The Denver HIV Resources Planning Council is a mayoral-appointed board for the City and County of Denver under the Department of Public Health and Environment that works collaboratively with DDPHE HIV Resources to prioritize services and allocate funding to service providers in the Denver metro area. Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) Part A Planning Councils that is appointed by the Mayor of the City and County of Denver. The Planning Council sets HIV/AIDS related service priorities and allocate RWHAP Part A funds on the basis of various measures of need and unmet need. Planning Councils are also required to jointly develop a comprehensive plan with the Ryan White Part A grant recipient and Ryan White Part B program.

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Planning Council (PC) membership must reflect the demographics of the local epidemic and include members with specific expertise in health care planning, housing for the homeless, health care for incarcerated populations, substance use and mental health treatment, and members who represent other Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Parts. At least 33% of members must be unaligned and receive Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program services.

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RWHAP planning councils are unique. No other federal health or human services program has a legislatively required planning body that is the decision maker about how funds will be used, has such defined membership composition, and requires such a high level of consumer participation (at least 33 percent). To learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the Planning Council, please view the PC Primer here.

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THE RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS PROGRAM

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The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a comprehensive system of care that includes primary medical care and essential support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or under-insured. The Program works with cities, states, and local community-based organizations to provide HIV care and treatment services to more than half a million people each year. The Program reaches over half of all people diagnosed with HIV in the United States.

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The RWHAP legislation is known as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009, and is also Title XXVI of the Public Health Service Act. The legislation was first passed in 1990 as the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. The 2009 law is the fourth reauthorization of RWHAP by Congress. The program helps people living with HIV get into care early, stay in care, and remain healthy. To learn more about RWHAP, please click here.

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HEALTH RESOURCES AND SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

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RWHAP is administered by the HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB) of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care by strengthening the healthcare workforce, building healthy communities and achieving health equity.

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