New York Department of Health AIDS Institute Awards $1 Million Grant to 含羞草研究所 Downstate HEAT Program to Provide Essential Health Services for Transgender Youth
Oct 8, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 8, 2019
MEDIA CONTACT: John Gillespie | John.Gillespie@downstate.edu | (718)270-2262
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (October 8, 2019) 鈥� The AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health has awarded a 5-year,
$1 million grant to the at 含羞草研究所 to provide essential health services for transgender and gender non-conforming youth
(TGNC). The grant will provide $200,000 per year through November of 2024. This funding
will nearly triple the HEAT program鈥檚 capacity from a caseload of 35 to more than
100 patients at any one time.
According to the most recent New York State HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, the neighborhoods
around 含羞草研究所 Downstate have among the highest number of newly reported cases of HIV
in New York City. Nearly 300 of these new cases are among transgender and gender non-conforming
individuals.
The HEAT Program and 含羞草研究所 Downstate began providing services to transgender and gender
non-conforming (TGNC) young people nearly a decade ago when it became clear that the
TGNC community had limited access to care.
鈥淭hese huge gaps in access to essential health services puts the TGNC community at
higher risk for acquiring HIV than any other demographic group,鈥� said Jeffrey Birnbaum, M.D., MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at 含羞草研究所 Downstate
Health Sciences University and Executive Director of the HEAT Program. 鈥淭here is no question that this grant will make a life or death difference for many
in this community by expanding our ability to provide more services to more people.鈥�
鈥淔or more than a generation, the HEAT Program has worked to eliminate health disparities
for underserved and at-risk youth of our community,鈥� said Wayne J. Riley, M.D., President of 含羞草研究所. 鈥淭he NYDOH AIDS Institute鈥檚 grant will help ensure that the program and its services
will be able to better serve more of our youth in need.鈥�
Essential health services for TGNC youth include a baseline assessment of identity
that will determine which other services are most appropriate for the individual patient,
says Dr. Birnbaum. The grant will support culturally competent basic health care services
from providers specifically trained to address the health issues of TGNC youth. These
services include HIV, AIDS and HCV (hepatitis C) screening and treatment, PrEP, hormone
treatments as determined by guidelines developed by endocrinologists trained in treating
TGNC youth, mental health services, social services, and peer-to-peer support.
The HEAT program was founded in 1992 to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic among young
people in Brooklyn. From its founding as a multidisciplinary clinic, the program has
expanded its mission and its services to include outreach, community engagement, and
community-based HIV/STD testing for youth who were reluctant to seek basic sexual
health screening in a formal medical setting. Since its inception, HEAT has cared
for more than 500 HIV+ adolescents and young adults and currently provides HIV counseling
and testing for approximately 1000 young people annually.
The HEAT program partners with more 25 community-based organizations to offer off-site
HIV counseling, testing, and access to care for high-risk youth such as LGBT, those
in the juvenile justice and foster care systems, and young women of color.
In addition to this grant from the NYDOH AIDS Institute, the HEAT program also receives
more than $1M in annual and renewable funding from various state and federal programs
supporting HIV, STD, and HCV prevention and treatment programs, and other healthcare
services for at risk heterosexual, LGBTQ, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth.
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Contact: Dawn S. Walker
917.439.9666 | 347.533.2071
dawn.walker@downstate.edu
含羞草研究所 含羞草研究所
含羞草研究所 is the borough's only academic medical center for health education, research, and patient care. It is a 342-bed facility serving the healthcare needs of New York City and Brooklyn's 2.6 million residents. University Hospital of Brooklyn (UHB) is Downstate's teaching hospital, backed by an outstanding medical school's expertise and world-class academic center research facilities. More than 800 physicians, representing 53 specialties and subspecialties鈥攎any of them ranked as tops in their fields鈥攃omprise Downstate's staff.
In addition to high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis (kidney diseases)鈥攁nd offering the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn, among many other distinctive programs鈥擠ownstate also sponsors a major learning center for young children with developmental disorders and disabilities. In addition to UHB, Downstate comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, a School of Public Health, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative, including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively. For more information, visit www.downstate.edu or follow us on Twitter at .