Tri-County Steering Committee Minutes April 8th, 2026

TRI-COUNTY STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

April 8 2026, 10:00 am – 11:43 am

By Zoom Videoconference

DRAFT MINUTES

Members Present:  J. Palmer (Co-chair), L. Cyrus (Co-chair), M. Acevedo, V. Alvarez, M. Diaz, J. Gago, P. Germinaro, J. Gobler, L. Hakim, A. Milian, K. Palencia-Lua, A. Pizarro, K. Scott, S. Thomas

Members Absent:   B. Malloy, A. Hardman, A. Ruggiero, S.Servadio, P. Tang

Other PC Members Present: J. Schoepp

Guests Present:      R. Collura,G. Thomas, S. Mellender

Staff Present:           NYC DOHMH: D. Klotz (Governmental Co-Chair), D. Saab, M. Navejas, L. Moya-Adames, A. Omeyoma, S. Spiegler, S. Kramer

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 March 11^th 2026, meeting were approved with no changes.

During public comment, John Schoepp encouraged Tri-County Steering Committee members to attend upcoming Consumer Committee meetings to have their voices uplifted through their planning process.

Agenda Item #2: Updates

Recipient Report

Sara Kramer provided updates on federal awareness days, including National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, highlighting ongoing disparities and the need for targeted prevention and care efforts.

The Ryan White Part A Food & Meals, Medical Nutrition Therapy, and Legal Services Concept Paper was released, with an anticipated RFP in July 2026 and new contracts beginning March 2027.

Program updates included a Quality Improvement (QI) sharing session with provider participation, ongoing provider engagement and trainings, and submission of comments to HRSA regarding reporting burden.

BHHS released updated 2024 HIV Care Continuum dashboards and an STI Surveillance Report, noting overall stable or declining STI rates, with increases in mpox and congenital syphilis and persistent inequities.

Additional updates included a health advisory on mpox clade I, release of HUB RFP supplements, and announcement of TGNCNB Empowerment Fund awards supporting community-based organizations.

Planning Council and Federal Administration Update

David Klotz provided a Planning Council and federal budget update.

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 this program. Until then any enhancements to program funding for Tri-County will be announced upon receiving the full award.

The Priority Setting and Resource Allocation Committee will discuss the GY 26 reprogramming plan including the flexibility to move funds between service categories in order to enhance contracts that are overperforming. They will also receive an ADAP update presentation.

The next Planning Council meeting will be held April 23^rd and will feature presentations on the GY 26 reprogramming plan for uncommitted funds from PSRA and the Needs Assessment Committee recommendations for improving the safety and health of immigrants in the NY EMA.

Michael Navejas highlighted the ongoing work of the Consumers Committee related to safe access to services for immigrants and their development of a resource palm card. He also noted that their next meeting on April 21^st will include policy information on Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP benefits.

Consumer Update

Committee members emphasized the importance of addressing the following concerns:

• Fall injuries and neurological conditions among aging PWH, social isolation, and the availability of ongoing community events in the region.

Agenda Item #3: Planning Council HIV Health Immigrant Survey Results

Michael Navejas presented The Consumers Committee, in partnership with the Needs Assessment Committee, conducted HIV health surveys of both providers (n=25) and immigrant consumers with HIV (n=133) to better understand barriers to care and inform service recommendations.

Presented key Consumer findings revealed that:

• Fear of immigration enforcement is a major barrier, with 81% reporting it impacted their ability to seek care (p. 6).
• Immigration-related concerns affected access to services, including medical appointments, medication pickup, and social services (p. 7).
• While some respondents reported culturally competent care, responses were mixed, indicating ongoing gaps in language access and cultural responsiveness (p. 8).
• Community support was viewed as helpful but inconsistent (p. 9).
• Suggested improvements included transportation support, telehealth options, home visits, and peer support (p. 10).
• Qualitative responses highlighted fear of ICE, stigma, racism/xenophobia, mental health needs, and lack of immigration legal support (pp. 11–12).

Presented key Provider findings revealed that:

• Most providers reported that immigration enforcement contributes to missed appointments and disengagement from care (p. 14).
• While many agencies reported adequate competency, some gaps remain in resources and culturally responsive services (p. 15).
• 64% of agencies have adapted services (e.g., telehealth, outreach, home visits) to better support immigrant clients (p. 16).
• The majority of agencies have protocols in place for ICE encounters, including legal referral procedures and client protection measures (pp. 18–19).

