days of diagnosis, and 96% enter care shortly after diagnosis. Overall viral suppression rates are approximately 83%, with only small differences across racial and ethnic groups, including those groups experiencing higher rates of HIV diagnosis.
Additional data points are accessible via the NYS AI interactive data dashboard: Ending the Epidemic – Measure, track, and disseminate information on progress towards achieving the End of the AIDS Epidemic in New York State
Adjournment
The Next Steering Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 8th 10-11:30 AM.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
