HIV: Ryan White CARE Act
Overview
The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act took effect in 1990. The act was named for 18-year-old Ryan White, an Indiana man who died of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) that year. The goal of the CARE Act is to improve the quality of care received by people and families affected by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). It also aims to make care and services more widely available.
The act is made up of five program areas.
Part A of the Ryan White CARE Act provides funding to eligible metropolitan areas (EMA) and transitional grant areas
To qualify for funding, EMAs must exceed 2,000 cumulative AIDS cases, and TGAs must have had between 1,000 and 1,999 cumulative AIDS cases in the past five years.
Wisconsin isn’t eligible for this funding, but two western counties in Wisconsin—Pierce and St. Croix—are included in the Minneapolis EMA.
The grants are used for:
- Continuing health insurance coverage.
- Home- and community-based care.
- Treatment and medicines that prolong life and/or prevent hospitalization.
- AIDS Drug Assistance Program services for HIV-related medications
Under Part B, the Division of Public Health has three goals for allocating funds:
- Ensuring that antiretroviral therapy is available to people with HIV who are eligible for the ADAP without capping services or using a waiting list.
- Providing funds to local agencies to make sure community-based care, supportive services, and treatment are available statewide.
- Providing program and administrative support to the ADAP so it meets its requirements as the Part B grantee, contract administrator, and drug and insurance service provider. Learn more about eligibility and recertification policies and procedures: Wisconsin Ryan White Part B Eligibility and Recertification Policy and Procedures, P-02024 (PDF).
Part B funds support:
- Administration
Part B funds are used to support the overall administration and coordination of the grant, including the coordinator position and program support staff, who help collect data and monitor contracts.
- Planning and evaluation
Part B funds are used to support the planning and evaluation of care, treatment, and supportive services programs. This includes the Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need.
As part of the Division of Public Health’s 1997 Ryan White grant, the Health Resources and Services Administration required ADAP to develop a Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need. The goal was to develop a statement that identifies issues related to care, treatment, and supportive services for people living with HIV, as well as encourage collaboration and information sharing among other Ryan White CARE Act partners in the state.
Learn more:
- Clinical Quality Management Plan: Ryan White Part B and Life Care Services, P-00830 (PDF)
- Envisioning the End of the HIV Epidemic, P-01631 (PDF)
- Wisconsin Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan, 2017-2021, P-01582 (PDF)
- The Wisconsin AIDS/HIV Drug Assistance and Insurance Assistance programs
Ryan White ADAP and formula funds are used to buy Food and Drug Administration-approved, HIV-related medicines. Part B funds are used by ADAP to support program staff who are responsible for providing drug reimbursement services around the state. This includes one staff member who is responsible for administration and oversight of ADAP and one program assistant who is responsible for claims processing and program support.
In addition, funds are used to support Insurance Assistance Program initiatives.
Questions about Part B?
Email elizabethr.miller@
Part C of the Ryan White CARE Act provides funds to community-based health care providers who give intervention and primary care services to people with HIV and AIDS.
Services include:
- Counseling
- Early health care intervention
- Education
- Primary care
- Testing
- Treatment
Part C grantees currently funded in Wisconsin include:
- Milwaukee Health Services
- Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
- University of Wisconsin Health HIV Care Program
- Vivent Health
Questions about Part C?
Milwaukee Health Services
2555 N. Martin Luther King Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212
414-267-3700
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center
1032 S. 16th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-672-1353
University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics
HIV Clinic
600 Highland Ave.
Madison, WI 53705
608-262-9414
Vivent Heath
820 N. Plankinton Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53203
414-273-1991
Part D of the Ryan White CARES Act provides funds for maternal and pediatric HIV services and clinical research related to HIV-affected:
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Women
The Part D grantee currently funded in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin HIV Primary Care Support Network, located at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) and administered by the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Questions about Part D?
Wisconsin HIV Primary Care Support Network
Medical College of Wisconsin
8701 Watertown Plank Road
Milwaukee, WI 53226
414-266-3158
Part F of the Ryan White CARES Act provides funds for the AIDS Education and Training Centers and Special Projects of National Significance.
The Part F grantee currently funded in Wisconsin is the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center, located at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. The Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center is responsible for providing education and training opportunities to providers who serve people with HIV.
Questions about Part F?
Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center—Wisconsin (MATEC-WI)
UW Department of Medicine
310 N. Midvale Blvd., Suite 302
Madison, WI 53705
608-261-1152