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HIV/Aids Awareness
A man in a red shirt holds up the red HIV/AIDS awareness ribbon.
President Trump recently announced that his administration would be making significant funding cuts to HIV prevention efforts and research studies. His 2026 Fiscal Year Budget removes more than 1.5 billion dollars from the Department of Health, gutting CDC-run HIV prevention and surveillance programs that are crucial for monitoring the virus’ spread and keeping treatment options accessible.
Milwaukee-based Vivent Health is the nation’s second-largest provider of HIV prevention and treatment. In a press release, the company notes that 73 percent of their patients live at or below the Federal Poverty Line, while 75 percent are either uninsured or rely on Medicaid or Medicare.
Vivent Health Chief Advocacy Officer Bill Keeton explains, “Here in Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services receives about 1.9 million dollars from the national grant program to help support community-based organizations across the state that deliver life-saving services to folks who are vulnerable and impacted by HIV.”
Many Services, No Money?
These services take many forms, whether it be HIV testing, condom distribution, pre-exposure prophylaxis or preventative education. Vivent and other providers are in the second year of that grant cycle, but because of Trump’s cuts, Vivent has not received that funding as of June 1.
Keeton continues, “For a number of organizations, it’s really challenging to consider how our current programs are going to continue being carried out that are showing tremendous success in reducing HIV transmission throughout the state.”
He assures that Vivent Health has the tools, science and interventions necessary to help end HIV as an epidemic in the coming years. Even if HIV is not eliminated entirely, the vast majority of folks living with it could still be able to access and receive care.
A Domino Effect
However, as Keeton points out, “What we lack, unfortunately, is the political will and the commitment as a nation to ensure that all of those resources are getting to people who can benefit from them. If all lives have value, then we need to live that out.”
Trump’s cuts also mean that existing programs, like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Department of Health & Human Services, could become short-staffed, making them less effective in processing grant applications and making executive decisions.
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It has a domino effect, where inefficiency in one sector means that more people will be at risk of contracting HIV and requiring care across the board. Communities affected by systemic racism, poverty, education disparities and inadequate medical care are most vulnerable to HIV. This is exacerbated by pending cuts to Medicaid and SNAP by Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” that recently passed in the Senate.
“We don’t do this work alone,” Keeton assures. “There’s nine other organizations in the state that are receiving these dollars.”
Living with HIV
According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 39.9 million people in the world live with HIV as of 2023, with more than one million new cases each year. The same article details developing research about a groundbreaking treatment for HIV known as lenacapavir, a drug that protects patients from infection for six months with each shot, eliminating the need for daily pills.
“We have today what was a dream at the beginning of HIV as a public health crisis,” Keeton affirms. “Without investments, those novel approaches to disease management don’t happen.”
The Vivent Health Action Network educates folks about lawmaker decisions pertaining to HIV as well as how to get in touch with their elected officials regarding this issue.
HIV testing and resources are locally available at places like Holton Street Clinic, Diverse & Resilient, BESTD, Keenan Sexual Health Clinic and Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.
