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Q&A
Council Member Schulman questions DOHMH on HOPWA, HIV diagnoses, and capital projects
2:32:34
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176 sec
Council Member Lynn Schulman engages in a Q&A session with representatives from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, focusing on the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, HIV diagnosis trends, and capital projects. The discussion covers funding allocations, the relationship between HOPWA and HASA, recent HIV diagnosis statistics, and inquiries about a CT simulator capital project.
- DOHMH representatives clarify that a $1.1 million increase in HOPWA funding is a technical adjustment with no specific new services planned.
- The conversation touches on the increase in new HIV diagnoses, which is attributed to changes in care-seeking behavior during the pandemic.
- Questions about a $2.4 million allocation for a CT simulator in fiscal year 2028 are raised, with DOHMH representatives promising to provide more information later.
Lynn Schulman
2:32:34
Okay.
2:32:35
In the preliminary plan, the funding was increased by $1,100,000 in federal dollars in fiscal twenty twenty five for the HOPWA program.
2:32:42
Will this funding be allocated to the construction of new sites, or will it be allocated for other services?
2:32:57
So there's no additional or specific services that are gonna be funded with that?
2:33:03
On February 12, the Committee on General Welfare held a joint hearing with the Committee on Health on the HIV AIDS Services Administration, HASA, which provides temporary and supportive housing in addition to support services.
2:33:13
What is HOPWA's relationship to HASA?
2:33:21
Okay.
2:33:22
The PMMR highlights the number of new HIV diagnoses in calendar year 2023 which has increased to sixteen eighty six from fifteen sixty seven in 2022 and ninety five people in 2021.
2:33:40
Hundred and '20 '2 people in and one hundred and one thousand three hundred and forty seven people in 2022.
2:33:47
What factors aside from the COVID nineteen pandemic has impacted the number of new diagnoses?
2:34:20
Are new HIV infections a reporting metric?
2:34:25
Okay.
2:34:26
Are there additional PMMR rather metrics related to HIV or AIDS that DOHMH would consider adding in the future such as the percentage of people living with HIV that is undetectable?
2:34:41
Okay and I have one capital program question and then I'm gonna give it to other folks.
2:34:48
The capital commitment plan allocated 2,400,000 in fiscal twenty twenty eight for a computed tomography simulator.
2:34:56
How many people will be served with the CAT simulator?
2:35:05
Okay.
2:35:06
So the other questions that go with that so you can give us that also is does Jamaica Hospital currently have any CAT simulators or CT simulators or scanners?
2:35:14
And why is this funding scheduled for several years into the future?
2:35:18
And these are DOHMH capital projects.
2:35:24
Okay.
2:35:25
I appreciate it.
2:35:26
I'm gonna ask Lincoln, council member Ressler to ask his questions.
Michelle Morse
2:32:47
I'll pass to my CFO.
2:33:17
Thank you for the question.
2:33:18
We can get back to you with more details on that.
2:33:53
Thank you for that question.
2:33:54
This is kind of what I was referencing earlier that there was an increase in the number of new diagnoses for HIV but a decrease in the number of new infections.
2:34:07
And again, we believe that that is related to changes in care seeking behavior during the pandemic in that people were getting diagnosed with HIV a bit later post infection.
2:34:24
They are.
2:34:37
We would be happy to have conversations with counsel in the future about that.
2:35:00
I'll pass to my chief financial officer.
Aaron Anderson
2:32:50
Thanks, Jared.
2:32:50
That's actually just a technical adjustment around, you know, increasing grant funding, rolling out grant funding as it comes in.
2:32:55
So that was a technical adjustment.
2:33:01
Correct.
2:33:02
Okay.
2:35:02
Okay.
2:35:03
Yeah.
2:35:04
We'll have to get back
2:35:23
We'll have to get
Jason Graham
2:35:05
to you on that one, Chair.
2:35:24
back to you on that.