Emerging Themes & Needs:

• Persistent fear and safety concerns significantly impact care engagement.
• Need for expanded immigration legal services, language access, housing support, and mental health services (p. 20).
• Importance of culturally responsive care, community partnerships, and patient navigation to improve outcomes (p. 21).

In conclusion, the findings underscored that immigration-related fears, structural barriers, and service gaps continue to affect access to HIV care. Strengthening culturally responsive, low-barrier, and safety-informed services is critical to improving engagement and health outcomes for immigrant communities.

Pamela G. noted that their agency has had a substantial drop in the number of clients attending visits related to STD care, immunizations, including lower student enrollment in local schools. In response, their agency has created safe zones within their offices and has restricted front room waiting rooms for clients. They also noted a concern from viral load resistance among PWH, with David K. responding that ADAP is still providing medications to clients with home delivery of medications as an option. He is also noted that providers should stay vigilant to keep their clients in care.

Julian P. shared that their agency is restricting private areas of their facility with clear signage to safeguard clients in fear of ICE. They also referenced the sponsored New York for ALL act prohibiting local law enforcement and state agencies from using state or local agencies for civil immigration enforcement, entering non-public areas of state and local property. He also recommended that the future Planning Council survey questionnaires be provided in other languages spoken by New Yorkers, including Haitian Creole to ensure that more community voices are reflected in survey data.

Agenda Item #4:

Recommendations for Supporting the NY EMA’s Asylum Seeker and Immigrant Communities

Laura Moya Adames, presented an in-depth review of the recommendations and resources document on creating a safer and more accessible environment for RWPA immigrant clients to access HIV care and supportive services. This presentation was an opportunity to gather feedback on the drafted recommendations from the unique perspectives of the Tri-County Steering Committee.

Laura M.A. also provided background on the Needs Assessment Committee’s process for collecting data, and analyzing findings to inform and draft a set of recommendations. The recommendations created are envisioned to improve the delivery of care to immigrant populations accessing RWPA services in the NY EMA.

The drafted recommendations centered on improving the safety and continuity of care amid immigration enforcement included the following:

• To Strengthen Community-Driven Engagement: RWPA providers should
  • Engage immigrant community members as trusted messengers (e.g., community health workers, peer navigators) when planning and improving service delivery.
  • Disseminate accurate information from vetted resources in relevant languages using outreach channels and strategies that engage community safely and confidentially. 
• Data Protection and Privacy: RWPA providers should
  • Minimize unnecessary data collection, especially immigration-related information.
  • Clearly communicate privacy policies to clients, especially regarding when and why immigration-related data would be collected, and how it would be utilized.
• Enhancing Physical and Operational Safety: RWPA providers should
  • Establish safety procedures for staff and clients in care settings.
  • Use clear signage to distinguish private areas from public spaces.
• Reducing Transit-Related Safety Barriers: RWPA providers should
  • Offer telehealth and home-based services (e.g., home delivery of medications, meals and groceries) to alleviate fears around traveling in public.
  • Provide transportation options, including private rides, ride-sharing apps, and public transit passes to accommodate client travel to appointments to ensure continuity of care.
  • If available, implement mobile vans for neighborhood-based services to bring care directly to clients. If that is not possible, facilitate closed-loop referrals to nearby vetted providers using resource directories.
• Strengthening Legal Safety and Care Continuity: RWPA providers should

• Connect clients to trusted legal service providers via a closed-loop referral process for additional services requiring legal aid specifically around immigration support.
• Assist clients in Know Your Rights education and safety planning support (e.g., Alien number (A-number)) and developing contingency safety planning
• With client’s consent, provide health documentation (e.g., HIV medical diagnosis documentation) to client’s legal team to support remote court appearances and humanitarian release requests.
• Balancing Safety with Continuity of Operations: RWPA providers should
  • Implement safety measures for clients who have concerns about immigration enforcement activities based on current legal guidance.
  • Regularly review and adjust safety strategies based on changing community needs.

Members suggested adding immigration-related resources from Catholic Charities and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center – including rights and protections information that clients can use when faced with ICE interrogations e.g., Red Cards . Doienne S. suggested including a recommendation for RWPA providers to offer and refer their staff to Know Your Rights education and trainings for staff capacity building. LaShonda C. thanked both presenters for providing insight to the current challenges being faced by immigrant communities.

Adjournment

The Next Steering Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 13^th 10-11:30 AM.

There being no further business, the meeting was­­ adjourned.